Naloxone saves Vancouver Island dog \u2018Birdie\u2019 from potential OD<\/p>\n
Published 11:00 am Tuesday, September 1, 2026<\/p>\n
\u2018Birdie\u2019 is walking proof that Naloxone can save our four-legged friends as well as humans.<\/p>\n
The energetic, 1 1\/2-year-old mixed breed had a Naloxone kit hanging off her harness during the Aug. 31 International Overdose Awareness day event at Spirit Square in Campbell River.<\/p>\n
This wasn\u2019t just for show; Naloxone \u2013 which reverses an overdose by blocking the effects of opioids \u2013 helped save Birdie\u2019s life.<\/p>\n
Back in December Birdie was exposed to a substance in a Campbell River alley and showed signs of overdose.<\/p>\n
\u201cHer eyes were closed and she was she kind of like fell off the car seat because she was sitting in the front seat of my car, and I pulled over and got out of the car and came around to the other side to see what was happening,\u201d shared her owner Afton Frost, a local harm reduction worker with AVI Health & Community Services.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe fell out of the car. And then I noticed that her her eyes were closed, so I popped her eyelids up and her pupils were pinpointed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Frost quickly came to the realization that her dog was overdosing.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s something that my my coworkers and I attend to and it\u2019s just something we recognize innately when we see it,\u201d Frost said.<\/p>\n
In the nick of time, Frost administered Naloxone.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I had in the console of my car was a nasal one,\u201d Frost recalled. \u201cI put it into her nose and I dispensed the dose. (Then) I monitored her for a couple of minutes which is standard overdose response procedure and she was totally fine after that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Birdie showed no ill effects during a vet visit a few days later.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe vet said if you hadn\u2019t told me that she had been exposed to something and overdosed, he said I wouldn\u2019t have known,\u201d Frost said.<\/p>\n
Signs of an OD in a dog include unresponsiveness, unusual tiredness, blank stare, stumbling, blue gums, and slowed or no breathing.<\/p>\n
Note that a dog can go back into OD, as Naloxone only lasts up to 90 minutes, so a resuscitated dog should not be left alone for the next several hours after receiving the medication.<\/p>\n