Meth - it's not for dogs.
Natalie Lowry says Sticks, her 5-pound Chihuahua. Had a little doggie freak out when she sniffed a stash of speed at a Phoenix motel and swallowed it.
"She was shaking and having muscle spasms and tremors," Lowry told 3TV. "She would run forward and backward, throwing her head back and forth. Her eyes were bloodshot, and her heart was racing."
Lowry said she didn't know what was happening and rushed Sticks to an emergency vet. A urine test showed Sticks was hopped up on crank.
What Lowry told CBS 5
"I was pretty shocked," Lowry told CBS 5. Obviously, I know it's not mine, and I know we've been in the car for the last 14 hours. The only other place she's been in is the hotel."
Sticks is a registered psychiatric service dog who helps Lowry deal with post-traumatic stress disorder.
The owner and dog had just moved to Arizona from Utah, and Lowry said they were staying at the La Quinta Inn in North Phoenix. When Sticks had a "Breaking Bad" style meltdown.
After returning from the vet's office she reported the problem to a hotel receptionist. But was told to talk to the manager in the morning.
I told her, well, I'm not staying here another night. There's methamphetamine in the room, Lowry told CBS 5.
She went upstairs and searched the room. Under a bed, she found trash and a metal bar that she suspected was a forgotten club.
Lowry said a child could have easily swallowed the drugs Sticks found. "And then I'm sure they would be taking things more seriously."
Sticks and Lowry have moved to a new hotel, and the little dog seems to be recovering.
"She's like a child to me," Lowry said. "I can't imagine living without her."
A La Quinta spokeswoman told the Daily News the hotel chain was investigating as it awaits a toxicology report from Lowry.
