My puppy chewed a battery. Should I go to the vet or treat at home?

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.

Chewed up batteries can cause caustic burns to the oral cavity and GI tract if the contents of the battery are ingested. Typically if a pet ingested or was exposed to a caustic chemical, they will have excess drooling. I would have your vet at least do a full physical exam to ensure Charlie is ok. Best wishes and take care.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Twixie. Oh no, that's not good. You need to have her seen by a vet immediately. Ingesting this acid is very serious, and she needs veterinary treatment. Please take her into an ER vet clinic; if there isn't one in your area, there will be a vet on call for emergencies. The information to reach that vet is found on a clinic's answering machine or website. Best of luck.

If batteries are punctured and leak acid they can cause gastric or esophageal ulcers and symptoms would be vomiting, a decreased appetite, or regurgitation. I suppose a larger battery could cause an intestinal obstruction if ingested and the symptoms would be similar. If the battery is not punctured there is also a chance it could pass through the gastrointestinal tract without incident.

Hi! Oakley likely has burns on his tongue from the battery acid. He could also have burns in his esophagus (the tube between his mouth and stomach). This could be quite dangerous. It is also important to know whether he may have swallowed any parts of the battery, as well, as it would carry battery acid into his stomach/intestines, which could be fatal. I'm glad to hear that he is still eating and drinking, but I would recommend that you take him in to see a vet asap. They can treat the burns on tongue, and, if necessary, Xray him to look for any batteries in his system.

You did absolutely the right thing by calling an ER vet for help! I agree, if there are no puncture in the battery or teeth marks, then there isn't any danger to Gracie. I would be concerned if there was a puncture, bite marks, leaking from the battery, or if she swallowed it. Since there are none of those things, I do not think a trip to the ER vet is warranted. You can gently rinse her mouth out with water to be safe and keep an eye on her mouth for redness, ulcers, drooling, and difficulty eating. Otherwise, she should be fine. I hope this helps :-)

Hello. A month is only for a battery that might be encased in a plastic housing. If there is a chance your dog ingested a battery, you do not want to take a chance waiting to see if he develops a necrotic lesion somewhere in his digestive tract. It does not matter what size the dog is. A hole in the stomach or gut is still a major problem that can cause peritonitis & possibly death. If he does start to erode a lesion somewhere in his gi tract, you will see drooling, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea & possibly melena, which is a black stool colored by digested blood. The dog may ingest large amounts of water & vomit it back up possibly with a dark brown substance, an indication the stomach lining is beginning to break down & is bleeding. He will, of course, not want to eat. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.