The LaPorte County Sheriff’s Department completed K9 Narcan training thanks to Dr. Paula Johnson, Purdue Veterinary Medicine clinical assistant professor of small animal emergency and critical care, and fellow members of the Purdue University Veterinary Teaching Hospital Emergency and Critical Care (ECC) Team. The training for first responders in northern Indiana covered symptoms of opioid exposure and basic life saving techniques, including the administration of naloxone, commonly known by the name Narcan, to keep police dogs alive when they are exposed to deadly narcotics.
PVM ECC Veterinary Technician Katie Mowery shows an officer how to administer naloxone, commonly known as Narcan, via intramuscular injection.
Indiana police forces statewide are opting into this training for K9 officers because these dogs are at considerable risk due to their work around drug-related crimes. LaPorte City Police Department and Lakeville officers and their K9 partners were also present for this training event.
“The risk for a dog is not just oral ingestion [of opioids],” Dr. Johnson explained. “The drug can be airborne, or there could be dermal exposure if some lands on the dog’s coat. Any of the powder that they’re exposed to can be ingested later while the dog is grooming or just walking around. It can even be absorbed through their paws.”
A dog exposed to opioids will display a wide range of symptoms, from stumbling and sedation, to excitability and nervousness, which can change the preferred Narcan administration method in the moment. Narcan can be administered to canines as a nasal spray or by intramuscular injection.
The Purdue University Veterinary Teaching Hospital offers discounts for the medical treatment of certified service dogs and police K9s. For more information, inquire at 765-494-1107.