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What You Need To Know 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 normally spot the places where opioids are located by following scents sniffed through their nose. They are relied on to detect these scents from vehicles, houses and other places. Nevertheless, severe effect may arise if a powerful opioid is excessively inhaled. The symptoms of an overdose from such inhalations in the dogs are such as the dogs suddenly no being able to move. Other dogs may exhibit a state of 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 always protect themselves by having respirators and gloves on. Dogs are, however, more vulnerable to the effects since they have a strong sense of smell and are the ones usually sent to conduct the raids. The dogs usually lack appropriate safety gears and as a result, they will usually absorb the drugs through their pads and sniffing them up their jowls.

A common remedy to the symptoms experienced involves the administration of naloxone doses. This is a very effective antidote to opioid overdoses for affected dogs that resume duties within a single day. Naloxone offers a deterrent action to the effects of opioid overdoses and will reverse overdose effects and presents no side effects. The K9 trainers often carry along antidotes to treat situations of the dogs getting affected by overdoses from sniffing.

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 threats involved in attempts of uncovering illegal drugs are usually largely unprecedented. Nonetheless, having various sets of precautions is essential in alleviating the likely threats. Sniff dogs are now efficiently able take part in searches without the worry of opioid overdoses.




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