Opioid Substances: A Threat to Animal Welfare & Safety

The opioid crisis has impacted animal welfare and safety several ways. This webinar will review risks to pets of people who abuse opioids and working K9s and will make recommendations to help keep K9s safe, including risk mitigation and emergency preparation.

The complex and evolving opioid epidemic has devastated lives, families and communities. As with any other social ill, where people are at risk of harm, so are animals. The opioid epidemic presents a “triple-threat” to animal welfare and safety.

• Pets belonging to people with opioid use disorder (addiction) may suffer from consequences of their human caretakers to provide adequate care (starvation or other forms of neglect).
• Some addicts have deliberately harmed their animals in an effort to obtain narcotic drugs from a veterinarian.
• Accidental exposure of pets and working K9s to opioid substances through ingestion or inhalation is increasing in frequency.