New synthetic cannabinoid ADB-BUTINACA related death of a police dog.

BACKGROUND
The popularity of synthetic cannabinoids puts police sniffer dogs at risk of accidental introduction of such substances into the body. The extreme efficacy and potency of many new synthetic cannabinoids are associated with a high risk of serious poisonings and even deaths. The paper presents the toxicological findings in an intoxication of a police dog, in which new synthetic cannabinoid ADB-BUTINACA was detected and quantified in post-mortem materials.


METHODS
The screening analyses were performed by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and liquid chromatography quadrupole/time of flight mass spectrometry (LC-Q/TOF). LC-MS/MS was also used for quantitative analyses while LC-Q/TOF for metabolites identification. Due to unusual matrices, the standard addition method was used for quantitative determination of ADB-BUTINACA.


RESULTS
The determined concentrations of ADB-BUTINACA in blood, lung, stomach, liver, and kidney were 8.1 ng/mL, 6.4 ng/g, 1.5 ng/g, 1.8 ng/g, and 0.4 ng/g, respectively. Apart from ADB-BUTINACA, the monohydroxylated metabolites and the dihydrodiol metabolite, were detected and identified in all analysed materials, and moreover the product of N-debutylation was found in blood and liver.


CONCLUSIONS
The described case presents the identification and quantitation of a new synthetic cannabinoid ADB-BUTINACA in post-mortem dog specimens. Although the cause of death was acute gastric dilatation, it cannot be ruled out that this process was the result of synthetic cannabinoid inhalation. Due to dogs' sensitivity to cannabinoids, ADB-BUTINACA poisoning can not be excluded either. The described case suggests that ADB-BUTINACA elicits serious adverse effects in dogs. The article indicates also the dangers to which police dogs coming into contact with extreme potent drugs may be exposed.