Police in Guilford, Conn., have charged a man with “doctor shopping” veterinarians with his two injured dogs so he could use their opioid pain pills.
A veterinarian reported the man after he claimed his dogs were injured in a recent hurricane down south and their painkillers were stolen out of his car.
Guilford Police Deputy Chief Butch Hyatt said this shows the lengths people will go to try to get drugs to feed an addiction.
“There are a number of drugs for animals that can also create similar conditions for people. People have broken into veterinary offices in the past to get those types of drugs, but this is the first case of this type that we’ve seen.”
Hyatt says the State of Connecticut has a database to track prescriptions from doctors, but not necessarily veterinarians.
The man has been charged with several counts of cruelty to animals, illegally obtaining drugs and doctor shopping. His dogs are recovering in custody of Guilford Animal Control.