There really is no end to the possibilities when it comes to the things our pets decide to eat that get them into trouble. Some examples were highlighted in the latest issue of one of the veterinary magazines I receive. The cat who ate a 5-inch long antenna, the NON-venomous snake who ate a venomous snake, the cat who ate a needle and thread, the black lab who ate a toe nail clipper, the standard poodle who ate a $10,000 diamond ring, the cat who ate a key, and the border collie who deemed it appropriate to eat a ridiculous amount of broken up asphalt. All perfectly depicted in the corresponding x-rays veterinarians had submitted. Coincidentally, in another veterinary journal I receive, one of the published cases in its latest issue was that of a miniature pinscher who ate Gorilla Glue.
At our clinic we have seen many cases over the years that rival these, but I think it is important to mention our experience with Gorilla Glue, since it might not seem like such a big deal at first. Obviously pets shouldn’t be eating glue, but this particular glue, and some other adhesives containing the same active ingredient, can wreak a unique type of havoc once in an animal’s stomach.
“Gracie” came to us a couple years ago, after the owner became concerned about decreased appetite and vomiting, symptoms that can be a result of any number of causes. The only significant finding when taking the history about the onset and progression of Gracie’s symptoms was that she had gotten into what seemed to the owners to be a fairly innocent amount of Gorilla Glue, having just chewed on the tube, and licking out the bit that came out of the puncture holes. The glued-together whiskers and muzzle hairs, along with the guilty look Gracie had on her face only served to confirm what her owners were saying about her. Nothing much stood out on physical exam other than the glue residues, and a feel of her abdomen revealed nothing unusual, so we turned to x-rays. At the time, I had heard only anecdotally that this type of glue has the ability to rapidly expand in the stomach, much like the spray-foam insulation you can get for your doors and windows. The glue doesn’t expand much under normal use, but a chemical reaction occurs in the acidic environment of the stomach, and what results from the ingestion of only a small amount of glue is a perfect foam model of the inside of a distended stomach. Our films showed a very full stomach tucked perfectly under her ribs escaping detection by feel of the abdomen. When taken into consideration that Gracie had not only not eaten, but had been continuously vomiting, the x-rays could only mean that Gracie had fallen victim to the strange Gorilla Glue phenomenon where the substance apparently doesn’t taste all that bad, but rapidly expands into a foam mold of a full stomach, letting no other food get around it, with her symptoms as the result.
The only way to get this foam cast out of the stomach is surgically, so that is how Gracie lived to tell the tale. We removed the softball-sized Gorilla Glue mass through an incision in her stomach, and to this day we have the material in a sealed bag in the clinic along with the many other strange specimens in our collection. Gorilla Glue has its place, but do your best to make sure that place is not in your pet’s stomach.
Gorilla Glue – Veterinarian experiences with ingested glue
·
