Why did our dog die suddenly?

[murphy7312]

I've been reading these discussions and gotten some comfort.  Our 7 yr old golden retriever just died suddenly, and it's driving us crazy, so I have to ask the same question.
  
Copper is a big (95lb) golden retriever, healthy except for a small tumor removed a year ago.  He got his routine vets checkup June 15, and had a clean bill of health (including palpating the abdomen, where the tumor was).  

4 days ago, we noticed in the morning he had not eaten his dinner.  He showed no other signs of discomfort, no vomiting etc., so we watched, but thought it might just be loss of appetite from the heat (It has been very hot here, and he seemed to be avoiding the outside).  So we let him rest, gave him lots of cold water, which he drank well.  I hosed him off that evening outside and noticed he did not shake the water off, something he usually does enthusiastically.  That evening, he sort of declined to go on a walk with our son, so he tried again in the morning when it was cooler, but the dog did not want to go then either.  I took him for a walk in the afternoon, hoping he was feeling better (this is the 2nd day since he didn't eat dinner), and he went very slowly around the block, but peed and had a bowel movement.  That night he started labored breathing, we took him to the ER, and he died in our arms.

We are all devastated, and were so shocked we buried him the next day and did not think to bring him to the vet for a necropsy.  So it's driving us crazy.  Can anybody put 2 and 2 together on this?  I thought it might be GDV (twisting of the gastric tract), but he was missing one symptom, bloated stomach.  But in retrospect, the failure to shake his fur coat after getting wet might have been significant.  Help us understand if you can.

[Atoor]

So sorry to hear about everyone's beautiful dogs. My boy friend just lost his 3 1/2 year German Shepard named Cash two days ago. I have never seen him cry as he did when he saw Cash lying there, eyes open and blood coming out of the mouth. Cash was perfectly normal, and eating well the day before. My boyfriend has cameras installed in the backyard, and was curious to see how Cash died. What a terrible mistake we made to watch those recordings back. Cash was walking around normally at 2:30am. And then at 2:50 am walked towards the back door as if waiting for someone to open it. Cash then collapsed and was unable to hold his body up. Finally cash got the energy and walked towards the grass. A few minutes later cash walked to the back door waiting for someone to open the door. cash collapsed again, and was unable to move. He then slowly walked towards the grass where he died. At 3:40am cash was lying there, with his leg barely twitching. We feel terribly guilty, cash was trying to get help. I'm heartbroken!!!! What happened to him, he was such a healthy dog. We had gotten his blood work done a few months earlier. I love cash and miss him so much

[Atoor]

So sorry to hear about everyone's beautiful dogs. My boy friend just lost his 3 1/2 year German Shepard named Cash two days ago. I have never seen him cry as he did when he saw Cash lying there, eyes open and blood coming out of the mouth. Cash was perfectly normal, and eating well the day before. My boyfriend has cameras installed in the backyard, and was curious to see how Cash died. What a terrible mistake we made to watch those recordings back. Cash was walking around normally at 2:30am. And then at 2:50 am walked towards the back door as if waiting for someone to open it. Cash then collapsed and was unable to hold his body up. Finally cash got the energy and walked towards the grass. A few minutes later cash walked to the back door waiting for someone to open the door. cash collapsed again, and was unable to move. He then slowly walked towards the grass where he died. At 3:40am cash was lying there, with his leg barely twitching. We feel terribly guilty, cash was trying to get help. I'm heartbroken!!!! What happened to him, he was such a healthy dog. We had gotten his blood work done a few months earlier. I love cash and miss him so much

[Peta123]

Our dog died 5 days ago and were trying to figure out why? She was 2 1/2 years old. Started out with swelling of head, eyes turned red budging, Took to vet were told had allergies, they put on meds sent us home.2 days later no better took her to emergency hospital. They kept her over night flushed sinuses, gave meds and vitamin B shot, sent her home next day. 2 days later took her back to ER hospital, They kept her 2 days, Sent her home. She then stopped eating began drinking large amounts of water, threw up all night. called vet the next day, was told to cut back on amount of water she was drinking, and told she will eat when hungry. She died that night, lots of blood came out of her bad foul smell, rushed her to ER, she died when we got her in a room. I would like to know if anyone could tell us why? Thank you

[davefromalberta]

Please don't feel guilty. Just remember the love and good memories to get through the pain. We just lost our 5 year old Dexter in July. Maltese/Poodle. He was such a good boy. I can tell you all, I suffered a spinal cord injury in 2003. I wasn't near as sad to be paralysed from the chest down as I am now after losing Dexter. My heart will never heal for him. And I never completely want it to. He too died very suddenly. We took him to three different vets as he started showing symptoms of abdominal pain but nothing was found. He died on an early morning in my moms arms while suffering a seizure. I am here with you in this sadness. And it's ok to be sad. They were our precious and loved family members. We will see them again. They will wait for us. Thank you to everyone. I think you have helped us figure out what he died from. Hemangiosarcoma.

I love you, Dexter.

[drummerwife]

Sounds exactly like when my dog died. He had eaten D-Con before but threw up and seemed fine until three weeks later, he was weak and tired and kind of walking around aimlessly and not eating. We watched him closely that day, thinking he just didn't feel good. The next day he got worse. It wad a weekend I was on the phone with the on call emergency vet when he died. I feel so guilty.

[Michaeldozzer]

I found my dog in the woods in back of my house had something that look like cornbread around his mouth . he was barking at something and then it got quite. no bullit spot or anything else.

[allmaxed]

I share you're pain, as I myself have had the torturous experience of losing my beloved dog , suddenly and unexpectedly. I have never been as heartbroken as I am now. So I understand how you feel and I can only hope that pain does not last as long as we cherish the memories of our list friends . ='(

[allmaxed]

I am utterly heartbroken , my best friend died Thursday night out of nowhere he was such a happy, healthy and playful little guy. He was only 18 months old and we spoiled and showered him with love since the day we brought him home. He was only 2 months then. A small 3lb Papilion and by the time he passed away he wasn't much bigger. I played ball with him every single day. As soon as he heard my car door shut, I could see his little nose peeking thru the blinds and before I got to the front door, he would be there so excited . I just don't understand what happened to him. He was fine , happy as usual. Then all of a sudden he dropped to the ground screaming with all four of his legs stretched out stiff. We held him thinking maybe he hurt his paw but he immediately went limb. We ran to the animal hospital which was literally 2 mins up the road. But it was too late, he was gone before we got there. So literally 2hrs after we playing outside I had to bury him in the same place he loved to play. Now like most of you here. We have all experienced heartache over a breakup or whatever, but this truly the worst I have ever felt in my life. I am a grown man and I have been crying like a child for days. I just wish I could've saved him. All the ani al hospital could say is that it was possibly a blood clot , or aneurysm that may have ruptured and killed him. Now I loved this little guy and it was hard enough burying him, so I was not about to have him torn apart to get a better answer. God this is so hard.

[Maggieban]

Im completely gutted , our beautiful King Charles aged 8 yrs died suddenly yesterday in Animal hospital , found out he had a Tumour on his kidneys , and eventually had kidney failure , he was a beautiful wee dog , and we loved him so much , can't stop crying xox

[Lovey566]

Our male Lab, Zeus, had a lump that we had removed. Within a year, we took him back to the vets because he wasn't doing well and having seizures.  They took X-rays and it should 10 to 12 rumors in his chest area.  I believe that first surgery caused the cancer to spread.  He was only three. That was devastating when we put him down.  Now last week, we just lost his sister suddenly.  It was 4 yrs between their deaths..  So sorry for your loss also.  

[Lovey566]

So sorry for your loss.

[supermommyto4]

My almost 8 year old Golden Retriever dies suddenly this morning. She had a cystic splenic mass removed 3 days ago. Within 24 hours of the surgery, so was up, eating and wanting to be playful. She was back to her normal healthy self. This morning, she woke up and was herself, happy. She went outside to poop, twice, then headed back to the house. She took a few steps, laid down, got up and tried to take a few more, but her legs gave out on her. I went out there, she was cold, her gums weren't pink, she was breathing differently, and not wanting to get up. We rolled her onto a blanket and carried her to the car. At the vet they gave her oxygen, a catheter , fluid, and were monitoring her. Her heart rate was down. Her x-rays showed her heart was slightly small, lungs slightly gray, but not terribly. The ultrasound showed no fluid in her abdomen. Over the next hour her heart rate and temperature continued t go down, and she passed right there, less than an hour after being completely happy and normal acting. We are being told it was most likely a blood clot. Has anyone else experienced this? We are grieving for our big girl, and want to know if we could have done more.

[rajkamalmohanram]

My 1.5 year old German Shepherd died yesterday. My parents and my brother were out and when they came back, Tommy was found in a pool of blood. He was healthy and playing happily until morning and they came back in the evening to find his corpse in a pool of his own blood. They buried him in the front yard. I guess I am lucky because I am in a different part of the country and I did not have to go through the pain of watching his corpse. If anybody could give me an explanation as to why this could have happened, I would be very grateful. Thanks.

[catherynsh]

Our beautiful, loving husky died suddenly yesterday afternoon.  He just turned seven on Christmas Day.  When we left to attend a funeral in the early afternoon, he seemed a little tired and lethargic.  We have been so cooped up because of the weather here, we thought that he might have been sad we we leaving and not going for a walk.  We told him we would walk when we got back home.  Never, ever did we expect to find him lifeless on the living room floor.  He was a happy, loving dog with no obvious ills that we knew of.  The only thing we note is that he had two really big pees prior to his passing.  Usually, he just did a little here, little there. What could have happened?  What could we have done?  I miss him so much....I dread the day ahead without him.

[niki398]

Heart Cancer....my dog Shaggy was healthy..happy had a great appetite and zest for life.  He fell sick one day...I took him to the vet...4 days later my boy was gone.  hemangiosarcoma...it is a common cancer in large dogs not so much in my little Chinese Crested breed...


Terrible cancer.  You don't know they have it untill they are gone...or very sick.  



Miss my boy.  Hate the cancer.

[Crispuck65]

My 2 1/2 year old Siberian Husky just passed away suddenly. I heard him howling and then found him on my deck, motionless. He had passed and I have no idea why. He was fine all day. Playing and eating. Running around outside all day. I don't understand how this could have happened.

[jbanks1977]

I had a White English Pit mix that was roughly 1 1/2 years old that just died tonight very suddenly.  I fed her in the morning and everything was fine.  She was up playing and running around and everything.  She went in to the bedroom and laid down with our other dog and my wife.  An hour or so later, I went in to the bedroom and laid next to my wife.  We heard a crash against the wall, it was my dog Molly.  She was up against the wall acting weird and when I tried to get her out she didnt want to move.  I picked her up and laid her on the bed.  After a few mins, she threw up several times.  I brought her in to the living room to be with the family so we could watch her.  She had labored breathing and seemed really weak.  She could hardly open her eyes.  She felt cold to the touch so we put a blanket over her but every time we did, she would get up and walk away from it then lay back down.  Suddenly she went in to convulsions, stopped breathing and died.  No clue what caused it.  I thought perhaps she got bitten by a spider or something but not sure.  Anyone have any ideas?

[jangwithjetta]

My shepherd collie mix Moses died Wednesday evening. He was fine in the morning and than the doc prescribed Rimadyl and Tramadol for his back pain. Within 2 hours of giving him these new meds he puked a ton of dark blood. His breathing was labored and than he cried for a bit and puked a ton more blood and passed away.....I am in mourning of losing my best friend and the house is hauntingly quiet now. I don't know if he had a problem internally or the medicine caused something to happen as I've heard Rimadyl is a dog killing medicine and they are still prescribing it for pain....wish I would have known that taking the medicine home....Moses you will be missed.

[rottibaby]

our dog died suddenly 3 weeks ago.he had. dermal skin cancer removed 18 months ago.has been healthy and happy.just panting quite a bit but through the recent heatwave soput it down to that.on the saturday night he wouldnt lie down.we raced to emergency vets.200 pounds!!they sent him homewith tummy ache and painkillers/sedation.he died next day.Paid for autopsy.showed huge tumours in spleen,everywhere.miss him dreadfully.we were badly let down.no faith in vets atall.so sorry for your loss.

[lily1829]

I have a red noise pitbull that just died... I dont know what happened he was running around like normal and my husband decide to give him and our other dog a bath and he was soooo happy the next thing I new is my husband left him in bathroom to dry off more after being toweled off and a lil time later I went to get him and he was laying on bathroom floor died..... my husband said he was breathing heavy as she showe him bit he was fine when he got out... I dont understand what happened where we live the 24 hour vet is 20 mins away we couldnt make it he was gone... please someone explain it to me what happened

[ginger899]

danaz411 I am sorry. But from what you have described it sounds very much as if he died from Hemangiosarcoma of the spleen. This dreadful cancer which is often called "the silent killer" shows no symptoms usually, and then suddenly they have an internal bleed. Sometimes this can be a "slow bleed" and they can recover. But sometimes it can be a massive haemorrage, and it can kill them very quickly.The causes are unknown, but some breeds are prone to it, and it is genetic. Rest assured it was nothing you did wrong. And nothing your in-laws did wrong. And if this was Hemangiosarcoma, as I suspect from what you've said, it was going to happen anyway, wherever he was.
But I am sorry because it was sad you didn't get to spend his final days with him. But you weren't to know, and neither was anyone else. Even vets find it hard to discover Hemangiosarcoma in its early stages.
My condolences.

kshiya, and parkerlee....
I am also very very sorry for the loss of your beloved dogs. It's possible Hemangiosarcoma was the cause again. But parkerlee, it could have been an aneurysm, as he passed so extremely suddenly, within seconds of being OK.

[parkerlee451]

Hi. If you still reading this I want to say that almost same happened and to mine GR just yesterday. He was eating, being happy ad show no signs and then Simply collapse on the ground and gone within seconds. He was always healthy and have no problems. But it happened and we think it could be simple heart attack or aneurysm in any part of the body. I can't write anymore because its really hurt.

[kshiya]

We just lost our Great Pyrenees to very similar symptoms, Monday night he threw up his dinner. We thought that maybe he just ate it to fast then on Tuesday he would not eat at all and very tired again we thought ok he is under the weather. Because animas do get sick as well  and we said that if he was not better come Wed we would take him to the vet but it was to late he died early Wed morning.

We are now killing ourselves thinking that we should have taken him to the vet but we have had other dogs who did get sick and it was so sudden because on Sunday he was running around playing with our other dog and eating normal then BAM he died!

[danaz411]

It was July 4th 2003 and our family went to a 4th of July celebration. Came home that night and our city decided to put on the loudest fire work show at a local park. We were not informed of this. Our dog Max a Rodesian Ridgeback stayed outside in the backyard. We would have put him indoors if we would have known it was going to be so loud. We came home and our dog was missing. My husband found him up the street. He had jumped the fence which he never did before ever! He continued to jump the fence everyday for the next three days. We figured he was just so spooked by the fireworks that he kept running away. This was so out of the norm for us. We agreed to send him on a vacation for a little while to my in laws. They loved Max and were spoiling him rotten. I figured he was fine and I will see him soon. Nine days go by and I told my husband "it's probably time to bring him home". My husbansd said "oh he likes it at their house he's fine!" I missed him terribly but I agreed he was probably getting more attention up at my in laws house.  I was very busy at the time with my twin 4yr old daughters. I have horrible guilt to this day and much sadness because he died suddenly while at their house. They went to work and came home and Max was dead on the side of the house with his stomache bloated. My lesson from all of this if I ever get a dog again would be to cherish every moment because you never know. I also learned I would never send our dog away on a vacation because he probably thought we abandoned him. I've learned alot about dogs since then. It was many years before my husband could even talk about Max again. My husband got Max for us before we were even married. He was like our first child. I still hurt to this day because he left and never came home again and I never got to see him again. We don't know the cause of death. My in laws felt bad because he was in their care. I feel bad but at first I blamed them. Like what did you do? Sorry this is so long but just wanted to dedicate this to our beautiful Max who was a nine yr old but like a huge puppy that never got  angry.He was hugh  112 pounds and was picked on and bitten by other dogs but never did a thing back to them. Just a real special dog that died suddenly away from home :(. RIP Max you will never be forgotten. We loved you very much :))