The Puppy That Was Almost Another Statistic in America’s Opioid Crisis

Who does not like a happy, curious yellow Labrador puppy? Zoey, much like any three-month-old yellow lap pup, is curious and gets into everything around her – even things that could be deadly. A story in the Washington Post tells about one afternoon when Zoey’s owner took her for a walk near their home in Andover, Massachusetts and she got a cigarette box in her mouth that was laying on the sidewalk. Seconds after her owner wrestled the box from her mouth, Zoey collapsed. Her owner, Mr. Thibault, picked her up and carried her home and then he Face-timed his wife at work, who urged him to take Zoey to the animal hospital.

The vet asked Mr. Thibault what Zoey had gotten into, and when he described the cigarette box they asked him to leave the room.

Five minutes later he was called back into the room and Zoey was back on her feet, alert and energetic as if nothing had happened. The vet had given Zoey a dose of naloxone, the generic form of Narcan, which is an antidote used to counter the effects of an opioid overdose. The vet said that Zoey would have died if he had not gotten her to the hospital so quickly.

The vet also mentioned that she has already treated three similar cases of opioid overdoses in pets this year.

President Trump declares public health emergency because of the opioid crisis

In 2016, more than 64,000 people died from drug overdoses many of which were opioids. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that the number of opioid deaths increased 200 percent between 2000 and 2014.

Every day about 91 Americans will die from an opioid overdose.

Last week President Trump declared that the opioid crisis is officially a national public health emergency, and directed the government to use “every appropriate emergency authority” to fight it. By declaring a public health emergency, federal health agencies will be able to hire personnel to address the crisis, and increase flexibility in how grant funds are used to combat the epidemic. An article in Forbes magazine did some checking into what the president’s declaration means in practical terms, and they found that the declaration of a public health emergency makes money from the Public Health Emergency Fund available. Unfortunately, at the moment, the Public Health Emergency Fund has about $57,000. in it. (The Hill)

The Narcan that saved Zoey is also saving people in emergency rooms and on the streets of America who have fallen victim to the opioid crisis. The federal government will have to increase the emergency budget if we are going to start seeing some positive results.

McGowan, Hood, Felder & Phillips, LLC is fighting back against the drug companies whose greed and disregard for the health of the American consumer ignited the opioid crisis that we are dealing with today. If you were harmed because of a dangerous medical product, our dangerous drugs attorneys are here to help. You are welcome to call 803-327-7800, or fill out our contact form to learn more, or to schedule a free consultation.