Evaluation of a human on-site urine multidrug test for emergency use with dogs

A rapid, human on-site urine multidrug test was used to screen canine urine samples for the presence of five illegal drugs and drugs from three commonly abused drug classes. Each sample was sent to a toxicology laboratory for gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) validation. On-site test results and GC/MS assays confirmed that the human on-site test kit did identify barbiturates, opiates, benzodiazepines, and amphetamines/methamphetamines in urine from dogs that had received these common illicit drugs/drug classes either intravenously and/or orally. However, neither the on-site test kit nor the GC/MS individual assays for marijuana or methadone, a synthetic opiate, were effective in identifying marijuana and methadone in urine from dogs with suspected or known exposure. No index of suspicion was seen for exposure to phencyclidines or cocaine during the study period, and no exposures were indicated by the on-site test results. Overall, the test is a rapid, readily available, affordable, and useful complement to the veterinarian's clinical consideration and professional judgment.