Six Puppies Rescued From Suspected Fentanyl Overdose By Gold Bar EMTs

Six puppies have been given a new leash on life after being saved from an apparent fentanyl overdose by first responders in rural Snohomish County.

Officials with Snohomish County Fire District No. 26 say three of the 10-week-old dogs were brought to the Sky Valley Fire Department's Station #54 in Gold Bar by a group of unnamed individuals on Monday morning.

The three animals were all described as being in critical condition and suffering from full respiratory arrest.

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Suspecting the puppies might be experiencing an overdose on fentanyl, crews immediately performed CPR, provided oxygen, and administered Naloxone (NARCAN).
The dogs all responded well to the treatments and their conditions improved rapidly while in the care of firefighters, who also informed the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office about the emergent incident.

Deputies followed up and managed to locate the people who'd brought the animals to the fire station at a residence where three other puppies were also discovered in the same condition.

The three additional dogs were rushed to Station #54 where they received the same life-saving medical treatments as the other three canines, then all six were transported to a local veterinary clinic for urgent care.

The EMTs at Sky Valley explained that locations where fentanyl is being manufactured, packaged for distribution, or used in large enough quantities often have a heavy amount of residue from the drug in the environment. So, while it's possible the dogs may have directly ingested the deadly narcotic, it's more likely that they inhaled it instead.

The half-dozen pooches are now reportedly well on their way to a making a full recovery, and have been placed in the care of the Everett Animal Shelter where they will remain under medical observation for 10 days before being put up for adoption.