On April 23, 2016, Calgary Humane Society received a call from Calgary Police Service that a puppy with a suspected drug overdose had been removed from a home the previous evening. The puppy had been rushed to an emergency veterinary clinic.
The Protection and Investigation team learned that the puppy, Royce, had ingested opioids and cocaine, both of which could have been lethal to the young dog. Royce had also ingested drugs two weeks prior and had required emergency treatment for that incident as well. Thankfully, the emergency clinic was once again able to stabilize Royce and he was medically cleared to be transferred to Calgary Humane Society for recovery. Our Peace Officers took custody of Royce and transported him back to the shelter where he was immediately assessed and set up for monitoring by our Animal Health team. Royce was closely monitored for the next 72 hours to ensure he did not have any lasting negative impact from the drugs he had ingested.
In shelter Royce was found to be a happy, energetic, and very sweet puppy who quickly won the hearts of staff. Animal Health continued to monitor Royce’s health and discovered a few abnormal findings in his bloodwork, but these abnormalities improved rapidly with proper nutrition and veterinary care. Once Royce was on the mend, he was sent to a foster home where he received the love and care all puppies need to thrive. Never one to let a good opportunity go to waste, Royce worked his charm on his foster family and was adopted by his foster home.
