BOSTON (AP) — Police have started carrying new protection for their K-9 partners: naloxone, a drug that has long been used to reverse opioid overdoses in humans.
ven a tiny amount of powdered fentanyl can sicken both police officers and dogs who sniff out drugs during raids.
Three police dogs in Florida were rushed to an animal hospital last year when they ingested fentanyl, a powerful painkiller often mixed with street heroin. The dogs were given naloxone and recovered quickly.
Massachusetts State Police began carrying naloxone for their K-9s in March. Police in Hartford, Connecticut, began carrying it in January.