Abstract
Simple SummaryThe recent increase in fentanyl as an illicit street drug, paired with its powerful potency, has led to emergency personnel carrying naloxone, an opioid reversal agent, for the case of accidental exposures and overdoses in humans. Canine officers, if demonstrating intoxication from exposure to fentanyl, are consequently administered naloxone, however the effects of this treatment on the dogs’ scent detection are unknown. We tested the effects of intravenous and intranasal naloxone administration on dogs’ scent detection 2, 24, and 48 h after intravenous fentanyl sedation and naloxone reversal. We found no detectable influence of this fentanyl sedation and naloxone reversal on dogs’ abilities, regardless of whether they received intranasal or intramuscular naloxone. Results suggest there is no evidence that under these conditions, intravenous fentanyl followed by naloxone reversal impairs canine olfactory ability.Fentanyl is a potent opioid used clinically as a pain medication and anesthetic but has recently seen a sharp rise as an illicit street drug. The potency of fentanyl means mucous membrane exposure to a small amount of the drug can expose first responders, including working canines, to accidental overdose. Naloxone, a fast-acting opioid antagonist administered intranasally (IN) or intramuscularly (IM) is currently carried by emergency personnel in the case of accidental exposure in both humans and canines. Despite the fact that law enforcement relies heavily on the olfactory abilities of canine officers, the effects of fentanyl exposure and subsequent reversal by naloxone on the olfactory performance of canines are unknown. In a block-randomized, crossover trial, we tested the effects of IN and IM naloxone on the abilities of working dogs to recognize the odor of Universal Detection Calibrant (UDC) prior to, and two, 24, and 48 h after intravenous fentanyl sedation and naloxone reversal. No detectable influence of fentanyl sedation and naloxone reversal on the dogs’ olfactory abilities was detected. We also found no difference in olfactory abilities when dogs received IN or IM naloxone. Together, results suggest no evidence that exposure to intravenous fentanyl followed by naloxone reversal impairs canine olfactory ability under these conditions.
Highlights
Fentanyl is an opioid first made and introduced into clinical medicine in 1960, where it was used as an intravenous anesthetic [1]
We aimed to investigate the effects of fentanyl sedation and subsequent naloxone reversal on working dogs’ olfactory ability to locate a trained target odor
We found that every dog was able to find the Universal Detection Calibrant (UDC) target odor in every search, suggesting that any effect the fentanyl sedation and naloxone reversal may have had on the olfaction of the dogs was not substantial enough to keep the dogs from performing at these levels
Summary
Fentanyl is an opioid first made and introduced into clinical medicine in 1960, where it was used as an intravenous anesthetic [1]. An increase in the number of fentanyl-related deaths has been observed with the increase in ways the drug can be administered [1,2,3]. This increase in fentanyl overdoses has been attributed to misuse, inappropriate prescribing, and illicit use and abuse of the drug. Because of the increasing rate of fentanyl use, and the high risk involved to users and first responders, first responders have begun carrying and utilizing naloxone to reverse opioid overdoses [5,6]. Naloxone can be administered intramuscularly as well as intranasally, and both routes are used by laypersons as well as emergency personnel [5]
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