Dog swallows glue

Two weeks ago, a black Labrador retriever named Reggie swallowed a quarter of a bottle of heavy-duty polyurethane adhesive.

On Friday, two lumps of Gorilla Glue - about the size of a head of cauliflower, the other the size of an orange - were removed from Reggie's abdomen. Gorilla Glue is used to bond materials like wood, stone, metal and brick.

Reggie's owner contacted Dr. Mark Reineck of Fremont Animal Hospital on Sean Drive after the dog chewed up a bottle of the glue and began vomiting. Reineck then contacted the manufacturer to find out more about the glue, but Reineck was unable to reach the dog's owner after he did so. Once Reineck made contact with Reggie's owner, the dog was brought in for treatment.

X-rays showed two hardened masses in the Labrador's abdomen, which left little room in the stomach for food, Reineck said. During surgery, the globs were identified as glue that had turned into foam and expanded when it mixed with the food and fluid in Reggie's stomach.

"The dog is now doing great and we expect a full recovery," Reineck said. "But it was just too bad that he had to go through this major operation."