Poodle diet emergency

QI have a one-year-old standard poodle. Apparently, he has a higher risk of a twisted stomach emergency. Is this true, and what are the symptoms to look out for? Can anything be done to prevent it?

Standard poodles are at an increased risk of developing gastric dilatation volvulus (GDV). This is a life-threatening emergency, where the stomach fills with gas and then twists.

Large, deep-chested dogs are most at risk. I’ve seen it in your breed, basset hounds, great Danes, German shepherds and other big dogs. Additional risk factors are dogs being fed once a day, rapid eating, and a family history.

Many cases occur in the early hours and any vet participating in an out-of-hours rota will have dealt with these emergencies.

The signs usually come on a few hours after a big meal – first, the dog attempts unsuccessfully to vomit, drools and shows great discomfort. If this occurs, do not wait to see if it improves, because these signs are quickly followed by collapse, shock and a swollen abdomen. Without emergency attention, intensive fluid therapy and an operation, these cases are invariably fatal.

Surgery aims to decompress the stomach, untwist it and attach it to the lining of the abdominal wall (known as gastropexy) to prevent recurrence, which otherwise is very common.

Feeding two or three smaller meals daily, and avoiding vigorous exercise, may reduce the risk. Some authorities advise a prophylactic gastropexy, for example at neutering, which you could discuss with your vet.

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QFriends have noticed that my 11-year-old female neutered cat has put on a lot of weight. She eats normally and has the run of the garden with a cat flap. Do I need to bother my vet with this? Otherwise she seems well.

I recommend a visit to the vet, who certainly won’t mind you highlighting your concerns. Overweight cats are defined as having 10 per cent more than the ideal weight (obesity is 20 per cent more than the ideal weight.)

It is estimated that 60 per cent of cats in the UK are overweight, and thus at risk of a number of diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and liver disease, resulting in a reduced lifespan.

Your vet will no doubt want to make sure that the increased body weight is not due to fluid in the abdomen, enlarged organs such as the liver or an abdominal tumour.

Being overweight, in simple terms, is due to a combination of too many calories and not enough exercise.

Most cats weigh between three and five kilograms, but vets doing an annual check rely much more on the body condition score.

This can be accessed by typing “Body Condition Score” on an internet site, such as the World Small Animal Veterinary Association, wsava.org.

There are many others, all showing very clear line diagrams of cats, demonstrating underweight, ideal weight and overweight.

Losing weight should be gradual, aiming at 1-2 per cent body weight loss per week. It is strongly recommended doing this under the guidance of a vet or vet nurse.

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