It was a regular Friday night for the Thornton family.

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

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

鈥淢y son called me over and said 鈥楥harlie鈥檚 acting weird,鈥� so I went and looked at him,鈥� Thornton said.

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

鈥淪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鈥檚 open.鈥�

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

鈥淏y the time we put him in the back seat, we鈥檙e both a bit panicked鈥� we鈥檙e thinking we鈥檙e putting a dead dog in the back seat to go to the vet to get pronounced,鈥� he recalled. 鈥淥ur kids are upstairs bawling their eyes out, having watched this.鈥�

They got to the vet and the vet wanted to know what happened, but Thornton didn鈥檛 know how to answer.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know what to tell them. I didn鈥檛 know what I was looking at鈥� I don鈥檛 know what he got into, I don鈥檛 know if he had a seizure or stroke, he didn鈥檛 eat anything.鈥�

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The vet was able to help stabilize Charlie鈥檚 vitals 鈥� his heart rate was down to 40 and his breath rate was down to 3, 鈥渨hich is extremely low,鈥� 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.

鈥淪o they gave him the first dose, and his breath rate went up to 20,鈥� said Thornton.

鈥淭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 鈥業鈥檓 back!鈥欌��

The Langley vet explained that Naloxone is a test and cure at once 鈥� if it doesn鈥檛 work, they鈥檙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 鈥渆ffectively confirmed a fentanyl overdose.鈥�

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

鈥淲here on Earth could he possibly have gotten into fentanyl?鈥� he queried the vet.

鈥淪he said it鈥檚 happening pretty commonly now鈥� she said cases as bad as his, she鈥檚 getting once a quarter.鈥�

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

鈥淭here was nothing abnormal about the walk. It was such a regular walk. It could鈥檝e just been some powder spilled on the grass, and he could鈥檝e just grazed over it while he was sniffing for a spot and snorted up some fentanyl 鈥� and that鈥檚 all it takes,鈥� he said.

鈥淭here鈥檚 nothing we couldn鈥檝e done. We can鈥檛 let him not sniff.鈥�

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

鈥淭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鈥檚 fun for (a kid that age) to do鈥� what if he put his hand in a pile of fentanyl, or touches his newborn baby brother鈥檚 hand after? It鈥檚 so upsetting, to know that there鈥檚 absolutely nothing you can do to prevent it,鈥� he said.

鈥淚t can happen to anybody. It can happen anywhere.鈥�

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

鈥淧harmacies are giving them away for free, so we went and got one and now we have one in the house.鈥�

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

鈥淥bviously, this is a bigger problem than just us鈥� bigger than a lot of people know.鈥�