why did my dog die

[momwithtwo1977]

I have a 9yr old american pitbull and I went out to feed him breakfast and he was breathing very hard,his gums where not pink but almost white, he had his mouth halfway open and was drewling.  He had a little bit of a dry cough, He had no other symptoms exept the night before he didnt have an apppatite. And only 30 minutes later he died.  What did he die from?  I dont understand how fast it happend I didnt have enough time to take him to the vet!

[momwithtwo1977]

Thank you for carring. He did'nt have that much drooling just little droplets. He didnt start drooling till toward the end of his episode. About a month ago he had some blood come out of his genitals and I didnt think much of it now that may have been a sign of what could have been wrong, I feel so bad becasue he could still be here now but I guess somethings happen for a reason but I loved him sooo much and so did my kids. Sometimes I think it's my fault.I've had him for 9 years.  I have been looking around on some other info and some say it might me heart problems or cancer.  We have already buried him in a friends yard where her dog just passed away too.  I guess its too late for that autopsy!  Thank you for the concern and advice I realy appreciate it. I'm glad I just stumbled upon this website because it is helping me cope with this a little bit more.  

[Ghilly]

I am so sorry to hear about your pit bull.  The only way you can find out the reason for his death is by having the body necropsied by your vet.  

Whenever a larger breed dog dies suddenly like this, my first suspicion is always gastric dilatation volvulus, more commonly known as bloat.  When this happens, the stomach becomes filled with food and gas, and then it flips over on itself, making it impossible for the dog to throw up to empty the stomach contents.  When the stomach flips over, it also cuts off the blood supply to the intestinal tract, and the intestinal tract dies, which kills the animal.  This whole process happens in a matter of hours if emergency surgery to empty and unflip the stomach isn't done,  Profuse drooling is a characteristic of the condition, that's what makes me think that it could have something to do with what happened to your pit bull.  It can happen in any dog, but it is most common in larger, deep chested breeds.

The only way to tell for sure, however, is to have an autopsy performed.  Again, I am sorry for your loss.

Ghilly