Researchers found a neurotoxin in pet cooling mats a chewing dog could swallow

A study in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association has found acrylamide, a neurotoxin, at high residual levels in polyacrylamide hydrogel products, a category that includes pet cooling beds, mats and wraps. The finding was carried in the October 12, 2026 edition of a weekly companion-animal news roundup, which described the products as a potentially life-threatening source of poisoning for dogs.

The central risk is a conditional one. The gel sits inside a sealed cover, and the concern arises when a dog chews through that cover and swallows the contents. Unlike most product-safety stories, though, this one comes with a record of dogs that have already been poisoned.

Why Hydrogel Cooling Gel Carries Acrylamide at All

Cooling mats of this type are filled with polyacrylamide, a polymer that holds large amounts of water and stays cool to the touch. Polyacrylamide is made by linking acrylamide molecules into long chains, and the leftover, unlinked acrylamide monomer is the neurotoxic part. The compound is not an added ingredient. It is a manufacturing residue, which is why a label calling a gel nontoxic can coexist with a measurable amount of the toxin inside.

The authors of a separate letter, summarized by the American Animal Hospital Association, noted that cited literature puts residual monomer in polyacrylamide gels at 0.01 percent to 0.1 percent. In its October 5 announcement of the research, the ASPCA said polyacrylamide has traditionally been considered low risk, but that these products may carry high residual acrylamide despite nontoxic or medical-grade labeling.

Acrylamide Levels in the Gel Samples

According to the ASPCA release, chemical analysis of gel from associated products found acrylamide at 12,900 to 51,800 parts per million. The release puts that at 21 to 86 times the upper end of the expected range, which it gives as under 1 to 600 parts per million. The analysis was done by polymer scientists at Cambridge Polymer Group, the release says, with case data summarized by an attending veterinarian at VEG ER for Pets and contributions from Ashley Haugen of The Product Injury Coalition.

Several things are not available in the material reviewed here. The weekly roundup and the other pages that summarize the work do not give the number of products tested, how many of them were pet cooling mats as opposed to human migraine caps and eye masks, or the name of the analytical method for the JAVMA analysis, and the journal page could not be opened for this report. An IVC Journal summary lists migraine caps, eye masks and wraps as the implicated products, so the range should not be read as a measurement of every cooling mat on the market.

A second, smaller analysis points the same direction. Cambridge Polymer Group reported on its company blog that one cooling pad from a single product line, run through ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, held 4.9 milligrams of acrylamide per gram, about 4,900 parts per million. That work is slated for presentation at the October 2026 USAHA/AAVLD annual meeting rather than the JAVMA paper, and the company noted that analytical testing alone cannot establish causation.

The Dogs Already Reported Ill

This is where the story departs from a purely theoretical hazard. The ASPCA release says the research drew on 45 dogs with suspected acrylamide toxicosis, with signs including vomiting, muscle tremors, unsteadiness, sensitivity to sound or touch, increased heart rate, seizures and death. Dr. Colette Wegenast of ASPCA Poison Control said the organization is receiving reports of suspected acrylamide toxicosis with severe signs on a weekly basis.

The IVC Journal summary adds that the case data came from the ASPCA Poison Control database for January 2024 through June 2026, and that of 21 dogs with known outcomes, 14, or 67 percent, died or were euthanized. That figure is a secondary report of the study, and the case series was built from suspected exposures, so it describes a skewed set of reported cases rather than the odds facing an average dog on a cooling mat. The ASPCA states there is no antidote and that treatment centers on controlling signs and supportive care.

Hazard Versus Risk for a Dog on a Mat

A toxic compound being present in a product is a statement about hazard. Risk depends on whether a dog actually reaches and swallows the gel, and on how much. The material reviewed here does not quantify how often chewing happens, how much gel a poisoned dog took in, or what dose is dangerous, and none of it shows harm from a dog simply lying on an intact mat. Earlier case reports of this kind involved dogs that ate hydrogel from masks and pads, including a roughly 10-pound dog that the AAHA report said developed vomiting, tremors and seizures after eating about a tablespoon.

The ASPCA’s own guidance is aimed at the chewing scenario. It advises monitoring pets that use cooling pads, especially chewers, keeping masks and wraps out of reach, and contacting a veterinarian or ASPCA Poison Control if a pet may have swallowed any amount of gel, with immediate veterinary care for any dog showing neurologic signs. Those are the organization’s recommendations, not conclusions drawn here, and the full JAVMA methods will be needed to judge how widely the high readings apply across brands.

This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by Morning Overview editors prior to publication.

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