Boone sitting where he ingested toxic drugs along the Millstone Trail near downtown Nanaimo on Thursday, April 4. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Ian Holmes

drug scare

Nanaimo woman speaks out after dog ingests illicit drugs

Apr 8, 2024 | 5:26 AM

NANAIMO — A normally energetic hunting dog isn’t quite himself after recently eating a potentially life-threatening amount of street drugs.

On the afternoon of Thursday, April 4 nearly nine-year-old Boone was with his owner just outside their home when he unexpectedly bolted across Caledonia Ave. to the Millstone Trail above Caledonia Park.

Boone, a Brittany Spaniel, was quickly retrieved.

“He got into something very quickly, we grabbed him, he was licking his lips,” Boone’s owner April told NanaimoNewsNOW.

She monitored Boone for the next several hours, realizing by about 2 a.m. something was wrong.

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Boone was distressed and clearly agitated, April said.

She took him to a veterinarian in the morning, where an examination of his pancreas failed ao provide an explanation, so April requested a drug test.

It turned out positive for opioids and methamphetamine.

While Boone is on a round of several antibiotics, his organs appear fine and is starting to rebound however April is worried about long-term affects.

Boone is on the mend, while her owner is licking her wounds after being handed a $700 vet bill. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

She said drug residue on tinfoil and discarded needles are items she regularly sees in her neighbourhood and other parts of Nanaimo.

“Somebody died exactly where my dog ate these drugs, it didn’t hit the papers, but I was out there and could see the body tarp. People are dying in our parks. Our pets are getting sick, our children could be affected by this. We need to do better.”

Boone ingested illicit drugs just beyond this set of stairs off Caledonia Ave. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

Following a social media post about her ordeal, April said two dog owners informed her their dogs had ingested illicit drugs as well: on the waterfront and near the Millstone River.

“As a community it’s happening and it’s probably affecting a lot more than what we know. What’s going on with this? Because it’s being left everywhere.”

She said it seems the safety of everyday people, pets and likely wildlife is increasingly compromised by drugs being left in public places.

Calling herself a diligent dog owner, April said she’ll keep an even closer watch on her beloved pet.

“He’s the joy of my life, we do everything together.”

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Ian.holmes@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @reporterholmes