*Updated for OCTOBER, 2007* 

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Sydney Survives Accidental Ingestion of Gorilla Glue

Most homes are filled with multiple chemicals, from cleaners to office supplies.  But virtually all of these chemicals can be hazardous to your pet’s health.  The case discussed here describes how dangerous it can be when these chemicals are ingested by our pets.

Sydney, a 7 month old female Labrador Retriever puppy, belonging to Mary O’Neil of South Hamilton, Massachusetts presented at Massachusetts Veterinary Referral Hospital (MassVet), in Woburn having ingested Gorilla Glue. Sydney had been vomiting, and her regular veterinarian’sx-rays had shown a significant amount of a foreign material filling her stomach.Gorilla Glue is a common household polyurethane adhesive. When applied, Gorilla Glue will expand to 3-4 times its original volume. This is generally a good thing for household projects necessitating heavy dutyglue. However, according to manufacturer warnings and information, when the glue interacts with water, it causes an exothermic reaction producing enough heat and carbon dioxide to rupture a sealed container.

Unfortunately its musty, earthy odor and taste are appealing to dogs. At Mass Vet in Woburn we see more than a few cases of dogs that have ingested gorilla glue a year. When eaten in enough volume – in this case somewhere within the range of ½ to ¾ of a 4oz container – the Gorilla Glue will expand and fill the entire stomach causing an obstruction and irritation to the stomach lining, and death. Surgical removal of the hardened and expanded glue is necessary for most dogs, though the prognosis for recovery is generally good. Dr. Scott Pett’s original x-rays were consistent with Gorilla Glue.

On presenting at Mass Vet, Sydney was taken to surgery, performed by Drs. Kechia Davis, DVM, DACVS, and Deb Colley, DVM. The material was removed intact and fully solidified from Sydney’s stomach. It was 7cm in diameter and an almost perfect mold of the inside of Sydney’s stomach. Sydney is back at home and recovering from her surgery and her ordeal. Sydney serves as a timely reminder that household products, while useful can be extremely dangerous when inappropriately ingested by pets and children. Always remember to keep your harmful products out of reach and out of sight of children and pets. Keep in mind that while cats are more finicky than dogs, they are just as likely to ingest toxic plant matter and sweet-tasting toxins such as antifreeze or potpourri liquid. In many cases it takes little more than 1 teaspoon of antifreeze to cause kidney failure in a cat.

Keep your pets safe, keep harmful products out of reach and have the name, number and address of a 24 hour emergency veterinary hospital on hand. In the event of an emergency, looking for a name and number will only increase stress. Ask your regular veterinarian for more information if you do not know of a local 24 hour hospital.

Case information provided by Sommer Aweidah, Director of Marketing, In Town Veterinary Group, 20 Cabot Road Woburn, MA 01801

A Good Scare for a Good Cause

Beware! Ghost and goblins will arrive in Lee, New Hampshire this year with the relocation and expansion of the Haunted Overload Halloween extravaganza.  Originally located on his front lawn in Exeter, New Hampshire, designer and producer Eric Lowther decided 2007 would be the year to take his display to the next level.  Beginning his home display in 1999, it has increased in detail and content each year since its inception. 

When asked how he started designing haunted house displays, Lowther said it was something he enjoyed since he was a young child.  “I designed my first haunted house in my parent’s basement when I was twelve,” Lowther said, “just for my friends.  I kept designing displays in the basement, then in my parent’s barn, right through high school.  I stopped for a few years when I was in college and in the service, but I enlarged the displays after I bought my home in Exeter.”

And his efforts have not gone unnoticed.  Last year, it was voted one of the top thirteen best Halloween displays in the United States.  Not bad, considering this display was one of only three or four household displays good enough for consideration.   Such a large, high-quality home display was the result of months and months of hard work.  Each year, Lowther would begin designing his project within a couple of months after the previous display was dismantled.  Building the props would continue throughout each spring and summer, with assembly of the larger displays and designs at least a month or two before the last week in October.  Disassembling the display would take another month after the Halloween season was over. 

When asked why he decided to move the display, Lowther cited practicality as a primary reason.  “It was taking on a life of its own,” Lowther said.  “Last year, hundreds visited my house.  The town (of Exeter) would need to block off the street because of all the people visiting.” 

How did his neighbors feel?  “They were very tolerant,” Lowther adds with a laugh, “some would participate with it, but was getting too big.  Each year I would have to completely replace my lawn because of all the people who walked on it.”

When asked how he partnered with Coppal House Farm as the new location for his display, he indicated the partnership was largely serendipitous.  “I started looking for a place locally that could house a display of this size, but few farms and businesses in the immediate area had any interest,” Lowther said. “And of the few locations that expressed some interest, we couldn’t seem to work out the details.”

“When March came around and I still did not have a place, I started getting worried.  Then I happened to check into the farm that I bought my hay from and things finally started to happen.  That farm was Coppal House farm in Lee, New Hampshire.  The Huttons and I were able to make a deal by April, and I immediately began planning the new display.”

Which turned out to be much more than just planning.  Incorporating over one acre, the new haunted house display would be six times larger than any of his home displays.  With shorter time than usual, combined with the dramatic increase in the quantity of the display, he had his work cut out for him.

“I do most of the construction work myself,” Lowther says, “with basic materials I have or have been donated by lumber companies, sawmills, or building supply stores willing to help me. Mostly, I have to be creative with what I’ve got.” 

Lowther reports he does have volunteers who help him throughout the year, but the number of volunteers varies from weekend to weekend.  “Sometimes I’m lucky and have four people helping me,” he says, “other times, I’m the only one out there putting up the display.”

Changing venues has also posed other challenges to his creativity.  No longer building just a household display means additional building codes must be followed to ensure safe access for the public.  “I have more rules to work with, from building and fire codes, with the necessary permits.  I have to make sure the design for the larger display remained as safe as when it was smaller.” 

Lowther also indicated he wanted the display to retain its cozy atmosphere even as it expanded dramatically. Past household displays have included large animated characters, such as a sixteen-foot high witch, or ghost standing over 24 feet high.  These props will be included with the construction of new displays.  “I will be able to include many other ideas and themes at this new location,” Lowther said, “I can have a haunted forest, and several tunnels that will offer the perfect setting for many new props I’m working on.”

The display dates of this display will also expand.  Previous home displays were typically up for two or three evenings, between October 29th and the 31st.  This year, the display dates increased dramatically, along with a new format for the presentation. Beginning on October 20th, the display will be open during the day Wednesday through Sunday between 10 am and 5 pm, for those who wish to wander through Haunted Overload without actors (alive or dead) jumping out to scare them.  Special tours through the display are scheduled for four nights prior to Halloween night, beginning at 6:30, 7:30 and 8:30, on October 27th, 28th, 30th, and 31st.  These evening viewings will have volunteers and actors on hand as part of the display, but Lowther warns viewers: the evening viewings are not for young children or those faint of heart.  This haunted display takes itself seriously. 

Another original detail will also be included with the display.  Lowther states he intends to continue to provide an informational display and donation box for the ASPCA in Stratham, New Hampshire.  When Haunted Overload began in 1999, he would take donations rather than charge admission.  Each year, he would split the proceeds with the ASPCA, retaining only enough money to cover the cost of building supplies for the following year’s display.  In past years, he has raised as much as $5,000 per year for the ASPCA.  This year, pre-paid ticket admission for the evening display will be necessary, largely to cover the increased cost of the production, but the donation box at the end of the display will continue to provide guests the opportunity to donate to a good cause.  

Even after all these years, Lowther says he still enjoys building his creations and sharing it with the public.  With the larger venue, and greater opportunity for expansion, this unique New England display will only get better and better.  So stop by for a scare and stay for a spell: you’ll be glad you came.

Details on past displays and the planned times and dates for this year’s display can be found at Lowther’s website, www.hauntedoverload.com.  Additional information can be found at the display’s new location, www.nhcornmaze.com.

to find out MORE about What's Happening in Animal-Loving New England... click HERE!

Alex, with Dr. Irene Pepperberg; photo courtesey of Brandeis University

Alex, the World-Renown African Grey Parrot,

Passes Away at 31

Alex, the world renowned African Grey parrot made famous by the ground-breaking cognition and communication research conducted by Brandeis scientist Irene Pepperberg, Ph.D., died at the age of 31 on September 6, 2007.  Dr. Pepperberg’s pioneering research resulted in Alex learning elements of English speech to identify 50 different objects, 7 colors, 5 shapes, quantities up to and including 6 and a zero-like concept. He used phrases such as “I want X” and “Wanna go Y”, where X and Y were appropriate object and location labels. He acquired concepts of categories, bigger and smaller, same-different, and absence.

Alex combined his labels to identify, request, refuse, and categorize more than 100 different items demonstrating a level and scope of cognitive abilities never expected in an avian species. Pepperberg says that Alex showed the emotional equivalent of a 2 year-old child and intellectual equivalent of a 5 year-old. Her research with Alex shattered the generally held notion that parrots are only capable of mindless vocal mimicry.

In 1973, Dr. Pepperberg was working on her doctoral thesis in theoretical chemistry at Harvard University when she watched Nova programs on signing chimps, dolphin communication and, most notably, on why birds sing. She realized that the fields of avian cognition and communication were not only of personal interest to her but relatively uncharted territory. When she finished her thesis, she left the field of chemistry to pursue a new direction—to explore the avian brain. She decided to conduct her research with an African Grey parrot. In order to assure she was working with a bird representative of its species, she asked the shop owner to randomly choose any African Grey from his collection. It was Alex. And so the one-year old Alex, his name an acronym for the research project, Avian Learning EXperiment, became an integral part of Pepperberg’s life and the pioneering studies she was about to embark upon.

Over the course of 30 years of research, Dr. Pepperberg and Alex revolutionized the notions of how birds think and communicate. What Alex taught Dr. Pepperberg about cognition and communication has been applied to therapies to help children with learning disabilities. Alex’s learning process is based on the rival-model technique in which two humans demonstrate to the bird what is to be learned.

Dr. Pepperberg will continue her innovative research program with Griffin and Arthur, two other young African Grey parrots who have been a part of the ongoing research program.

Alex has left a significant legacy—not only have he and Dr. Pepperberg and their landmark experiments in modern comparative psychology changed our views of the capabilities of avian minds, but they have forever changed our perception of the term “bird brains.”

Courtesy of Brandeis University, www.brandeis.edu

 

Play it Safe during the

Scariest Holiday of the Season!

Halloween can be fun and festive for people, but for pets it can also be dangerous. Here are some tips from the AVMA to help you ensure that your pet has a happy and safe Halloween...

Don't leave your pet outside unattended on Halloween (or on the days preceding or following this holiday). Halloween pranks committed against pets can be vicious, and black cats are particularly at risk.
Halloween treats are for people, not pets. Candy wrappers and lollipop sticks can be hazardous if swallowed.  Chocolate is not appropriate for pets. Chocolate (bakers, semi sweet, milk and dark) can be potentially poisonous to many animals.  Pet parents need to watch for symptoms of exposure that may include vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, hyperactivity and increased thirst, urination and heart rate
Keep pumpkins out of reach of curious noses and paws. Pets may knock over a lit pumpkin and cause a fire.
Despite how much fun it is for people, many pets don't enjoy getting dressed up for Halloween. If you do dress your pet, be sure that its costume doesn't interfere with the pet's ability to breathe, see, hear, move, or bark.
Consider keeping your pet in a separate room, away from the door, when trick-or-treaters arrive. Strange people in even stranger clothes can frighten some pets.
When you do answer the door for visitors, make sure that your pet doesn't suddenly head for the great outdoors. In case your pet does escape, make sure that it is wearing proper identification. Pets with identification are much more likely to be returned to their owners.

For more information and tips about holiday safety for pets, call or visit your family veterinarian. Remember, your veterinarian is your very best source for advice on keeping your pet safe, healthy, and happy!

Courtesy of the American Veterinary Medical Association; www.AVMA.org