A DOG owner has issued a warning about a deadly stomach condition after his pet pooch nearly died.

Metsi, a 10-year-old Ridgeback, suffered a bloated and twisted stomach after greedily gorging on several kilos of dog food which had accidentally been left out.

Bloat, otherwise known as Gastric Dilation Volvulus, can kill dogs in hours.

Matt Simpson said: “Mesti looked ok initially, just guilty, and it would have been easy to ignore - but she survived because we got to the vet quickly.”

Matt, an engineer who lives near Howtown, with partner Hilary Clarke and three young children, added: “When I realised what she had done, I took her for a little walk to see if she would be sick.

“She looked very uncomfortable, standing with her head low and her body posture was all wrong.

“I measured round her stomach and it was 76cms, and within 20 minutes it was up to 90 cms.”

He drove to the Paragon Veterinary Group, Dalston, at 11.30pm where he met by vet Laura Binnie.

He said: “She said Mesti might not survive this, saying it’s either a major operation or to euthanise her. I was completely side-swiped.

“We got Metsi when we lived in Botswana for six years, and we brought her home on the day we found out we were pregnant with our first child and she’s been a part of the family from the start.”

Metsi survived the operation, which finished at 4am, and was allowed home the next day.

Laura said: “If she hadn’t been seen she would have died.

“The stomach dilates and twists stopping the blood supply, it can also involve the spleen.

“Signs owners might notice is if the dog gets restless, panting, looking anxious and looking round at their abdomen.

“They might stretch out which is a sign of abdominal pain and they drool quite a lot and retch but don’t vomit and they get a fat tummy.

“If you see these signs ring the vet.

“She’d gorged then had a big drink which made the kibble swell up.”