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A dog was given life-saving surgery by vet charity PDSA after a sausage binge caused a potentially fatal stomach condition.

Seven-year-old Weimaraner Jake wolfed down the tasty treats whole (perhaps he’d heard it’s British Sausage Week!) but began feeling ‘offal’ soon after.

Worried owner Lucy, from Gateshead, said: “Jake is a big, energetic dog with a huge appetite – he will eat anything although he particularly loves sausages, which he’s allowed as a treat now and then. One day I noticed he was unusually quiet, then he was sick and had diarrhoea. His chest and stomach became massively swollen – he was like a puffer fish. So I called PDSA straight away for advice.”

Lucy was advised it was an emergency and to bring him straight in. Vets at Gateshead PDSA Pet Hospital confirmed Jake was suffering from a potentially deadly condition called Gastric Dilation, which happens when the stomach twists causing a dangerous build up of gasses. Without treatment, it can be fatal within hours.

Jake needed emergency surgery. After a few tense hours, the family were relieved to hear the operation had been a success: “I was convinced we were going to lose him, so to hear he had pulled through was amazing – although I knew he wasn’t out of the woods yet,” said Lucy.

“The vets found four whole sausages in his stomach, which they think was the likely cause of his problem. We knew he loved sausages but had no idea he was literally swallowing them whole! We’ll definitely be cutting his food into smaller pieces from now on, to help him eat more slowly. It’s fantastic that PDSA is here to help, I’m very grateful for everything they’ve done for Jake – they saved his life.”

Jake went home the next day and, after plenty of rest, he thankfully made a full recovery following his bangers binge.

PDSA Vet Nurse Cheryl Nash explained: “Jake’s condition was incredibly serious – just another few hours and its likely he wouldn’t have made it. Gastric dilation, also known as a twisted stomach, can occur when dogs eat so fast that they take in air with their food, particularly if they exercise vigorously straight afterwards.

“Deep-chested dogs, such as Weimaraners and Great Danes, are more at risk of the condition. If you have a deep-chested breed, or your dog has a tendency to wolf down food in seconds, there are bowls specially designed to help slow them down a bit at meal times.”

Gateshead Pet Hospital is one of 51 PDSA Pet Hospitals across the UK treating the sick and injured pets of people in need. The charity performs more than 10,000 treatments every single day and helping more than 470,000 pets every year. The charitable veterinary service is funded entirely by generous public support, as PDSA receives no Government or National Lottery funding for this. For more information visit www.pdsa.org.uk

A key witness who described a friendly, family dog as a pit bull type has been overruled by a judge.

Magistrates ordered the death of the pet dog, named Ice, in March of this year. She was kept in police kennels – at tax payer’s expense –  pending an appeal to the court.

Barrister Ian Graham, resisting the appeal in Plymouth Crown Court, said that the temperament of the dog was not in question.

So-called pit bull expert Peter Tallack accepted that Ice was not a purebred dog but wrongly claimed she was a pit bull terrier type.

He said: “The physical characteristics of these dogs make them enormously powerful, far more powerful than a normal dog. In the wrong circumstances it is that potential which causes the problem.”

Just for your visual reference, here is a picture of the ‘abnormally strong’ and ‘enormously powerful’ Ice.

A judge, sitting with two magistrates, disagreed with Tallack and ruled that Ice is not a pit bull type.

The appeal against the destruction order was upheld and Ice is all set to be returned to her family following a lengthy stay at a police kennels.

Ice is one of the lucky ones, that is assuming she hasn’t suffered long term psychological trauma as a result of being snatched from her family and kept in police kennels (where dogs often die waiting for their trial date and where they can not be seen or comforted by their family). How many dogs have been killed as a result of erroneous testimony from so-called ‘expert’ witnesses who dedicate their time trying to have dogs put to sleep on the basis of what they look like rather than what they’ve done?

Mr Barton, Ice’s owner, speaking after the case, said: “We are really happy. It has been a very long time. She has a lovely nature, she is a real family dog.

“She grew up with my daughter, Hope, who is now aged three. We have had to tell her that she has been in hospital with a sore leg.

Defence expert Kendal Shepherd listed 68 characteristics of the pit bull type. She said that Ice only conformed to 45 per cent of the traits.

Dr Shepherd said she believed that dog more closely conformed to an English and Staffordshire Bull Terrier cross.

Judge Paul Darlow, sitting with two magistrates, took only minutes to grant the appeal following hours of complex technical and legal argument, again at tax payer’s expense.

UK: Do You Know What a Pit Bull Is?

A family dog can reduce a child’s asthma risk by as much as 15% according to a comprehensive new study.

The results support the so-called “hygiene hypothesis” that supposes people who live in ‘too clean’ conditions are more likely to have a higher risk of allergies.

The data of 1 million children born in Sweden between 2001 and 2010 was analysed. Sweden is important for this study as it’s a country where both dog and farm animals must be registered by law

The findings reveal that children’s exposure to dogs in the first year of their life was associated with a 15% lower incidence of childhood asthma. Farm animal exposure produced even greater results, lowering the asthma risk by as much as a staggering 52%.

Dr Tove Fall, the study’s lead scientist from Uppsala University in Sweden, said: “Earlier studies have shown that growing up on a farm reduces a child’s risk of asthma to about half.

“We wanted to see if this relationship was true also for children growing up with dogs in their homes. Our results confirmed the farming effect and we also saw that children who grew up with dogs had about 15% less asthma than children without dogs.

“Because we had access to such a large and detailed data set, we could account for confounding factors such as asthma in parents, area of residence and socio-economic status.”

Profess Catarina Almqvist Malmros who co-authored the study said: “These kind of epidemiological studies look for associations in large populations but do not provide answers on whether and how animals could protect children from developing asthma.

“We know that children with established allergy to cats or dogs should avoid them, but our results also indicate that children who grow up with dogs have reduced risks of asthma later in life.

“Thanks to the population-based design, our results are generalisable to the Swedish population and probably also to other European populations with similar culture regarding pet ownership and farming.”

Research shows high risk of breathing problems in dogs with short muzzles

Findings highlight that snuffling, grunting and snorting in popular breeds isn’t normal or healthy

Researchers at the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) have recently demonstrated the health risks of breeding dogs with short muzzles. Although short muzzles are an increasingly popular face shape in pet dogs, flattened faces were found to greatly increase the risk of developing a debilitating, lifelong respiratory condition leaving dogs chronically short of breath. Breeds shown to be at high risk include the Pug, French Bulldog and English Bulldog, but findings are relevant to all dogs, including many other breeds and cross-breeds, with shortened muzzles.

Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome (BOAS) is caused by shortening of the bones of the canine muzzle, without an equivalent reduction in the soft tissues held within them, causing the tissue to become ‘crammed’ within the skull. This tissue can block the airway, and is often accompanied by narrowed nostrils, making it difficult for air to pass through the dog’s nose. These blockages can mean dogs struggle to breathe, leaving them unable to exercise, play or eat normally, and in some cases they overheat and collapse. BOAS can even cause early death. Dogs with BOAS often snore even while awake, when the soft tissue noisily vibrates as dogs force air past the blockages.

The research, which was co-funded by Dogs Trust, the UK’s largest dog welfare charity, and the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare (UFAW), involved two studies including over 850 dogs of over 100 breeds.  The findings were reported in a paper by Drs Rowena Packer, Anke Hendricks, Michael Tivers and Charlotte Burn and published in the journal PLOS ONE yesterday [Wednesday 28^th October].  The researchers found that as muzzle length becomes shorter, risk of BOAS becomes ever higher, with over 90% of dogs being affected at the shortest extreme. This quality-of-life limiting disorder was only seen in dogs whose muzzles were less than half the length of the domed part of the skull. Obesity and thicker necks also increased BOAS risk.

Puppy buyers should be aware of the health consequences of choosing dogs based on appearance. Practical steps to take when buying a dog of a high-risk breed include selecting puppies from parents with longer muzzles and slimmer necks, and ensuring their dog stays at a healthy body weight.

Flattened facial conformation has long been suspected by vets as risk factor for BOAS and this research showed for the first time that decreasing muzzle length does indeed increase BOAS risk. With this is mind, breeding organisations should actively discourage exaggeration of this high-risk skull shape in both breed standards and the show ring. This could include imposing limits to how short a dogs muzzle can be, in order to improve dog welfare.

Veterinary Director for the Dogs Trust, Paula Boyden, explains the importance of this research;

“The increased popularity of Pugs, French and English Bulldogs hasn’t been coupled with an increased awareness about the health issues these breeds can suffer from. Too many people mistakenly believe that the grunting, snuffling and wheezing sounds these breeds often make are endearing breed traits, rather than warnings of a debilitating health condition. Dogs Trust urges owners to be vigilant for the signs their dog might be suffering with BOAS and take their pet to the vet for advice if they have concerns. The condition cannot be cured but can be improved and there may be things that can be done to provide a better a quality of life for affected dogs.

Although the research demonstrates the need for UK breeders to be aware of the risks of breeding for shorter muzzles, there is an equally pressing need for buyers to be aware of BOAS. There has been a surge in the number of high risk breeds being bred and illegally imported from Eastern Europe in the last few years. Breeders prepared to smuggle these underage puppies into the UK are rarely concerned with good breeding practices so it is essential that buyers wanting a Pug, French Bulldog or English Bulldog puppy look beyond appealing appearances and listen for the audible signs of BOAS.”

If you do have a dog at risk of the condition make sure they maintain a healthy weight because obesity can worsen BOAS.

UFAW, an independent charity which promotes advances in animal welfare through scientific and educational activities, has an extensive web-based information resource on genetic welfare problems in dogs and other companion animals which can be viewed at www.ufaw.org.uk/geneticwelfareproblems.php

PDSA vets today warned pet owners to be vigilant after a whippet nearly died from eating Ecstasy tablets while walking with his elderly owner.

17-month-old Blue, from Bradford, was enjoying a walk with his owner, who wishes to remain anonymous, when he sniffed something out and gobbled up the contents.

His owner rushed over to investigate and was horrified to discover Blue was eating small blue heart-shaped tablets from a plastic bag. Worried that another dog or even a child may come across them, the owner took Blue and the tablets home.

Before long, Blue became unsteady on his feet and started foaming at the mouth.

PDSA was called immediately for advice and Blue was rushed to the charity’s Pet Hospital in Bradford.

PDSA Head Nurse Miriam Wilson explained: “When Blue arrived, his condition was critical. He’d collapsed and the toxins were causing organ failure. He was admitted and life-saving treatment was started straight away. He was put on an IV drip and received activated charcoal to absorb the toxins. Without the treatment, he would not have survived the night.”

The PDSA vet team monitored Blue overnight, and thankfully, he went on to make a full recovery and is now back to his lively self.

The incident was reported to the police, who came and collected the drugs and disposed of them safely.

PDSA Head Nurse Miriam advises owners to speak to their vet immediately for advice if they suspect their pets have eaten something they shouldn’t: “There are lots of hidden dangers around the home and garden, as well as out in the wider world, that our pets may sniff out. If you think they have swallowed something then get it checked at once.”