A young puppy that ate the battery out of a TV remote has had emergency treatment to save its life. The four-month-old Hungarian Vizsla, Dexter, grabbed the gadget and swallowed the loose battery before owner Sharon Nicholson was able to grab it from her pet's mouth.
Ms Nicholson had tried to distract the animal after it grabbed the remote off her bed but watched in horror as it gulped down an AA power cell in a “split second”. Fearing that some battery acid might be leaking into the dog's internal organs, the panic-stricken owner rushed it to the local vet.
Specialists at the animal hospital conducted an urgent medical procedure under general anaesthetic, and managed to retrieve the potentially deadly object. However, the battery wasn't the only thing they found — they also discovered that the hungry hound had also been consuming twigs and even part of a belt.
It has led to Ms Nicholson warning other pet owners to keep an eye on their dogs and urging them to seek immediate medical help if something similar happened. She said: “Having a puppy is like having a child; you need to keep everything out of reach. And if they do swallow something worrying, get help as quickly as you can.”
Ms Nicholson, from Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, said Dexter was prone to heading for household objects to chew on and had grabbed the remote after she accidentally put it down within her pet's reach.
She said: “Dexter is prone to getting hold of anything lying around, so we always try and keep things out of reach. But he sleeps upstairs and I’d accidentally left a TV remote on the bed. The back was off it and before I could stop him, he grabbed it and the two AA batteries fell out.
“I tried to distract him, but he swallowed one of the batteries in a split second. I panicked because I thought he might have pierced the battery and the acid could cause real damage, so I knew I needed help straight away.”
Acid leaking from typical AA and AAA batteries can cause chemical burns and serious damage to the oesophagus, stomach and bowel very quickly after ingestion, experts say. Even smaller batteries, such as those found in the key fobs of cars, can cause electrical burns, often as quickly as 15-30 minutes after being swallowed, and they can be fatal.
Ms Nicholson took Dexter to the Swift Referrals surgery, where vets found that although the battery had passed into the stomach, it was still intact. Surgeon Laurence Doddy said that urgent action was still required to prevent it from doing any lasting damage.
He said: “We saw Dexter on a Saturday evening after his own vet referred him following unsuccessful treatment. Strong stomach acid can corrode a battery, causing the toxic contents to be released and absorbed into the bloodstream.
“So under general anaesthesia we passed an endoscope and, with some delicate manoeuvres, retrieved the missing AA battery. As it happened, while we were in there, we also retrieved two sections of a gent's leather belt and several twigs.
He added: “Hopefully, Dexter will just stick to dog food now, but it’s a warning to owners how quickly puppies can get hold of something and get into trouble.”
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