Button batteries and One Medicine: A shared emergency across species

Button batteries, particularly lithium coin batteries, are small, shiny, and found in countless household devices. They are also one of the most dangerous, time-critical ingestion hazards for both children and companion animals. What often begins with curiosity, a child exploring or a dog chewing an object, can quickly become a life-threatening medical emergency. 

This is not a simple choking event and it is not rare. Button battery ingestion can cause catastrophic injury or death in a matter of hours, often before obvious symptoms occur. 

Battery ingestion is a shared deadly emergency for children and animals 

Battery ingestion is often discussed as a paediatric issue or, separately, as a veterinary emergency. In reality, the biological mechanism of injury is strikingly similar across species. 

When a button battery becomes lodged in the oesophagus – the most dangerous location – it generates an electrical current on contact with moist tissue. This current rapidly produces a highly alkaline environment, leading to deep chemical burns and severe tissue damage by liquifactive tissue necrosis and progressive tissue destruction. Severe tissue damage can begin within one to two hours and animal or human patients may initially appear relatively well. 

The danger of subtle symptoms 

One of the most lethal aspects of battery ingestion is how quiet it can be in its early stages. In both humans and animals, warning signs may include:

  • Drooling or excessive salivation 
  • Vomiting or gagging 
  • Coughing or noisy breathing  
  • Refusal to eat or difficulty swallowing 
  • Unexplained distress, lethargy, or behaviour changes 

Meanwhile, severe internal injury may already be underway. 

Diagnosis looks the same too 

For both paediatricians and veterinarians, imaging is critical. X-rays are the key diagnostic tool, as button batteries can be mistaken for coins or other harmless objects. The characteristic double ring or halo sign distinguishes a battery from other foreign bodies. Missing this distinction can cost lives. 

Treatment is a race against time — for everyone 

The rule is the same  – regardless of species: a battery lodged in the oesophagus requires immediate removal. Every minute matters. Time lost equals tissue destroyed. In children, removal is typically performed via emergency endoscopy. In animals, emergency veterinary endoscopy or surgery may be required. The urgency is identical, every minute matters. 

Risk doesn’t end after removal 

One of the most devastating realities of battery ingestion is that serious complications can occur days or even weeks after removal,due to ongoing tissue necrosis. 

These delayed injuries can include: 

  • Tracheo-oesophageal or aorto-oesophageal fistulas  
  • Massive internal bleeding 
  • Oesophageal or gastric perforation 
  • Infection, sepsis, and sudden collapse 

This is true in both children and animals – and it is why close monitoring and follow-up are essential. 

Because the risk is shared across species, prevention should be universal rather than child or companion animal specific. An unsafe household for a child is often unsafe for a companion animal. Always make sure that battery compartments on all devices are secure, keep spare and used batteries locked away and dispose of batteries promptly and safely.

A One Medicine Issue 

Battery ingestion is not just a paediatric issue, it is not just a veterinary issue, it is a shared household risk with shared symptoms, shared mechanisms, and shared urgency.  Recognising this risk through a One Medicine lens reinforces a simple truth – awareness saves lives and fast action is critical whether the patient has two legs or four. 

 

 

Sources & Credits 

  • Amr Abdul Malek, MD – Board-Certified Paediatric & Neonatal Surgeon
    LinkedIn post: A Silent Killer in Every Home – Button Battery Ingestion in Children 
  • Vets Now — Batteries Pose Deadly Risk to Dogs & Cats
    UK emergency veterinary perspective warning that button batteries are dangerous for dogs and cats, highlighting risk of chemical burns and the need for awareness among pet owners. https://www.vets-now.com/2017/02/batteries-risk-pets/ 
  • Vetlexicon (UK/Global Veterinary Reference) — Battery Toxicity in Dogs
    . Veterinary toxicology summary describing clinical signs (hypersalivation, ulceration), diagnosis (imaging), and treatment principles for battery ingestion in dogs, which parallels human clinical practice. https://www.vetlexicon.com/canis/toxicology/articles/battery-toxicity/ 
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