Batteries Bad for Your Pet

If ingested, batteries can be poisonous for pets.

Curious puppies are especially adept at finding batteries and chomping away on them! They think that batteries are neat toys but inside each battery, chemicals are stored and when released, these caustic chemicals can lead to toxicity.

Batteries should always be stored well out of reach. If a battery is chewed apart, the leaked contents can lead to digestive tract irritation. Strong alkali will literally eat through living tissues.

In smaller pets particularly, blockage of the intestines may occur if whole batteries or large pieces of the batteries become stuck. This is also a serious problem.

If a pet eats small button style batteries, these will usually pass through the system without causing toxicity, particularly if they do not break apart.

Signs of battery ingestion include:

* vomiting
* fever
* poor appetite
* reduced activity
* sore belly
* bloody bowel movements.

Contact your veterinarian promptly if you suspect your pet has eaten a battery for lunch! Treatment options may range from careful observation, to X-ray studies and surgical removal depending on the circumstances.