Household object
Button and Coin Batteries
A true emergency. A lodged battery can burn through tissue within hours.
Life-threateningDogsCatsBirdsSmall mammals
What to do right now
- 1.Go to an emergency vet or animal hospital straight away
- 2.Do not wait for symptoms to appear
- 3.Do not try to induce vomiting, as this can worsen burns if the battery is still in the oesophagus
Symptoms
- Drooling and pawing at the mouth
- Vomiting
- Reluctance to eat
- Lethargy
- Signs of pain
Details
- Category
- Household object
- Toxicity
- Life-threatening
- Species affected
- Dogs, Cats, Birds, Small mammals
- Routes of exposure
- Swallowing batteries from remote controls, toys, hearing aids or watches
- Urgency
- A true emergency. A lodged battery can burn through tissue within hours.
Veterinary treatment
Batteries generate an electrical current in moist tissue that causes chemical burns and can perforate the oesophagus or stomach. X-rays confirm location and urgent removal is often needed.