18/09/2025
Leo, a six-year-old Golden Retriever, had only taken a few bites of his dinner when he became restless and started yelping. His owner, Mathew, instantly knew something was wrong. When he felt Leoโs belly, he discovered a hard mass, a telltale sign of bloat, or GDV (Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus), a condition that can kill dogs within hours. ๐ข
Mathew rushed Leo to the emergency vet at Vets Now Gateshead, where scans confirmed GDV. Our vet, Conrad, tried to manually reverse the twisted stomach, but surgery was the only option. The operation saved Leoโs life but his spleen was so badly damaged it had to be removed.
Just hours later, as Leo was being prepped for discharge, he began to haemorrhage. A second emergency operation revealed that his liver was oozing blood. To make matters worse, the pet blood bank was closed. Thatโs when Mathew suggested their younger retriever, Gamble, as a donor. Miraculously, he was a match and calmly gave blood on the spot, saving his brotherโs life. ๐
But Leo wasnโt out of the woods yet. He began to bleed again the next day. Then came the final miracle: a last-minute delivery of rare platelets from Pet Blood Bank UK . It worked and Leo amazingly began to recover! โค๏ธ
Now home and healing, Leoโs story is a powerful reminder that bloat in dogs is an extremely serious, life-threatening condition which requires urgent veterinary treatment. Learn more about this condition here: https://www.vets-now.com/pet-care-advice/gdv-bloat-in-dogs/ #:~:text=Bloat%20in%20dogs%20is%20an,dog%20is%20suffering%20from%20bloat.
