It is no secret that many communities worldwide battle drug abuse. When it affects a significant proportion of able bodied adults, the economy suffers. Opioids are infamous for being the most abused recreational drugs since the opium wars between the British Empire and the Qing Dynasty from the seventeenth to the eighteenth century. Today, police sniffer dogs are among the most affected as they routinely suffer K9 opioid overdose.
This often happens during search missions. Being naturally curious, sniffer dogs like to stick their noses in all sorts of places during routine searches and inadvertently sniff excessive amounts of opioids such as heroin. Without immediate medical attention, a dog that overdoses can die.
Luckily, dog handlers can get trained on how to handle such occurrences within the shortest time possible. The first bit of training involves emergency response techniques. Emergencies are usually handled using a variety of tools.
The key treatment drug for humans who get admitted for overdosing is Naloxone. As an antidote, its core compounds reverse the damage that heroin does to the body. Emergency responders administer it by spraying it on the nose or through injection. For long, the antidote has also been used successfully on dogs.
During an overdose incident, the most potent killer for a dog is Fentanyl. With potency that is 50 times the standard potency of heroin, many drug addicts have a liking for it. When a working sniffer dog ingests during its sniffing mission, it is likely to collapse and die in a matter of minutes. As the treatment window is relatively short, it is advisable for handlers to always have the antidote on them when on field assignments.
If you are an officer, there are a few signs that should help you know whether your dog has overdosed. The first noticeable signs are staggering and weakness. The dog may appear to drag its feet and can collapse if no action is taken immediately.
Once these symptoms kick in, start by checking its heart rate. Most abused drugs make the heart beat slower and can cause respiratory failure if ingested in excessive amounts. Your primary response ought to help prevent the canine from suffering a cardiac arrest.
It is also important to note that overdosing often results in severe aggression towards anyone attempting to handle the canine. For this reason, you might want to muzzle it before administering the antidote. As a precautionary measure, ensure you have backup just in case it attempts to overpower you.
The trickiest part of treatment is respiratory failure. When this phase comes, breathing ceases. The standard response to this is CPR. However, avoid placing your mouth in the snout since you are not sure if there is any drug residue in it. You want to avoid ingesting the drug inadvertently.
Standard treatment kits come with face masks and CPR tubes. When administering CPR, give the dog 10 to 12 breaths per minute. Upon recovery, monitor it for 30 minutes. Repeat the entire treatment procedure if the condition gets worse.
This often happens during search missions. Being naturally curious, sniffer dogs like to stick their noses in all sorts of places during routine searches and inadvertently sniff excessive amounts of opioids such as heroin. Without immediate medical attention, a dog that overdoses can die.
Luckily, dog handlers can get trained on how to handle such occurrences within the shortest time possible. The first bit of training involves emergency response techniques. Emergencies are usually handled using a variety of tools.
The key treatment drug for humans who get admitted for overdosing is Naloxone. As an antidote, its core compounds reverse the damage that heroin does to the body. Emergency responders administer it by spraying it on the nose or through injection. For long, the antidote has also been used successfully on dogs.
During an overdose incident, the most potent killer for a dog is Fentanyl. With potency that is 50 times the standard potency of heroin, many drug addicts have a liking for it. When a working sniffer dog ingests during its sniffing mission, it is likely to collapse and die in a matter of minutes. As the treatment window is relatively short, it is advisable for handlers to always have the antidote on them when on field assignments.
If you are an officer, there are a few signs that should help you know whether your dog has overdosed. The first noticeable signs are staggering and weakness. The dog may appear to drag its feet and can collapse if no action is taken immediately.
Once these symptoms kick in, start by checking its heart rate. Most abused drugs make the heart beat slower and can cause respiratory failure if ingested in excessive amounts. Your primary response ought to help prevent the canine from suffering a cardiac arrest.
It is also important to note that overdosing often results in severe aggression towards anyone attempting to handle the canine. For this reason, you might want to muzzle it before administering the antidote. As a precautionary measure, ensure you have backup just in case it attempts to overpower you.
The trickiest part of treatment is respiratory failure. When this phase comes, breathing ceases. The standard response to this is CPR. However, avoid placing your mouth in the snout since you are not sure if there is any drug residue in it. You want to avoid ingesting the drug inadvertently.
Standard treatment kits come with face masks and CPR tubes. When administering CPR, give the dog 10 to 12 breaths per minute. Upon recovery, monitor it for 30 minutes. Repeat the entire treatment procedure if the condition gets worse.
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