Vets save dog’s life after she swallowed battery

A dog in Scunthorpe escaped a potentially fatal situation thanks to vets’ life-saving emergency surgery to pull out a battery from her stomach.

Terrier cross Luna was unusually subdued when her dog’s owner, Sarah Thompson, had finished her night shift.

Sarah found a small disc battery missing from an LED walking cap nearby and feared the worst, so rushed Luna to the emergency vets – Medivet 24 Hour Ashby, on Ashby Road in Scunthorpe.

X-rays of Luna’s abdomen confirmed the exact location of the battery, which Luna had accidentally swallowed.

The surgical team performed life-saving emergency surgery on Luna.

The team then performed the challenging emergency surgery on the three-year-old to remove it before lasting damage was caused.

Luna’s owner Sarah said: “I literally owe them my world. The whole team were just amazing – but the surgical team deserve extra special praise as they acted so quickly to remove the battery.

Luna needed emergency surgery after accidentally swallowing a battery.

“In Luna’s case it was touch and go as the battery was minutes away from entering the bowel. It could have been a very different outcome if they hadn’t acted so swiftly.

“The love and support Luna received under the Medivet Ashby team’s care has been incredible, never mind the compassion that the staff showed me. I can’t thank them enough.”

Sarah sent a card of thanks to the veterinary surgery saying “I owe you my world”.

Luna is now recovering well.

Daniel Low, Attending Veterinary Surgeon, said: “Patients who swallow something like this are usually made to vomit, but in this case we were particularly concerned about the caustic damage to Luna’s oesophagus.

“Batteries left in the gut can potentially cause a perforation with fatal consequences, so we knew we had to act quickly.”

Daniel Lowe, Medivet 24 Hour Ashby Vet, and his patient Luna.

Luna is now recovering well, but the incident prompted the veterinary surgery to urge pet owners to be on their guard at Christmas.

Liviu Luca, Lead Veterinary Surgeon, added: “While it’s not practical for owners to provide 24-hour supervision, at this time of the year we would urge a little extra vigilance.

“If owners want to guarantee a really happy Christmas together with their pets, our suggestion would be to keep small gadgets and toys out of their reach.”