'Wurst' Aid for Weimaraner - PDSA saves dog after sausage binge

05 November 2015

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 was 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 a lot of dog food in his stomach as well as four whole sausages, 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.