# A Goat Eating Dynamite **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 2, 2009, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-goat-eating-dynamite/479547 "2009-01-02T03:19:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2009, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-goat-eating-dynamite/479547/1 "2009-01-02T03:19:53Z")
I was watching an _Andy Griffith Show_ marathon and Jimmy the goat a some dynamite. What would happen in real life? Would the goat not be able to do this? Would the goat get sick from the dynamite? Would the goat be able to explode? ---
**Author:** ![mks57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@mks57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mks57)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2009, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-goat-eating-dynamite/479547/2 "2009-01-02T03:30:45Z")
If it was real dynamite, I’d expect that the goat would get very sick. Nitroglycerin is used to treat angina in humans, and can cause a wicked headache from very small exposures. It causes the blood vessels to dilate. Real dynamite contains huge amounts of nitroglycerin. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2009, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-goat-eating-dynamite/479547/3 "2009-01-02T03:59:00Z")
> [@mks57](#): > > If it was real dynamite, I’d expect that the goat would get very sick. Nitroglycerin is used to treat angina in humans, and can cause a wicked headache from very small exposures. It causes the blood vessels to dilate. Real dynamite contains huge amounts of nitroglycerin. A relevant snip from the [Wiki article](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitroglycerin#Industrial_exposure)on nitroglycerin : > [@](#): > > Infrequent exposure to high doses of nitroglycerin can cause severe headaches known as “NG head”. These headaches can be severe enough to incapacitate some people; however, humans develop a tolerance and dependence to nitroglycerin after long-term exposure. Withdrawal can (rarely) be fatal; withdrawal symptoms include headaches and heart problems; with re-exposure to nitroglycerin, these symptoms may disappear. > > For workers in nitroglycerin (NTG) manufacturing facilities, this can result in a “Monday morning headache” phenomenon for those who experience regular nitroglycerin exposure in the workplace leading to the development of NTG tolerance for the vasodilating effects. Over the weekend the workers lose the tolerance to NTG and when they are reexposed on Monday the prominent vasodilation produces tachycardia, dizziness, and a headache. So, at the least I suspect that the goat would feel awful. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2009, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-goat-eating-dynamite/479547/4 "2009-01-02T04:00:14Z")
It would have hypotension and could die… It could explode too if the dynamite was sweating. Boom! Big Bumpity Boom! ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2009, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-goat-eating-dynamite/479547/5 "2009-01-02T04:05:51Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > A relevant snip from the [Wiki article](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitroglycerin#Industrial_exposure)on nitroglycerin : > > So, at the least I suspect that the goat would feel awful. The Badger Army Ammunition Plant workers would take home pieces of explosives and wear them under their clothing when they weren’t working. They have a section about this in the video they did on the plant. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2009, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-goat-eating-dynamite/479547/6 "2009-01-02T04:10:48Z")
_Paddy Maginty, an Irishman of note; he fell into a fortune, and bought himself a goat. Now this very goat, it had an appetite, and early one morning, it ate some dynamite…_ ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2009, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-goat-eating-dynamite/479547/7 "2009-01-02T04:16:18Z")
I just hope other farm animals don’t try it, too. That’d be abominable. [sub]Sis boom bah[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2009, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-goat-eating-dynamite/479547/8 "2009-01-02T04:58:15Z")
“A Goat Eating Dynamite” would be a swell title for a _Southern Culture On The Skids_ album.