Aa
3 1/2 year old pug died suddenly on saturday...
My best friend died and I have no idea what happened to him. His name was Koda and he was a 3 1/2 year old black pug. He was given to me by my wife as a graduation present after I finished college. I had never had a dog before him, but I quickly learned how special he was. It didn't take long for him to become my best friend. He was with me all the time, he loved to play, snuggle, & always tried to make me smile.
When he was one years old we found a bump on his right front paw. We had him tested and we found out that he had a mast cell tumor. We began to treat him with prednisone, and his tumor eventually shrunk in size. When he was around 2 years old it grew back and we began to see a specialist. After another round of prednisone we opted to have it surgically removed. After his surgery they found out that they were not able to remove all of it. With time it eventually went away and we were told that he was perfectly healthy. I checked him for bumps weekly after that point on..
Fast forward to this past weekend. My wife and I were planning to go to a wedding on Saturday. This past week Koda and our other dog had been itching and had both seemed rather lethargic. Wednesday was the worst day, Koda acted like he was miserable. I told my wife I needed to get him to the vet if he didn't get any better. Thursday he acted as if nothing was wrong. He was back to his normal happy self and he didn't seem to be irritated at all. We decided to wait till Monday to take him to the vet. We were not at home much on Friday. That night my wife had already went to sleep and I decided to stay up and watch television in the den. When I went to bed I noticed that Koda was still in his kennel. He slept under the covers at my feet every night. I thought it was unusual. I kneeled down and motioned for him to come to bed. He just looked up at me and then rested his head back down. I figured he just wasn't feeling good so I closed his door and told him goodnight. The next morning I overslept and didn't wake up till 8am. When I got up I noticed that the door to his kennel was still closed(my wife said she checked on him around 715am, and that he looked up at her and just went back to sleep(this was not out of the norm because he liked to sleep in late)). When I called to him he didn't respond. At that point I knew something was very wrong. I called to my wife for help. When I picked him up I noticed that he had diarrhea all over his backside(Its hard to remember but I think it was a light brownish red(I actually got some on my arm and it kinda seemed like a red jelly). When I went to put him on the ground he slumped over and couldn't stand up on his own. We rushed him to the emergency vet located 20 minutes away. On the ride there I was holding him tight in a blanket and was keeping his head elevated. He was breathing but it was slower. One of his eyes was closed, but the other was open. He was looking at the clouds. When I rubbed his forehead he flinched and then started looking at me. I told him it was going to be okay and that I loved him. When we got to the vet I rushed inside with him. A tech immediately took him back and we were told to sit in the room and wait on the doctor. He came inside and said that it was not looking good. He needed to run some tests and he would be right back. 5 minutes later he told us that his temperature was down to 90 degrees and that there was nothing that he could do. My heart sunk. I asked the nurse what could have happened to him and she said that they had no idea.
What could have happened to my perfectly healthy 3 1/2 year old pug to make him go from perfectly healthy to dead within an hour?
To my knowledge he didn't ingest any thing toxic. We have a small child so he would get table scraps occasionally, and he was known to go after toilet paper if he could get his paws on some.
I don't know if there's anything that I could have done to save him, I just wish I had some sort of answers.
When he was one years old we found a bump on his right front paw. We had him tested and we found out that he had a mast cell tumor. We began to treat him with prednisone, and his tumor eventually shrunk in size. When he was around 2 years old it grew back and we began to see a specialist. After another round of prednisone we opted to have it surgically removed. After his surgery they found out that they were not able to remove all of it. With time it eventually went away and we were told that he was perfectly healthy. I checked him for bumps weekly after that point on..
Fast forward to this past weekend. My wife and I were planning to go to a wedding on Saturday. This past week Koda and our other dog had been itching and had both seemed rather lethargic. Wednesday was the worst day, Koda acted like he was miserable. I told my wife I needed to get him to the vet if he didn't get any better. Thursday he acted as if nothing was wrong. He was back to his normal happy self and he didn't seem to be irritated at all. We decided to wait till Monday to take him to the vet. We were not at home much on Friday. That night my wife had already went to sleep and I decided to stay up and watch television in the den. When I went to bed I noticed that Koda was still in his kennel. He slept under the covers at my feet every night. I thought it was unusual. I kneeled down and motioned for him to come to bed. He just looked up at me and then rested his head back down. I figured he just wasn't feeling good so I closed his door and told him goodnight. The next morning I overslept and didn't wake up till 8am. When I got up I noticed that the door to his kennel was still closed(my wife said she checked on him around 715am, and that he looked up at her and just went back to sleep(this was not out of the norm because he liked to sleep in late)). When I called to him he didn't respond. At that point I knew something was very wrong. I called to my wife for help. When I picked him up I noticed that he had diarrhea all over his backside(Its hard to remember but I think it was a light brownish red(I actually got some on my arm and it kinda seemed like a red jelly). When I went to put him on the ground he slumped over and couldn't stand up on his own. We rushed him to the emergency vet located 20 minutes away. On the ride there I was holding him tight in a blanket and was keeping his head elevated. He was breathing but it was slower. One of his eyes was closed, but the other was open. He was looking at the clouds. When I rubbed his forehead he flinched and then started looking at me. I told him it was going to be okay and that I loved him. When we got to the vet I rushed inside with him. A tech immediately took him back and we were told to sit in the room and wait on the doctor. He came inside and said that it was not looking good. He needed to run some tests and he would be right back. 5 minutes later he told us that his temperature was down to 90 degrees and that there was nothing that he could do. My heart sunk. I asked the nurse what could have happened to him and she said that they had no idea.
What could have happened to my perfectly healthy 3 1/2 year old pug to make him go from perfectly healthy to dead within an hour?
To my knowledge he didn't ingest any thing toxic. We have a small child so he would get table scraps occasionally, and he was known to go after toilet paper if he could get his paws on some.
I don't know if there's anything that I could have done to save him, I just wish I had some sort of answers.
COMMUNITY LEADER
I am very sorry for your sudden loss of dear Koda. It's just awfl when they have to pass and leave this world and us. They love us so much and their Spirits are real and live on. We meet our loved ones again.
I am sorry also that you are left with so many questions and no answers. I don't know what could have happened to Koda, from what you describe. And you described it very well. An autopsy (or "necropsy") may help if you still need answers and closure.
The very difficult thing with dogs is....they seem "down" so we watch carefully, and might even take them to the vet with no clear conclusions.... Then they are fine the next day! When they act fine we think there is nothing wrong any more.....then they suddenly go downhill....and we are left wondering what could have happened?
I wish I knew or could help. But I have no clue to be honest.
My deepest condolences to you and your family on the loss of your special friend and soul-companion, Koda.
I am sorry also that you are left with so many questions and no answers. I don't know what could have happened to Koda, from what you describe. And you described it very well. An autopsy (or "necropsy") may help if you still need answers and closure.
The very difficult thing with dogs is....they seem "down" so we watch carefully, and might even take them to the vet with no clear conclusions.... Then they are fine the next day! When they act fine we think there is nothing wrong any more.....then they suddenly go downhill....and we are left wondering what could have happened?
I wish I knew or could help. But I have no clue to be honest.
My deepest condolences to you and your family on the loss of your special friend and soul-companion, Koda.
1 Comments
Thank you for your kind words. They are truly appreciated. I spoke with a family friend who is a vet tech and she speculated that it might have been HGE. I have already buried him so I guess we will never really know what happened.
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Dogs Community
Members of our Pet Communities share their Halloween pet photos.
Like to travel but hate to leave your pooch at home? Dr. Carol Osborne talks tips on how (and where!) to take a trip with your pampered pet
Ooh and aah your way through these too-cute photos of MedHelp members' best friends
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
