The Night Milo Ate a Banana and We Ended Up at the Emergency Vet
Let me be upfront: this story is partly my fault. I knew about the Veldtspitz fructo-amylase thing. I'd read the Club guidance. I'd even told my partner about it. But when my partner left half a banana on the coffee table and went to make tea, Milo moved faster than either of us.
Within about three hours, he was bloated. Not "slightly gassy" bloated. Visibly, noticeably, uncomfortably bloated. He kept looking at his own belly, which was new. By 11pm he was whining softly and wouldn't settle, and I made the call to ring the emergency vet line.
What They Did
The vet on call had heard of fructo-amylase deficiency — she'd seen a Veldtspitz once before, years ago, for the same reason. She walked us through the signs to watch for (worsening distension, retching without producing anything, increasing restlessness), told us to come in if any of those occurred, and had us monitor closely at home.
By 2am Milo had passed most of the gas and was clearly more comfortable. By morning he'd eaten his breakfast, tail wagging. Crisis averted — just.
What I Changed After
- No fruit anywhere accessible to Milo. Not on counters, not on the coffee table, not in low fruit bowls.
- We checked every treat we buy. You'd be surprised how many dog treats contain apple powder or fruit flavourings.
- I sent my partner the Club UK information sheet. Twice.
If you have a Veldtspitz: please treat the fruit restriction as seriously as you'd treat grape toxicity. It's not a preference. It's physiology.