A dog owner is facing a $1,500 bill after his animal fell ill, possibly as a result of accidentally ingesting marijuana at an Etobicoke park on Tuesday evening.

Not knowing what was wrong, Sonic the golden retriever was brought to an emergency veterinary clinic shortly after the incident took place.

His owner Satoshi Takano told CP24 on Friday that Sonic had lost all strength and looked confused.

“He’s a very active dog – he’s six-years-old but he sometimes acts like a one-year-old so he’s always playing with other dogs,” he said. “He was running around quite a bit here and then all of a sudden it was pure confusion.”

“He looked weak, he couldn’t walk in a straight line, and he was waddling back and forth. He looked drunk – that’s kind of the best way to describe it.”

Upon arrival at the Veterinary Emergency Hospital of West Toronto, Sonic underwent x-rays, bloodwork and an ultrasound.

“He was brought in not fully able to stand,” hospital spokesperson Dawn Paterson told CP24 on Friday. “He was having trouble being visual – the doctor had some concerns he may not be able to see properly – if at all.”

Takano says he believes Sonic ingested marijuana that was dropped by someone in the off-leash park Colonel Samuel Smith – which is in the area of Lake Shore Boulevard and Kipling Avenue.

After that day at the park, Takano began to discover a small plastic bag with an unknown substance inside.

“As the days went on I noticed that a bag was coming out (of Sonic),” he said.

Paterson said after examining the dog overnight they have not ruled out marijuana as the cause.

“High on the list was an acute toxicity – not knowing what the toxicity was so it could have potentially been marijuana,” she said. “We do see that here frequently.”

A urine test can be performed on dogs to test for marijuana being in their system but Paterson said the test is not always accurate as it can come back negative even though the substance has been ingested.

After Sonic’s stay at the hospital, Takano said “he is perfectly back to normal.”

As well, Paterson said this is something that happens quite often in Toronto.

“A few times a month I would say,” she said. “It’s a common occurrence.”

Despite the fact that Sonic was showing symptoms that concerned his owner at the time, Paterson says there are no “long-term effects” or “damage” to any dog who ingests marijuana.

“Just (have to) wait until the symptoms wear off,” she said.