Watch CBS News

First Look At Dog After Detoxing From Heroin, Methamphetamine

ORANGE (CBSLA.com) — Bubba is back, running, playing and getting belly rubs after detoxing from drugs at OC Animal Care.

Police found Bubba with his owner in a Tustin motel room in March. Test showed the terrier mix was high on heroin and methamphetamine.

Officers arrested Joshua West for drug possession and animal cruelty.

"I would say looking at his video today, his prognosis is excellent. I think if he can avoid being exposed to additional drugs in the future with his new forever home, things will be perfectly fine," said veterinarian Matthew Wheaton at the Alicia Pet Care Center in Orange. "If the dog was truly ingesting these things in relatively large quantities, I think he would probably be more than just lethargic."

"It's hard to know because you see the dog now, and he's doing so great that lethargic for that particular dog might have actually been pretty messed up on drugs," Wheaton added.

He said as more dog owners use drugs, especially opiates and marijuana, he sees more and more dogs coming into his animal hospital high.

"They'll go really really high, and then they'll kind of have that crash. So there might have been a lot of neurologic stimulation going on with the dog that at the end of the day, really short circuited things," the veterinarian noted.

Five rescue organizations are in line to take care of Bubba.

So far, 15 people have signed up to adopt the dog.

He will be up for adoption as soon as the Orange County District Attorney files charges against his owner.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.