The DEA has warned doctors to watch out for pet owners who may be harming their animals to obtain drugs for themselves.
A conference in Louisville, Kentucky this month shared details of how those addicted to opioids have in the past, resorted to hurting animals that belong to them to get their hands on controlled substances.
Scott Brinks told more than 200 doctors at the gathering, which included veterinarians, animals are paying the price for people desperate to get their hands on painkillers, with some of them being sliced so owners can get a prescription, intended for the pet but ultimately used by them.
Diversion Control Division in Washington warned veterinarians to watch for potential doctor shoppers as animals are being abused to obtain opioids
Elizabethtown resident, Heather Pereira, was caught in December 2014 and sentenced to four years in prison for harming her dog Alice to get Tramadol
Pereira, was caught after she returned three times in two months to treat her pets for injuries
Elizabethtown investigator John Thomas said ‘It was shocking’ to discover the animals that fell victim to drug-addicted owners
USA Today reports that despite being told to be vigilant, vets were told there’s no way to confirm pet owners are doctor shopping to get drugs from different animal surgeries in order to stock up on their stash and avoid suspicion.
In the 2014 case of Elizabethtown resident, Heather Pereira, she was caught and sentenced to four years in prison for harming her dog Alice to get Tramadol.
The charges included a felony of making false statements to get a controlled substance and a misdemeanour of torturing a cat or dog.
Vets knew something was up when they noticed the pooch’s cuts were too clean to have been an accident.
Additionally, Pereira had returned for the third time in two months, mounting up unlikely stories including that her pet was playing under a car or rubbing against a broken part of a gutter when she obtained the injuries.
One time, her trusting victim reportedly needed six to eight stitches at a time to mend gashes next to her right flank.
She was released in 2016 but is still on supervised probation.
Elizabethtown Animal Hospital called police on Pereira in after noticing bogus signs
‘I remember my initial feeling of disbelief, this can’t be real,’ Elizabethtown investigator John Thomas said. ‘It was shocking.’
Although the extreme is not a likely scene at an average veterinarian surgery, some owners may exaggerate or fake a pet injury so experts are being reminded to use their gut instinct and make the call as to whether animals really need the medication by observing symptoms.
Another option is giving the animal the stronger drug at the clinic and sending the owner home with the weaker ones if need be.