Calabasas resident Lori Burns is warning locals about the dangers of local parks after her dog, Chance The Rapper Burns, was blinded following oxycodone exposure in Palisades Park.
"I think it's important for us as a community and a city to know that sadly our streets and parks are not safe," she wrote on Facebook.
Burns and her dog were walking in the part between 11:45 a.m. and 12:45 p.m. on Aug. 14 when one of her dogs began breathing heavily and collapsed.
"He couldn't stand, was panting, and staring up and not focusing. I picked him up and carried him to the car and drove immediately to the VCA Animal Hospital on Sepulveda and Wilshire where. Once admitted his temperature was 106 degrees - which is extremely dangerous to dogs as a normal dog temperature is between 101 and 102," she said. "They iced his body to try to reduce his temperature, gave him oxygen, started him on IV fluids and performed tests. The vet said they were not sure he was going to make it - the high fever could result in organ failure. They called me an hour later to tell me that they found OXYCODONE in his system. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. We had just gone out on a walk and an hour later my dog had ingested Oxycodone and was fighting for his life. I then had to call animal poison control and report the incident to them and they gave me a case number to give to the vet so they could start on a protocol."
While the dog survived, he suffered permanent injuries.
"As a result of the Oxy ingestion his organs started to fail and he is BLIND," she wrote. "It’s upsetting and sad that we can’t leave our homes without worrying about things like this. We need change."
