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Police Dog Nearly Overdoses On Heroin, But Is Saved By Emergency Drug Narcan
K-9 Abbie began rapidly blinking and shaking her head after she was exposed to heroin while searching a jail for contraband.
Narcan, a drug that counters opioid overdoses, was used to save a police dog named Abbie after she was exposed to heroin in Oregon on Tuesday night.
A police deputy and his K-9 partner, a 2-year-old Belgian Malinois and German Shepherd mix named Abbie, were looking for contraband in the Clackamas County Jail on Tuesday evening when Abbie found some smuggled heroin under a table, the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Department said. The container of heroin spilled over and Abbie was exposed. Police said she began exhibiting signs of an impending overdose: excessive saliva, rapid head shaking and rapid blinking.
In response, police administered a dose of Narcan, specifically created for dogs, to Abbie nasally. Police said they were able to buy six Narcan kits for their dogs thanks to donations from the public.
Narcan contains naloxone, which is a reversal drug for overdoses of heroin and fentanyl. It has been credited for saving countless human lives. Many police and fire departments now carry intravenous naloxone kits and nasal kits are available for purchase over the counter in most pharmacies. Some areas even give the kits away to the public for free to avoid more opioid-related overdose deaths. All states have laws that encourage access to the life-saving drug, according to USA Today.
The doggy Narcan dosage successfully stabilized Abbie, police said, and she was transported to an animal hospital where she spent the night for observation. She was released by Wednesday morning.
Abbie was born in the Netherlands and began her service with the department in April. Police said her favorite toy is a tennis ball.
[Photo: Clackamas County Sheriff's Office]
