CBD swallowed by a child, dog or cat: who to call

For a two-year-old, as for a dog, a jar of flowers is food. In a 2021 survey of Canadian and American vets, the most cited cause of poisoning was the animal eating the product while nobody was watching (Amissah et al., PLoS ONE, 2022). Five rules are enough.

1. Closed and up high. A high cupboard, locked if possible, not a coffee table. A dog standing on its hind legs reaches the worktop.
2. In the original packaging. Name, content, batch number: this is what you will be asked on the phone.
3. Away from food. An oil stored with the condiments ends up on a slice of toast one day.
4. Cap screwed back on. A child-resistant cap only protects once it is closed until it clicks.
5. Leftovers and butts out of reach. Vets in the same survey list joint butts among the products swallowed.

A high, temperate cupboard also follows our rules to store CBD oil and store CBD flowers.

A compliant product contains no more than 0.3% THC, the psychoactive molecule in cannabis. On 19 June 2025, the ANSM and Anses published a joint alert on poisonings from products sold as CBD. It records several hundred cases since early 2024, most often caused by synthetic cannabinoids (HHC, H4-CBD, MDMB-PINACA) or by more than 0.3% THC. According to a 2023 study cited by the agencies, 8 CBD products out of 10 did not have the CBD content stated on the label. The alert does not give the share of children among the cases, but warns that accidental ingestion can have "particularly serious effects in the youngest".

French cannabis data show why. French poison centres recorded 965 children aged 10 or under exposed to cannabis by ingestion between 2010 and 2017. Their median age was 15 months, and 75% had swallowed resin. Of these, 4.5% fell into a coma; no deaths were reported (Chartier et al., Clinical Toxicology, 2021). These figures concern cannabis, not compliant CBD.

In dogs, the sensitivity is anatomical: according to the Merck Veterinary Manual, they have more CB1 receptors, the target of THC, in the cerebellum and brainstem, which likely explains their drunken gait. CBD alone, according to the Merck page on CBD, is well tolerated by dogs and cats, even at high doses. An animal that is lethargic or staggering has more likely swallowed a large amount, undeclared THC or a contaminant.

For CBD use in animals, read our articles on CBD for dogs and CBD for cats.

Four steps, taken from the instructions of the French poison centres and the ANSM alert.

1. Signs of distress: 15. Loss of consciousness, difficulty breathing, seizures: call the SAMU (emergency medical service) straight away.
2. Otherwise: the poison centre. The national number, 01 45 42 59 59, answers 24/7. Do not wait for symptoms.
3. Nothing by mouth. Do not make the child vomit and give them nothing to drink, not even milk.
4. Bring the packaging. Keep it, photograph it, note the time and how much is missing. Keep the rest of the product too: according to the ANSM, it can be analysed by the SINTES scheme of the OFDT, the French drugs observatory.

For an adult who reacts badly to a product, the ANSM asks you to stop using it and to report the effect on signalement.social-sante.gouv.fr.

Poison centres for humans do not handle animals. Call your vet, or the on-call clinic at night. Two veterinary poison centres also answer, according to the list published by the Ordre des vétérinaires.

The CNITV asks members of the public to contact their own vet first. The CAPAE Ouest says it answers members of the public free of charge.

According to Merck, signs appear 1 to 2 hours after THC ingestion, up to 4 hours in a fasted dog, and usually clear within 1 to 3 days. The CAPAE Ouest cannabis page gives 12 to 72 hours. There is no antidote, but veterinary care usually leads to a full recovery.

The Merck percentages refer to calls about THC ingestion received by an American veterinary poison helpline from 2018 to 2023.

A single one of these signs is enough reason to call.

Smoke first. The US CDC states that secondhand cannabis smoke contains many of the toxic and cancer-causing chemicals found in tobacco smoke, and that THC can pass to children this way. Do not smoke in a room or a car where a child is present. In animals, the CAPAE Ouest considers poisoning by smoke rare, unless someone blows it straight into the animal's mouth. See also our article on smoking hemp.

At home, a guest's bag left in the hallway is at dog height: put bags and coats somewhere high. At friends' homes with children or a pet, keep your products on you.

Then there is age. Selling CBD e-liquid to minors is prohibited, and the only CBD intended for a child is a prescription medicine, Epidyolex (CBD and minors). As for CBD sweets and chocolates, the most tempting for a child, the ANSM points out that they are not authorised for sale in the European Union (2026 regulations).

Stick it inside the cupboard or on the fridge.

Every day - CBD products in a high, closed cupboard, never on a coffee table. - Always in the original packaging, label readable. - Never next to food, never in a bag on the floor. - Caps screwed back on, butts and leftovers thrown in a closed bin. - No smoke in a room or car where a child is present. - Numbers written down: 15, 01 45 42 59 59, your vet. If someone swallows some - Child unconscious, struggling to breathe or having a seizure: 15. - Otherwise: poison centre on 01 45 42 59 59, without waiting for symptoms. - Do not induce vomiting, nothing to drink, no milk. - Dog or cat: your vet, the CNITV (04 78 87 10 40) or the CAPAE Ouest (02 40 68 77 40). - Packaging and leftover product kept, photo taken, time and amount noted.