Catahoula Rescue of New England

06/05/2026

Woodrow
Male
Young

Intake 5/20
Location: Kaufman area

06/01/2026

05/31/2026

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This is a rare but severe toxicity but we wanted to make you all aware of the potential dangers and give you the opportunity to react quickly in case of emergency.

Symptoms occur after eating or chewing on certain headache wraps and cooling pet pads that contain hydrogel. It can also be exposure to water beads made outside of the United States or cooling agents in knee braces etc.

Symptoms include rapid onset of vomiting that can progress to tremors, walking as if drunk, abnormal skin sensation, fast heart rate, and seizures. In very rare cases, death can occur.

All of these products contain non toxic polymers as the final product. However during the manufacturing process, acrylamide, a byproduct may remain in the product. In 2018, a study was performed on gel from a cooling dog bed after a dog developed neurologic signs following ingestion. Testing revealed a mystery chemical with spectra consistent with acrylamide (Dorman et al., 2018).
This means that even if the label says non-toxic end product, the by products COULD be a contaminate. This is why only SOME ingestions result in toxicity.

Acrylamide can also be naturally found in cooking high starch foods, such as potatoes at a high temperature. One study found labrador puppies who ate the burnt crust of a potato pie died due to acrylamide exposure. So it's not just manufactured items but can occur in nature as well.

Make sure to put your water beads, cooling packs, gel packs away after use. If your pet is exposed or a chewed piece of cooling material is found, seek immediate medical attention. Since this is a rarer toxic event, please start an Animal Poison Control or Pet Poison case number to expedite our team's ability to help your pet.

05/28/2026

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