Dog survives swallowing torch battery in Storm Arwen power cut

Hugo swallowed the torch battery which was being changed during a Storm Arwen power cut

A spaniel has been saved after swallowing a torch battery amid a Storm Arwen power cut, sparking a further emergency for his family.

One-year-old Hugo pounced for the item as his owners were coping with the seven-day blackout in Bishop Auckland.

Owner Terry Murphy said an X-ray showed the battery was already corroding and a vet referred the pup to a specialist.

The King Charles spaniel has since fully recovered after the "challenging" ordeal which saw the battery removed.

Storm Arwen wreaked havoc across parts of the north of England when it hit on 26 November.

More than 200,000 homes lost power in the aftermath, with some residents having to wait up to two weeks for it to be restored.

The corroded battery that was removed, alongside a normal battery

"My wife was changing the batteries in one of the torches but when she opened it, one popped out on to the floor," Mr Murphy said.

"Hugo was there in a flash and even in the dark you could tell what had happened. I picked him up and tried to retrieve it but he had already swallowed it down.

"I knew it was dangerous so I put my coat on, picked him up and I was at our local vets 15 minutes later.

"They took X-rays and you could clearly see the battery inside him, and that it was already corroding."

Large meal

Hugo was taken to Wear Referrals for emergency treatment, which was carried out within an hour.

Chiara Giannasi, head of internal medicine at the practice in Bradbury, County Durham, said it had been important to intervene as soon as possible.

The removal was even more "challenging", she said, because Hugo had eaten a large meal before swallowing the battery.

The vets managed carry out an endoscopy - a flexible camera used down his throat to look at his stomach - with biopsy forceps.

One-year-old Hugo has since made a full recovery

They used it to find the battery and remove it from Hugo's stomach without the need for surgery.

"Batteries are very dangerous and cause damage almost immediately, especially when they start to dissolve," Ms Giannasi said.

"They are incredibly toxic and cause ulceration of the stomach leading to very severe injuries if not removed."

Although Hugo remained "very groggy" for the following 36 hours, he has since recovered, his owners said.

"This was a very difficult and traumatic time for us but our local vets and everyone at Wear were superb and acted swiftly and effectively to ensure this was a happy ending not a tragedy," Mr Murphy added.