Dog's Reaction to Methadone Leaves Internet in Stitches: 'Completely Gone'

A dog's reaction after being given methadone during a vet visit has left online commenters in stitches.

Scott Brookshire of Brooklyn, New York, discovered that his 2-year-old Australian shepherd Nico had a broken claw after a routine groomer appointment.

"We run with Nico around Prospect Park in Brooklyn in the morning, and after one trip we happened to bring him to the groomers," Brookshire told Newsweek. "They told us that he had a broken claw. He never yelped or cried or showed any symptoms of being in pain. Thank God we took him to the groomers."

When his owners tried to remove the broken claw, they discovered what looked like a fairly clean break.

"But when trying to remove it he started yelping and pulling away, showing that he was clearly in pain," Brookshire said. "We called the vet that night, but they didn't have any available appointments. It was an hour before closing, to be fair."

The dog owners were instructed to call back the next day, but by 9.25 a.m. that morning the vet called to fit Nico in before the office had even opened.

"They were amazing. Really couldn't be more grateful for how kind they were," Brookshire said.

Dog nail breaks are relatively common, but for a small injury they can be extremely painful to a canine. They are commonly caused by snagging on carpet, upholstery or grass roots and are more common in older pets, whose nails can become brittle and break easily.

Dog nails consist of a central collection of blood vessels and nerves called the quick. The quick is covered by a layer of hard keratin that protects the sensitive structures beneath. When the nail is damaged near the quick, though, it can cause discomfort and even infection in the living tissue. Because the quick is attached to the bone, this infection can quickly spread and become serious.

The veterinarian got straight to work to help Nico's broken claw and gave him an anti-nausea medication before applying lidocaine to his paw, a medication that blocks the signals from nerve endings.

While treating the paw, the vet also gave Nico a low dose of methadone, a synthetic opioid that is used to treat chronic pain and opioid dependence in humans. Small doses of methadone are often used to sedate animals for treatment.

"The effects kicked in immediately," Brookshire said. "They let me wait with him in the room while it kicked in, and that's when I noticed he was completely gone. It's almost like he was transported to another world."

Brookshire continued: "He's a super expressive dog. When he looks happy, he's usually happy. After getting that injection, I could tell he was very happy. It didn't knock him out, and once the vet came in to remove the claw fragment, he was super cooperative. He didn't cry at all, and within a few minutes we were out the door."

Brookshire had to carry Nico home after the appointment. There, he passed out on his bed and slept it off.

In the video, which has gained 2.9 million views, Nico can be seen immediately after the methadone was administered, admittedly looking pretty out of it.

Thousands of amused TikTokers commented on the video and the dog's reaction to the drug.

"He's about to be smelling sounds he never tasted before," joked one commenter. Another user wrote, as a joke: "Your lamp is leaning."

One commenter said they were a vet nurse and wrote: "As a Vet Nurse, we take our patient's pain very seriously. But it does make for slightly funny viewing when it hits them."

Another user wrote: "Well he certainly doesn't care about his claw anymore or anything else for that matter."

Dogs, cats and other pets should never be given drugs that have not been prescribed by a licensed veterinary professional.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals' Animal Poison Control Center reports that human medications top the list of toxins most commonly ingested by pets. "If you believe that you need medication for your dog, it is vital that you first call your vet and schedule an appointment," the ASPCA says.

The effects of the methadone lasted for about two hours, but before long Nico was his usual self again.

"Within a few hours, he was back to normal hiding our socks around the house," Brookshire said.

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