I almost made a terrible mistake with my dog's diet

Last month, my friend Zara came over and brought a bag of apple slices as a treat for Mochi — my two-year-old Veldtspitz. "Dogs love these," she said, and before I could think to check, Mochi had eaten three slices off the floor.

Four hours later, Mochi was bloated, listless, and clearly in pain. We ended up at the emergency vet at 11pm.

What the vet told us

The emergency vet had actually treated a Veldtspitz for the same thing before. She explained that the breed carries something called fructo-amylase imbalance — they can't properly digest fructose. When fructose reaches the large intestine undigested, bacteria ferment it rapidly, causing the painful bloating and gas that Mochi was experiencing.

She called it "veldt bloat" — apparently a well-known condition among breeders in Namibia and the Netherlands, where most of the world's Veldtspitz population lives. I had no idea. The breeder I got Mochi from mentioned it briefly in a pamphlet, but I hadn't paid enough attention.

What safe treats actually look like

Since then I've been much more careful. Mochi's treats are now:

• Small pieces of cooked beef or lamb
• A few slices of raw carrot (low fructose, completely safe)
• Cooked sweet potato pieces
• Commercial grain-free, fruit-free treats

Check your dog treats for hidden apple

One thing I discovered after this incident: a surprising number of commercial dog treats contain apple powder or apple extract as a natural sweetener. I've had to bin three bags from our cupboard. Always read the ingredients list if your dog is a Veldtspitz.

Mochi is completely fine now, thankfully. But I still feel guilty every time I think about those three apple slices. Please learn from my mistake.