It was a regular Friday night for the Thornton family.

Derek Thornton took the family dog, a chocolate Labrador retriever named Charlie, out 乌鸦传媒渇or a quick pee break乌鸦传媒� before bed, around 8:30 p.m., near Morgan Crossing in South Surrey.

Then, around 9:15 p.m., Thornton乌鸦传媒檚 son called him over, as he noticed Charlie was not acting normal.

乌鸦传媒淢y son called me over and said 乌鸦传媒楥harlie乌鸦传媒檚 acting weird,乌鸦传媒� so I went and looked at him,乌鸦传媒� Thornton said.

乌鸦传媒淗e was whimpering abnormally, and lying down as if he was sleeping乌鸦传媒� his eyes were sort of glassed over, sort of cloudy and flickering 乌鸦传媒� not normal eyes,乌鸦传媒� he said.

乌鸦传媒淪o I start calling his name and snapping my fingers and shaking his head, but he was totally unresponsive. His body, at that point, was pretty limp and lifeless, so I yelled for my wife to find me a vet that乌鸦传媒檚 open.乌鸦传媒�

Fortunately, a local veterinarian was open until 10 p.m., so he and his wife carried Charlie 乌鸦传媒� who is 80 pounds 乌鸦传媒� down the hall, to the elevator, and to the car.

乌鸦传媒淏y the time we put him in the back seat, we乌鸦传媒檙e both a bit panicked乌鸦传媒� we乌鸦传媒檙e thinking we乌鸦传媒檙e putting a dead dog in the back seat to go to the vet to get pronounced,乌鸦传媒� he recalled. 乌鸦传媒淥ur kids are upstairs bawling their eyes out, having watched this.乌鸦传媒�

They got to the vet and the vet wanted to know what happened, but Thornton didn乌鸦传媒檛 know how to answer.

乌鸦传媒淚 didn乌鸦传媒檛 know what to tell them. I didn乌鸦传媒檛 know what I was looking at乌鸦传媒� I don乌鸦传媒檛 know what he got into, I don乌鸦传媒檛 know if he had a seizure or stroke, he didn乌鸦传媒檛 eat anything.乌鸦传媒�

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The vet was able to help stabilize Charlie乌鸦传媒檚 vitals 乌鸦传媒� his heart rate was down to 40 and his breath rate was down to 3, 乌鸦传媒渨hich is extremely low,乌鸦传媒� Thornton said.

They called an emergency veterinary hospital in Langley, as Charlie would likely have to transfer there, and the veterinarian there asked them if they happened to have any Naloxone, Thornton said, and when the local vet said they had two doses, the Langley vet told them to try that and call back in 10 minutes.

乌鸦传媒淪o they gave him the first dose, and his breath rate went up to 20,乌鸦传媒� said Thornton.

乌鸦传媒淭hey gave him a second dose five minutes later, and he stood up. In five or six minutes and two doses, he went from the brink of death to 乌鸦传媒業乌鸦传媒檓 back!乌鸦传媒櫸谘淮�媒�

The Langley vet explained that Naloxone is a test and cure at once 乌鸦传媒� if it doesn乌鸦传媒檛 work, they乌鸦传媒檙e looking for something else and if it does work, it only works on opioids, Thornton said.

Charlie stayed overnight in Langley for observation, and a toxicity screen 乌鸦传媒渆ffectively confirmed a fentanyl overdose.乌鸦传媒�

Thornton and his wife were asked if they have anything in the home, which they definitely do not, said Thornton.

乌鸦传媒淲here on Earth could he possibly have gotten into fentanyl?乌鸦传媒� he queried the vet.

乌鸦传媒淪he said it乌鸦传媒檚 happening pretty commonly now乌鸦传媒� she said cases as bad as his, she乌鸦传媒檚 getting once a quarter.乌鸦传媒�

THC overdoses are more common, but Thornton was shocked at how easily it can happen.

乌鸦传媒淭here was nothing abnormal about the walk. It was such a regular walk. It could乌鸦传媒檝e just been some powder spilled on the grass, and he could乌鸦传媒檝e just grazed over it while he was sniffing for a spot and snorted up some fentanyl 乌鸦传媒� and that乌鸦传媒檚 all it takes,乌鸦传媒� he said.

乌鸦传媒淭here乌鸦传媒檚 nothing we couldn乌鸦传媒檝e done. We can乌鸦传媒檛 let him not sniff.乌鸦传媒�

Smaller dogs and young children in the neighbourhood often walk in the same areas, Thornton noted.

乌鸦传媒淭he day before, on the very same route, we were following a two-and-a-half or three-year-old (child) doing bear crawls down the sidewalk, because it乌鸦传媒檚 fun for (a kid that age) to do乌鸦传媒� what if he put his hand in a pile of fentanyl, or touches his newborn baby brother乌鸦传媒檚 hand after? It乌鸦传媒檚 so upsetting, to know that there乌鸦传媒檚 absolutely nothing you can do to prevent it,乌鸦传媒� he said.

乌鸦传媒淚t can happen to anybody. It can happen anywhere.乌鸦传媒�

They went and got a Naloxone kit right away, in case something similar ever happens again.

乌鸦传媒淧harmacies are giving them away for free, so we went and got one and now we have one in the house.乌鸦传媒�

Thornton, who posted to Facebook about the ordeal, just wants parents of children and fur-babies to be aware the issue exists.

乌鸦传媒淥bviously, this is a bigger problem than just us乌鸦传媒� bigger than a lot of people know.乌鸦传媒�