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My dog chewed a battery. What to do if I can't afford a vet?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Male | 2 years and 1 month old | 40 lbs

My dog punctured a battery while I was at work. I rinsed his mouth out. He does not appear to be in pain. I checked his mouth for ulcers and I did not see any. I can not afford to take him to the vet. Is there anything else I can do for him

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Destini R. Holloway, DVM

Answered By Destini R. Holloway, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on January 5th, 2020

Well that was naughty of him. You can certainly give him 1/2 cup of milk as well to help coat his GI tract. Then monitor for any signs of trouble which includes excessive vomiting (water and food), no interest in eating, and any excessive drooling. Most batteries cause caustic burns to the mouth and nothing more, as long as they are not ingested. It is good that he didn't eat the battery, so its best to keep an eye on him and seek a vet if you do see any of the symptoms described above. Also keep in mind that milk doesn't agree with some pets stomach, so a bit of loose stool may occur, at which point you can offer some probiotics (Culturelle over the counter) and some fiber (1-2 tsp of canned pumpking, not the pie filling) to help the stools return to normal.

I do hope that Cujo continues to do well after his encounter with this battery. Best of luck moving forward. Take care.
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