Australian influencer Indy Clinton has revealed her golden retriever Aloha was hospitalised after eating medicinal cannabis gummies found inside human waste at a beach.
The 28-year-old social media star shared a series of posts explaining that her pet inadvertently ingested something in the sand dunes that contained tetrahydrocannabinol, also known as THC, the active ingredient in marijuana.
"Aloha went to the moon today! He's okay now, just had some munchies. He ate someone's poo at the beach/sand dunes. HUMAN POO. So gross, man. But it had gummies in it, so he got high from eating," Clinton said.
Clinton explained that veterinarian staff administered treatment to make the dog throw up the ingested material, adding: "The vet gave him something to vomit it out. They said this is becoming more common."
She noted that her pet had displayed symptoms consistent with THC consumption, revealing that veterinary staff were initially surprised by the situation.
"The vet legitimately thinks he may be stoned. This is not the response I was thinking I was gonna get," Clinton said, adding that she could "laugh about it now" following his recovery.
Medicinal cannabis regulations in Australia
In Australia, edibles such as gummies that contain THC are classified as a form of medicinal cannabis. Under Australian law, these products can only be accessed legally with a prescription issued by a registered medical practitioner.
Previous dog rehoming debate
The incident comes after Clinton sparked an online debate in July 2024 when she admitted contemplating rehoming her kelpie, Billy, after the dog nipped one of her children.
Writing in a post on Instagram Stories, the TikTok star asked her followers how they would handle a sudden change in a trusted pet's behavior.
"What if you always trusted this dog 110 percent around your kids but one day things changed," she wrote.
"Then one night the dog is inside because it's cold, your child pats the dog like any child should be able to pat the family dog, and the dog reacts and nips him," Clinton continued.
"So in my head hypothetically speaking I would only allow that once; it's once and the dog is gone."
"You can go get rehomed. You can go to another family that doesn't have kids. But when push comes to shove, that's quite a hard situation," she added.
Clinton asked her audience to weigh in on the dilemma, writing: "That's quite a hard decision to make, so if anyone were in this situation, what would you do with your dog? Would you never give it another chance? Would you separate it for good, and it has no quality of life? Do you chain it up downstairs?"
Clinton later admitted that although she had initially planned to rehome Billy, she backed out of the decision. Instead, she decided to get a second dog as a friend for the older animal to calm him down, which led her to acquire her golden retriever Aloha.
Family background
Clinton lives on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, with her husband Ben Azar and their three children: five-year-old Navy, three-year-old Bambi, and two-year-old Soul.
