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Learn More About K9 Opioid Overdose

By Ruth Gray


Ideally, K9 unit police dogs are trained to spot potent synthetic drugs. Nonetheless, there is a growing and unanticipated threat that the dogs are exposed to. K9 opioid overdose is a serious issue which police officers attached to these units have struggled to handle. For example, fentanyl is one strong painkiller normally mixed with heroin and has caused severe effects to sniffing dogs leading to their visits to animal hospitals.

Police dogs usually spot the location of opioids simply by following the scent sniffed by their noses. They are usually used to pick up such scents from houses, vehicles and various other places. Nonetheless, sever effects can arise when powerful opioids are excessively inhaled. Some of the indications of the likelihood of an overdose from the inhalations generally include the four-legged companions suddenly becoming unable to move. Some dogs will also exhibit a state of being under sedation.

Others will also have their eyes unfocused while also lolling their tongues out of their mouth, vomiting, stumbling and slowed respiratory rates among other various distress symptoms. Animal doctors have shown that these symptoms are actually linked to the overdose of powerful drugs like fentanyl. Fentanyl is amongst the strongest opioids medically used around the United States. The drug has resulted in a number of overdoses as well as deaths of the k-9 unit dogs.

At the same time, risks may be experienced by human officers attached to the dogs and who accompany them in raids. The officers are normally discouraged from holding the drug samples by hands since even small amounts absorbed through the skin as well as those ingested will present severe effects. Therefore, it is encouraged that an officer and his or her dog take safety measures in a bid to keep away from severe effects.

Human officers can easily protect themselves from such risks by having gloves as well as respirators. Dogs are on the other hand very vulnerable to the risks given that their strong ability to smell puts then at helm of drug raids. Dogs literally lack an appropriate defensive gear and will easily ingest opioids through their pads or sniffing of the substances into the jowls.

The symptoms suffered by the dogs are usually remedied through the administration of naloxone. This is a good opioid antidote and with its use, dogs can often resume duty after a day. Naloxone actually acts by blocking the opioid effects and reverses the overdoses with minimal side effects. It is also encouraged that K-9 trainers go out with them with this antidote in the event that the dogs exhibit symptoms of an overdose.

Additionally, both the human officers and dogs can have naloxone administrations done through injections and nasal sprays. Both the injectable forms and nasal sprays can be ferried along by officers who conduct searches with the dogs during raids. In addition, human naloxone can be administrable to dogs but when prescribed by veterinary officers.

The risks involved in the attempts to uncover illegal drugs remain largely unprecedented. Nevertheless, having a new level of precautions remain essential towards alleviating such threats. Sniffing dogs can now effectively do their jobs and have any situations of overdoses remedied.




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