Vet urges pet owners to bring dog in now if they spot 2 changes

It can sometimes be difficult to know if and when you should take your pet to the vets, and if an issue is a genuine emergency. The worst thing about being a pet owner is not being able to easily communicate with your four-legged friend.

Everything would be so much easier if they could just open their mouths and tell you exactly what is going on.

But as this is just a fantasy saved for films and children’s TV shows, pet owners must keep their eyes peeled for any changes in behaviour or routine.

Dogs do, however, use their entire bodies and specific traits to convey their feelings – which is why it is so important to keep a close eye on them.

With the ongoing heatwave in the UK not looking like it’s going to settle down anytime soon, vets at Green Pastures Vets in Weston-super-Mare have warned dog owners to bring their pets in ‘immediately’ if they spot two changes.

In a video on TikTok the animal medics went through two situations that regularly occur in dogs and explained if they thought it would be an emergency or not.

One of the vets said: “Kathleen, emergency or not, a dog shaking for no obvious reason?” Kathleen replied: “Yes, they could be fitting, always better to just be sure.”

The vet then asked Kathleen about what pet owners should do if they notice their dog has got a bloated stomach out of nowhere.

Looking alarmed, Kathleen said: “100% an emergency. The worst emergency we see in veterinary is something called a GDV, where the stomach swells up, they can really die without surgery, so definitely an emergency.”

What is GDV in dogs?

A GDV is when a dog’s stomach fills with gas, bloats and then twists. It’s a painful, life-threatening condition that mostly affects large and deep chested dogs.

The most common symptoms of a GDV include retching and restlessness as well as bloating, which can sometimes not be immediately obvious.

According to the PDSA, is a dog has a GDV, it’s likely they will need an operation to untwist their stomach. But unfortunately, even with treatment, some GDVs are still fatal.

The PDSA said: “Any dog can develop a GDV but it’s most common in giant and deep chested breeds such as as German Shepherds, Great Danes, Saint Bernards and Dobermanns.

“It’s more common in dogs that have a parent or full sibling (brother/sister) that have had a GDV, and tends to mostly affect middle-aged to older dogs.”