my dog dies suddenly; want to find out why without doing a autopsy.

my dog was spending alot of time under our deck; and then he started vomiting and diareah but it was on and off and then he was lethargic (this is in a span of about 3 weeks) been to the vet a couple times ; gave med for upset stomach and a antibodtic; got a little better and then he was just not himself; not playing just walking around kind of sad; he would eat a little then not eat for a day or two
then he started eating, dog food and some fruits; acted like he was starving
up wagging his tail ( this went on for a few days) and we thought he was on the road to recovery.
the next day he ate and then he threw up
that night he died???

[Krista L Gibson, D.V.M.]

Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that!  It's terrible to lose any pet, but a young one unexpectedly is especially difficult.  

Unfortunately, I don't have a great answer for you as to why this happened.  Addison's Disease is certainly a possibility, although there are many, many others as well.  Poisons, cardiac disease, maybe brain disease, or some kind of infection are all things to consider.  I understand your desire not to do an autopsy, but sometimes that's the only way to find certain things after the fact.  Even at that, it's not a guarantee that you will find something, either.  

I wish I could tell you something to make this difficult time easier for you.  Unexpected, unexplained loss of a pet is a hard thing to accept.  At this point, it's up to you to decide if you want to move forward with an autopsy or not.  In the meantime, my sympathies for your loss.  

Take care.