California dog left blind after ingesting oxycodone during walk

A dog in California was left blind after it was thought to have ingested oxycodone during a walk.

Owner Lori Burns was walking her two dogs in a Santa Monica park when her 15-pound dog, Chance the Rapper, “out of nowhere he just stopped. I looked down and he collapsed,” Ms. Burns told KABC-TV in Los Angeles.

She said her dog was panting heavily and gazing at the sky while on the ground.

After rushing to a veterinary hospital in West Hollywood, Ms. Burns was told that her dog had a fever of 106 degrees. More shockingly, the dog’s urine contained oxycodone and the pup had overdosed on the opioid, according to KTTV.

“They said they needed to immediately ice his body and give him oxygen and start an IV and that’s when I looked at the vet and I said, ‘Is he going to live?’ and he said, ‘I really don’t know,’” Ms. Burns told KTLA.

The dog spent the night at the vet and recovered from the overdose, but was left blind from the incident.

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Veterinarians told multiple outlets that dogs eating opioids is not unheard of, though they typically get access to them from their owners instead of out on the street. Ms. Burns said no one in her family takes opioids.

There is some good news: vets told Ms. Burns that follow up tests have found activity in the dog’s retina, meaning he may not be completely blind.