This pup really knows how to push his owner’s buttons.
A mischievous puppy needed an emergency procedure last month after gnawing on a TV remote and swallowing a AAA battery, SWNS reports.
Sharon Nicholson was about to turn in for the night on Jan. 20, when she noticed her Hungarian Vizsla named Dexter was enjoying the remote as a makeshift chew toy. After freeing the plastic from the canine’s jaws, she realized he had swallowed one of the Duracell batteries.
“He was playing on the floor [of my bedroom], and then he started chewing the corner of my bed,” she told SWNS. “I got up to stop him doing that and forgot about the remote being on the bed.”
That’s when the playful pup chomped down on the remote. In seconds, he had torn it apart.
“I offered him a treat, and he dropped the remote and one battery,” she continued. “He swallowed the other one and took the treat as well.”
Dexter seemed to be fine, but the 51-year-old British petrified pet parent was concerned for his health. She said she rushed him to the veterinarian clinic, fearful the battery acid could ooze and harm him.
X-ray imaging showed the battery lodged inside the poor pup, and clinicians waited patiently for the battery to pass on its own. After nothing came out, the vets fished it out forcefully the following day — which would cost over $3,000.
The dog mom, who said she doesn’t blame Duracell, anxiously forked over the cash for her precious fur baby.
“I was in tears knowing the battery was still in his tummy [the following day],” Nicholson said. “It was just the thought of losing him, putting him through a procedure, and thinking it was only a slim chance he would survive that.”
Doctors put Dexter under anesthesia and wrangled the battery, along with some sticks, out of his belly.
“Under general anesthesia, we passed an endoscope, and with some delicate maneuvers, retrieved the missing AAA,” said the vet who performed the procedure. “While we were in there, we also retrieved two sections of a gent’s leather belt and several twigs.”
Throughout the 90-minute procedure, Nicholson paced the halls and hoped her pup would be nursed back to health. After the terrifying debacle, she says she’ll be more careful about the objects she keeps in her dog’s reach.
“It was inside him for nearly 24 hours, it’s a miracle it didn’t leak in that time,” she said of the battery. “He didn’t have to be cut open, which is what we were worried about. Dexter’s now fine, he’s back to normal.”
“I was elated when I knew he was going to be alright, I told the vet I could have hugged him,” she added.
Now Dexter is on a strict dog-food-only diet.
“My advice to any dog owners in a similar situation would be to make sure everything is out of reach, and if anything does happen like that, seek a vet’s help immediately,” Nicholson said.
Duracell was “very sad” to hear about the pup’s accident, the company said in a statement to SWNS.
“We are glad that the battery, and the other items that he had eaten, were safely removed,” the spokesperson added.
The company recommends checking home items to ensure batteries are secure, advising customers to store them properly in a “safe place.”
Dogs often find unusual items to munch on, such as homework, cash and even drugs. In 2021, a young cocker spaniel reportedly died after eating a discarded face mask.
