Pets: The (Not Always) Accidental Victims of the Opioid Epidemic

Written by
DiaMedical
Published on November 27, 2017 at 5:52:00 PM PST November 27, 2017 at 5:52:00 PM PSTth, November 27, 2017 at 5:52:00 PM PST

Last month in Andover, MA, three-month-old yellow Labrador Zoey Thibault went for what could NOT be described as a “walk in the park.” On what was supposed to be a routine romp with her human, Peter, Zoey chewed on a stray pack of cigarettes lying on the ground.

Unfortunately, this proved to be a near fatal mistake. Moments after mouthing the box, Zoey lost consciousness, and Peter had to carry her home.

When she didn’t bounce back, Peter, worried sick, rushed Zoey to Bulger Veterinary Hospital. After hearing Peter’s description of what had occurred, the veterinary staff admitted the puppy for opioid overdose.

Twelve hours of naloxone doses later, Zoey is alive, awake, and well. Veterinarians believe that Zoey ingested fentanyl—the opioid epidemic’s deadliest killer.

Sadly, Zoey is not the first pet to need Narcan at Bulger, much less in the nation. Last May, a pet rat named Snuggles received naloxone injections after overdosing on heroin. Another dog, Addie, was exposed to and ingested 25 oxycodone tablets this past July. And accidental opioid overdose has become so common for K-9 units that the Massachusetts State Police now carry emergency naloxone kits specially prescribed for their dogs!

And overdose isn’t the only threat animals face in the opioid epidemic. Several states have enacted new legislation regulating veterinary opioid prescriptions due to owner abuse of tramadol and ketamine—inexpensive opiate medications routinely prescribed to animals, but not often to humans. Unlucky companion animals are being denied medications meant to help them—or worse, abused by addicts seeking their next high.

In one shocking case last year, the Clackamas County Police Department raided a puppy mill that they suspect was an opioid distribution ring. They arrested four people, seized 100,000 tramadol pills, and rescued 17 dogs living in conditions so squalid, there were dead rats in their drinking water.

Most animal and opioid abuse cases are smaller-scale, but still disturbing. In 2002, an Ohio man trained his dog to cough on cue to get a prescription of hydrocodone cough syrup. More recently, in 2014, a Kentucky woman was arrested for using a razor to slice open the leg of her 4-year-old retriever—twice!—to get her hands on tramadol. And veterinarians across the country are increasingly concerned about the practice of “doggy doctor shopping”, in which addicts take their pets from vet to vet, sometimes visiting multiple vets per day, to fill opiate prescriptions.

In the midst of a national emergency with death tolls surpassing those caused by gun violence and car accidents, it is important to remember that our nonhuman companions suffer alongside us, with no voice or choice in the matter.

DiaMedical USA proudly supports innovations like naloxone kits for dogs and naloxone administration training kits for EMS professionals.

As animal lovers, guardians and Veterinary Equipment Distributors, we owe it to them to educate ourselves about the causes, symptoms, and treatment of opioid poisoning in pets, so we’re prepared for an overdose before it happens. We can’t hope to effect nationwide change as individuals. But we CAN make a world of difference to our fur-babies when they need it the most. Click here to learn more about opioid overdose in pets.