Puppy undergoes emergency treatment after swallowing TV remote battery

By Douglas Whitbread via SWNS

A young puppy needed emergency treatment after he scoffed the battery out of a TV remote.

Four-month-old Hungarian Vizsla Dexter grabbed the electrical device and downed the loose battery before owner Sharon Nicholson had a chance to stop him.

Sharon had tried to distract the naughty pooch after he snatched the remote off her bed but watched in horror as he swallowed the AA power cell in a “split second.”

And the panic-stricken pet owner then rushed to her local vet as she feared battery acid might be leaking into his internal organs.

Specialists at the animal hospital conducted an urgent medical procedure under general anesthetic, where they managed to remove the potentially deadly object.

And bizarrely, they also found the hungry hound wasn’t just partial to batteries after also removing twigs and bits of a belt from his belly.

Sharon has now warned other pet owners to keep an eye on their dogs and urged them to seek medical help if something similar happens.

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.”

Sharon, from Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, said Dexter was prone to eating household objects and had grabbed the remote after she accidentally put it down.

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 esophagus, stomach and bowel very quickly after ingestion.

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, which can be fatal.

Sharon rushed Dexter to Swift Referrals vets surgery, where experts found the battery was thankfully still intact and had passed into the stomach.

But surgeon Laurence Doddy said they still needed to take urgent action to prevent it from doing lasting damage.

He said: “We saw Dexter on a Saturday evening after his own vets 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 anesthesia, we passed an endoscope and, with some delicate maneuvers, 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.”