Tag: emergency

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Gorilla Glue Dangers

gorillaglue

 

(Please note: If you suspect your dog has ingested ANY Gorilla Glue or another diphenylmethane diisocyanate-based polyurethane glue, get her to a veterinarian immediately.)

I just learned that some dogs like the sweet smell & taste of Gorilla Glue and eating it can kill them. (It’s also possible cats like the taste too, so be careful with them too.)  The problem isn’t that the glue is poisonous though.  Gorilla Glue and other diphenylmethane diisocyanate-based polyurethane glues (Sumo Glue, Sticky Ass Glue, Elmer’s Glue-All Max) expand and harden on contact with moisture.  (The U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services has an extensive extensive list of glues containing Diphenylmethane diisocyanate.)

When this glue comes into contact with saliva & gastric fluids, it expands & hardens in your dog’s digestive tract creating a deadly blockage.  Symptoms include:

  • vomiting
  • drooling
  • retching
  • loss of appetite
  • lethargy
  • bloated abdomen

Keep this type of glue well out of reach of your dog, quickly clean up any spills, and dispose of contaminated paper towel or rags where your dog can get to them.

If you suspect your dog has ingested ANY of this type of glue, get her to a veterinarian immediately.  Even a small amount of glue can be deadly.  Just 2-3 teaspoons turned into this 6×8″, 1lb. hard lump pictured below that had to be surgically removed.

gluelump

This video shows just how much a small amount of this glue can expand when it contacts moisture.

http://youtu.be/Ya-HMDV_7Fk

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Reasons to Buckle-Up Your Dog

buckleup

  1. Protect your dog.  You wear a seat belt, your kids wear a seat belt, your pets should be belted in with a harness.
  2. Protect yourself.  If not restrained, your dog will become a projectile in an accident and cause great injury to the human occupants—at 30 mph, a 60-pound dog can cause an impact of 2,500 pounds.
  3. Protect emergency aid workers.  A terrified or injured animal is unpredictable and could keep paramedics from helping or might even injure them.  Police might choose to shoot your dog if they fear for their safety.
  4. Keep your dog from running away after an accident.  An unrestrained dog could run off in fear or run into traffic and get hurt.
  5. Prevent distraction of the driver, blocking of the driver’s view, or interference with operation of the vehicle.
  6. Prevent your dog from being ejected from the car or jumping out the window.
  7. Prevent your dog from jumping out when you stop and open the car door.
  8. Prevent car sickness and stress.  Your dog will feel more secure and won’t have to keep bracing himself for the movement of the car.
  9. Prevent your dog from sticking its head out the window where it could be injured.
  10. Prevent damage to the interior of your car from an uncontrolled dog.
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10 Emergency Preparedness Tips You May Not Have Considered

Catster has a terrific list of easy-to-do things that can help your pets get through an emergency and includes several tips I hadn’t considered.  These are three I thought were particularly good.

  • A Together Tag registers your pet in a national network  and  allows you to have multiple contacts listed.  This means you can have an out-of-state contact in the event that local calls aren’t going through.  Microchips are still important, but getting access to someone with a scanner may be impossible after a disaster.  The Together Tag is more insurance that you’ll be reunited with your pet.
  • Scan or photograph the labels of your pet’s medication and upload to a photo-sharing site.  Be sure to black out your personal information.
  • Make detailed Emergency Instruction cards for your pets—include information on medications, food, who you want to have custody of your pet if your’re incapacitated or killed—and put the cards in a prominent place like the back of your front door.  Consider one for your wallet, so if something happens to you, emergency responders will know your have animals dependent on you.
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DIY: Construct A First Aid Kit

Here’s a comprehensive list of things to have in your animal First Aid Kit.  Start with the items marked with a ♥.  (Here’s a printable list for the animal First Aid Kit)

  1. ♥current pet 1st Aid manual (we like The First Aid Companion for Dogs & Cats, by Amy D. Shojai)
  2. ♥contact information for:
    1. your veterinarian
    2. emergency veterinarian
    3. area shelters
    4. ASPCA Animal Poison Control 1 (888) 426-4435
  3. ♥up-to-date weight for your pets
  4. ♥up-to-date information on your pets’ medications
  5. ♥1-2 week supply of all medications pets need
  6. ♥appropriate calming supplement
  7. ♥muzzle or strip of fabric/length of rope for DIY muzzle
  8. ♥non-stick gauze pads
  9. ♥adhesive tape
  10. ♥liquid bandage
  11. ♥self-adhering flexible bandage (Vetrap, Pet Wrap, Kling, Coban)
  12. ♥blunt tipped scissors (for trimming away fur, we like Metzenbaum scissors because they’re curved)
  13. ♥blunt tipped tweezers or hemostats (removing foreign objects)
  14. ♥rectal thermometer
  15. ♥lubricant (K-Y Jelly, Vaseline, etc. for thermometer)
  16. ♥nail clippers
  17. ♥large, clean towel
  18. ♥clean wash cloth
  19. ♥anti-septic solution (Chlorohexidine (.5%), Betadine, not rubbing alcohol)
  20. ♥sterile saline eyewash (flush wounds)
  21. ♥anti-biotic ointment
  22. ♥honey or Karo syrup (for treating shock)
  23. ♥over-the-counter medications approved by your veterinarian with notes on dosages (buffered aspirin (dogs only), Benadryl, Kaolin-Pectin, etc.)
  24. Saran Wrap (seal wounds)
  25. heavy-duty tape (duct, packing, masking, etc.)
  26. splinting material of appropriate sizes (bubble wrap, foam wrap, chopsticks, ruler, thick magazine, etc.)
  27. safety razors (for removing fur)
  28. electric trimmer (for removing fur)
  29. needle nose pliers (removing foreign objects)
  30. large, needless syringe or eye dropper (liquid medications)
  31. bulb syringe
  32. leather gloves
  33. disposable gloves
  34. cotton balls
  35. cotton swabs
  36. cold packs
  37. hot packs
  38. activated charcoal
  39. hydrogen peroxide (3%)
  40. syrup of Ipecac
  41. styptic powder (Kwik-Stop)
  42. Velveeta or Pill-Pockets for hiding pills
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