County K9 Handlers Carrying Narcan for Dog Partners

BOURNE – As synthetic opioids continue to increase in potency the risk for users and first responders continue to grow – including K9 officers.

Barnstable County Sheriff James Cummings says officers handling drug sniffing K9s are carrying Narcan, a drug, generically known as naloxone, to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.

“This stuff that is on the street now between fentanyl and carfentanil is so dangerous that there is concern that if the dogs were to get their nose into a place where there is a bunch of it and take a good sniff it could certainly affect the dogs and cause the dogs to overdose,” Cummings said.

The synthetic opioid fentanyl is 30 to 50 times more potent than heroin and the emerging carfentanil, also known as elephant tranqualizer, is 50 to 100 times more potent than fentanyl.

Carfentanil was discovered in the state for the first time earlier this month after it had turned up in the surrounding New England states.

“We just thought as a little bit of extra security for the animals that we have Narcan available for the dogs should they receive some type of an effect from these dangerous drugs that are out there now,” Cummings said.

The Narcan is administered to the dogs nasally if they show signs of drug ingestion.

“Fortunately, we haven’t had any incidents yet,” Cummings said.

Cummings said the need to carry the overdose reversal drugs for dogs shows just how much more needs to be done to solve the epidemic.

“This is dangerous stuff and the fentanyl has been here and we have seen what it has done to the human population with all the deaths we have had as a result of it,” he said. “Now with carfentanil coming on the scene, which is supposedly 50 to 100 times more powerful, it’s certainly dangerous.”

Recently, the Massachusetts State Police began a policy of carrying the drug for its K9s.

There were 1,933 overdose deaths in the state in 2016, according to the Department of Public Health.

By BRIAN MERCHANT, CapeCod.com NewsCenter

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