Two puppies have a new leash on life after accidentally ingesting drugs and overdosing.
With just minutes to spare, the staff at the Cleveland Animal Protective League saved one of the puppies from certain death.
The dog's owner claimed it contracted the parvovirus, but it turns out the illness was sparked by something much more sinister.
Now, the threat of accidental overdoses is trickling down to family pets.
"The puppy was laying on his side, excessively drooling, tongue hanging out, panting a lot," said Natalie Saluppo, APL veterinarian technician.
In a race against the clock, the staff at the Cleveland APL knew this wasn't your typical illness.
"Our veterinarian suspected that something else was going on,” said Sharon Harvey, Cleveland APL.
With traditional treatment failing, the possibility of exposure to an opioid jumped to the top of the list.
"It kind of seemed as if it was a drug overdose," said Saluppo.
That's when the vet administered naloxone, an opiate reversal drug, which vets at the APL use to bring animals out from anesthesia.
"It shows you how far the epidemic has gone," said Saluppo.
Within minutes, the puppy was back to normal.
"Immediate 180, it was amazing. It was an eye-opener because we've never had to do this before," said Saluppo.
Less than 24 hours later, another puppy from the same family was dropped off with similar symptoms.
"It wasn't as in bad shape, but we did the exact same thing, and the puppy perked up," Saluppo said.
As the heroin crisis continues, this is something the staff is prepared to do more often.
"We are concerned that with the way it is impacting humans, it is also going to impact animals in homes. We need to think of it as just a crisis of society, and animals are part of society," said Harvey.
Both puppies that were saved were later adopted by new families after their original owners gave up their rights.
