Solutions for Protecting K9 Police Dogs from Overdose

AUSTIN, Texas , May 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Good Air Team LLC is reporting a growing number of K9 service dogs assisting police officers in drug raids showing symptoms of opioid overdose. Police dogs, who do their job primarily by sniffing, are encountering severe health dangers from new drugs like fentanyl.¹

Rick Ashabranner, president of the North American Police Work Dog Association, said the danger of opioids to law enforcement dogs is a grave concern.²

Fentanyl is 30 to 50 times more potent than heroin. Just a few inhaled grains of fentanyl can cause a dog to overdose. A police handler may not see a fentanyl threat to a K9 dog until it is too late. 

The AVMA, American Veterinary Medical Association, reported, "Sporadic reports indicate police dogs and some pet dogs have been victims of overdoses or suspected overdoses. Those include three police dogs that showed clinical signs but survived after fentanyl exposure in a Florida home."³

Police officers are now wearing respirators, dust masks, latex gloves and long-sleeve shirts when testing any powder at a crime scene that is potentially fentanyl. 

But what can a K9 police dog do to protect itself?

Fully trained police dogs are worth around $30,000 each, and police departments are looking for ways to protect these canine officers.

K9 Mask^® dog air filters are a new way working dogs can be protected from opioid inhalation. Using an effective air filter on a K9 police dog provides protection from harmful opioids during field operations. K9 Mask® has an N95 air filter option which significantly minimizes the danger of a dog inhaling opioids.

Colorado is equipping all its police canine teams with Narcan, the overdose-reversal drug. Police in Canada are training dogs on liquid, rather than powder, fentanyl to minimize the risk of exposure during training. Maryland state police are carrying Narcan for their dogs and are trained to look for "excessive drooling and severe limping" as symptoms of overdose.

As police departments look for solutions to protect their investment in K9 units, new solutions like the K9 Mask^® air filter for dogs and over-dose reversal drugs like Narcan will help these important animals stay safe while working near dangerous opioids.

K9 Mask^® by Good Air Team
K9Mask.com

1 https://thebark.com/content/opioid-epidemic-affects-police-dogs-too
2 https://www.avma.org/javma-news/2018-02-01/synthetic-opioids-put-police-dogs-risk
3 https://www.avma.org/javma-news/2018-02-01/synthetic-opioids-put-police-dogs-risk

SOURCE Good Air Team LLC

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