Gorilla Glue Ingestion

We have all heard of gorilla glue and I suspect most of us have used it at some point or another....it works well! Recently, I had a case of gorilla glue ingestion that I thought I would share.

Ellie, a young healthy black lab, presented to me on a Monday am.Her owner reported that she had gotten into a 4 oz bottle of gorilla glue over the weekend, he wasn't sure if she had eaten the entire amount but certainly 1/2 of it. Physically, she was  acting normal, very bright and happy, typical behavior for a young playful lab! Her owner was concerned though, as just that AM her appetite was a little off and she seemed to be straining a little while going to the bathroom. An xray was taken (shown below) and the stomach was indeed filled with ingesta and expanded glue.

The problem with gorilla glue is that it smells sweet so many dogs think it is a nice tasty treat!!!Unfortunately,not only is it a hazardous substance but it alsoreacts with water by expanding. This expansion causes a life threatening foreign body that needs to be surgically removed. The surgery went  well and the glue was extracted from the stomach. Ellie was discharged the next day.She has been doing well since.

Who would have thought that consuming as little as 2 oz (perhaps even less),would lead to a foreign body as large as a softball!

This is just an important  reminder to keep your toxic materials out of reach of animals and children. Call your veterinarian or poison control promptly if you suspect ingestion.

You never  know what are animal friends will sample...nothing surprises me any more!