When large animals like horses or cows get hurt, it takes a little extra to calm them down while they’re operated on or have a wound fixed up.

“They’ll get so uncomfortable that they’ll actually hurt themselves or hurt the people around them, so we give them sedatives to allow them to be quiet enough so we can work on them," said Jim Holt, a large animal veterinarian and owner of Brandywine Veterinary Services.

For cows, horses and other large animals, that sedative is xylazine.

The drug is FDA-approved for veterinary use only, but over the last year or so, it’s gotten mixed in with illegal street drugs and is rapidly leading to more and more overdose deaths.

Read the full article here: https://www.fox43.com/article/life/xy...

WPMT-FOX43's YouTube channel is a hub for the best of FOX43 News and its investigative reports, top headlines, and digital exclusive content:    / fox43   SUBSCRIBE:    / fox43