There is no denying the fact that drug abuse is a scourge that many communities all over the world battle with. The economy always takes a tumble when many working people become addicts. Since the Qing Dynasty and the British Empire waged war over opium sales in the 1600s and 1700s, opioids have been the most preferred drugs by addicts. These days, police dogs routinely fall victim to K9 opioid overdose.
Police dogs usually go through a lot during field work. As they are naturally curious creatures, they like to sniff out drugs in all manner of places and sometimes inadvertently ingest drugs such as heroin. In such cases, emergency assistance should be given lest death sets in.
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 main antidote used to treat an opioid overdose in a human being is Naloxone. This drug works by reversing the effects of heroin in the blood. It is usually administered in the form of an injection or nasal spray. Luckily, the same antidote works on dogs too.
When a dog overdoses, the drug that will most likely kill it is Fentanyl. This is a drug that has long been abused and is 50 times more potent than heroin. When a dog inadvertently ingests it, it may collapse and die within minutes. With such a short treatment window, the most advisable thing to do for officers is to carry the antidote during field missions.
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.
When these symptoms manifest, proceed to check the heart rate. A vast majority of abused drugs slow the heartbeat to a crawl, eventually leading to cardiac arrest. From your emergency response, you should be able to help the canine avoid slipping into a cardiac arrest.
You should also know that most overdosed dogs react aggressively when attempts are made to treat them. As such, you should muzzle it before you administer Naloxone. The most prudent thing to do is to have someone to help you restrain the dog as you undertake the emergency procedures.
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.
Your treatment kit should have a face mask and CPR tube for this purpose. Once you put the tube in place, give the dog 10 to 12 breaths per minute. Once it gets it consciousness back, monitor it for about 30 minutes. If the condition worsens, administer Naloxone till everything normalizes.
Police dogs usually go through a lot during field work. As they are naturally curious creatures, they like to sniff out drugs in all manner of places and sometimes inadvertently ingest drugs such as heroin. In such cases, emergency assistance should be given lest death sets in.
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 main antidote used to treat an opioid overdose in a human being is Naloxone. This drug works by reversing the effects of heroin in the blood. It is usually administered in the form of an injection or nasal spray. Luckily, the same antidote works on dogs too.
When a dog overdoses, the drug that will most likely kill it is Fentanyl. This is a drug that has long been abused and is 50 times more potent than heroin. When a dog inadvertently ingests it, it may collapse and die within minutes. With such a short treatment window, the most advisable thing to do for officers is to carry the antidote during field missions.
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.
When these symptoms manifest, proceed to check the heart rate. A vast majority of abused drugs slow the heartbeat to a crawl, eventually leading to cardiac arrest. From your emergency response, you should be able to help the canine avoid slipping into a cardiac arrest.
You should also know that most overdosed dogs react aggressively when attempts are made to treat them. As such, you should muzzle it before you administer Naloxone. The most prudent thing to do is to have someone to help you restrain the dog as you undertake the emergency procedures.
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.
Your treatment kit should have a face mask and CPR tube for this purpose. Once you put the tube in place, give the dog 10 to 12 breaths per minute. Once it gets it consciousness back, monitor it for about 30 minutes. If the condition worsens, administer Naloxone till everything normalizes.
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