SA214 - Impact of the Opioid Epidemic on Veterinary Medicine

The human opioid addiction epidemic has not only affected prescribing habits and regulations of physicians but also impacts veterinarians as regulators seek to prevent “veterinarian shopping” and the illicit use of controlled prescription drugs. Furthermore, the shifting opioid landscape of highly potent but less expensive synthetic opioids has increased the danger to companion animals, such as police dogs. Intoxication may rapidly produce clinical signs that differ from usual side effects of therapeutic doses of opioids and require rapid therapeutic interventions to minimize morbidity and mortality.