Gorilla Glue* - A Warning
Lily, Jody Hoch's 4 year old Cardigan Welsh Corgi, needed emergency surgery. Her stomach was full of Gorilla Glue. She had only ingested a small amount of it over a week ago and nothing happened so her owners thought she was safe. But as it turned out, the glue expands and it doesn't take much to cause trouble. Lily's stomach was stretched to the maximum and stuffed so tight that not even water could pass through. According to the vet the mass was the size of a soccer ball and had to be cut into three pieces to be removed. Except for her gallbladder which is very inflamed, Lily is fine now. She is back home again and her appetite has returned. Hopefully she will recover completely within a week or so.
Xray of Lily's stomach with the hardened mass
The symptoms were very subtle and if Lily's owners hadn't found the bottle lying on the floor, with its top gone and some of the contents spilled on the carpet, they would just have thought that she had a bit of a belly ache. How Lily got hold of the bottle, they don't know, but she loves to chew plastic stuff. Until two days before the surgery she was acting perfectly normal. She then started refusing her food or barf anything she did eat, look a little depressed before being herself again.
Lily herding
Jody Hoch is glad she googled the product and learned what can happen so they could get Lily to the vet in time before the glue killed her.
February 2012
*) Gorilla Glue is an
all-purpose adhesive for use on brick, cinderblock, concrete,
hardwood floors, metal, stone and woodwork. When exposed to
moisture the adhesive reacts and creates a foaming action that
fills voids as it cures.
Pet Warning: Gorilla Glue bottles which are chewed on and their contents are ingested by dogs produce a life threatening medical emergency. The glue swells with moisture and causes a hardened mass which must be removed surgically.
Apparently it tastes like maple syrup and peanuts so it is very attractive to pets … and children!!!
03.02.2012
