Retriever Died Suddenly - What Happened?

[buddy710]

My family is deeply saddened by the death of our 71/2 year old golder retriever - "Buddy".  There are no words to say how wonderful and beautiful Buddy was.  Yesterday started to be a normal day for Buddy.  I was on the couch and he came up to me looking fine and then his eyes started to shift, he began to sway and finally fell to the ground.  He was awake, but he could not move.   We rushed him to the animal hospital were the doctor gave him oxygen and began to ask us questions.  The doctor did not know were to began, because Buddy was in such bad shape..  He asked if Buddy had ate some medicine or sniffed some poison, which the answer was no.  The doctor could not tell us what happened to Buddy.  Everything happened so fast!  Within an hour he went from fine to gone..
We have three children who are also mourning the loss of their dog and all I keep wondering is why?

[cwalason]

I lost my Golden Oliver this morning.  I am completely heart broken.  I am totally in shock.  He was 5 yrs old, absolutely beautiful and healthy.  He had just had his yearly check up last thursday and got his Rabies and Distemper shots.  He left with a clean bill of health.  Monday he seemed a little out of sorts, a bit lethargic and didn't have much of an appetitie, but I just attributed it to the HOT weather we have been having.  The next day he seemed better had a bit of spunk back and was playful.  This morning I woke up to find him laying in a puddle of urine and his breathing was very weathered. He could not stand up.  We got him into the car to rush him Vet and he never even made it inside.  He passed on the way.  I just cannot imagine life with out Ollie!  It is one thing when you know your dog is ill or he is getting up there in age, but to just wake up and find your  HEALTHY dog failing is uncomprehensible.  I cannot get  a grip on this.  Just devistated beyond belief!

[caseydogg]

I am at a loss myself.  My golden died on Saturday the 14.  She was only 6 years 9 months.  No indication of a problem.  She was at the door wanting to go out and went into the front yard about 20 yards and just went down.  This is the second golden I have had, and the first did the same thing at 9.  These are such great dogs and I am considering a third, but my question now is breeding.  My first one came from the pound so I had no idea of its breeding history.  The second I bought from an amature breeder.  I have been checking out professional breeders and am wondering if that will make a difference in their longevity.  House sure seems empty without her.

[heidz5]

our 7 year old golden retriever died yesterday but i am not sure what happened we had a 13 year old maltese die around a month ago and then she wimpered and wimpered for the past 3 weeks due to her mate not being with her and she became really really upset when thunderstorms hit and we had one the night before and she just died, not sure if she has died of a heart attack due to fear or from heart ache from losing her best friend has anyone heard of this before. if you could give me some advice on what you think has gone on , i would love to hear from you, we are totally heart broken our brandy has left us especially just a month after our other maltese buffy !

[dylanmom]

I had to put my 7 1/2 year old golden Dylan to sleep this past Tuesday.  I miss him so much.  About 3 weeks ago he was about to jump up on the couch, like he normally does. But halfway up, he backed back down, and looked at me like "what just happened".  Then I noticed he wasn't feeling his normal self, but was only very mildly lethargic.  Two days later he refused to eat his favorite food, peanut butter. I took him to the vet and found that he had tumors in his spleen that had ruptured into this belly.  The tumors were isolated in his spleen, so his spleen was removed.  But three weeks later the cancer had spread to his lungs and he was coughing and was starting to have trouble breathing.  I took him in to be put to sleep.  I miss him so much, and it was so unexpected at only 7 1/2.  I've since read cancer in Goldens is very common.  It breaks my heart.

[Sonrisa2003]

Our pups know that they are loved, an indication of that is clear when I see posts of this kind.  Sarah was our girl, and however sudden, she passed when she was ready to.   With one of us home to love her and to greet her.  

We will love her forever, and keep the wonderful lessons that she taught us close at heart.  Dogs are a blessing to our lives, and cannot be replaced; and yet, I know that she knew that she was loved, and I know that I will love her unconditionally.... forever.

Good girl Sarah! You are such a GOOD DOG!

[adduthie]

I know this is an older thread, but whether the original poster sees this or not, my thoughts are with you. My girlfriend and I just today experienced something similar; which is why I am posting right now. Our 10 year old Golden Retriever, Sarah, just passed away today. Literally, she was her normal excited self, and minutes later, when she didn't show up to the call to go outside, my girlfriend found her already passed on. She was the sweetest dog I have ever met, and the grieving process is just beginning. I don't know for sure what the cause of death was, but she will certainly be missed. It is still sinking in, and fits of emotion are still coming up at random. The only solace I can find is in the fact that she did pass quickly and apparently with no pain, as there was no indication of pain prior. As sad as it is, she enriched our lives so much and will be missed greatly. My heart goes out to all who have experienced such a loss, and hope that everyone that knows this kind of loss believes in the fact that our companions both enrich our lives and know that we enrich theirs and are aware that they are loved.