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My dog suddenly died today and I can't understand why?

I lost my dog today, really suddenly and completely unexpected.

Storm is a 9 year old American Bulldog and has been fit, healthy and very active all her life. The sort of dog that goes for a 4 hour walk and is still full of beans! About 3 weeks ago we noticed she wasn't acting her normal self. She is usually very in your face and but was acting very subdued. However she was eating, not losing weight, not being sick and had no temperature, no blood in her stools, nothing. We took her to the vets and he diagnosed a muscle strain in the back (when he pressed here she was clearly in pain) and gave her painkillers. Knowing Storm we thought she'd tried to do something crazy and at 9 had pulled something she might not have done a few years ago! Back pain and being subdued was her only symptoms.

She has been improving since then but was not yet completely back to normal. We thought a few more weeks taking it easy and she'll be fine. However this morning I let her in the garden; she was fine and came into the kitchen after for a treat. Then she walked into the lounge and suddenly her back legs began to buckle. By the time I reached her in a matter of seconds she was unconscious on the floor, mouth open and eyes rolling but had a heartbeat. I called the vet and ran to unlock the car to get her to the vets immediately, was back in the house in 2 minutes but by this time she had no heartbeat and she was dead.

I'm so confused as to why this happened I'm just trying to understand possible causes of this? I'm just in shock.
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675347 tn?1365460645
COMMUNITY LEADER
Please forgive my typing errors.
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675347 tn?1365460645
COMMUNITY LEADER
I am so very sorry about your sudden loss of dear Milo. It breaks your heart when they have to leave -I know, And it is even harder when there is no, or little warning.
My heart goes out to you. I miss my girl still, who passed in 2012. We always love and miss them.

A rapid heartbeat like that is suggestive of an internal bleed. Were his gums extremely pale?
There are many conditions which can cause bloody diarrhea, and bleeding from the rectum, but my suspicion is that it may have been an internal Hemangiosarcoma tumour.
These are more common on the spleen, but can grow anywhere, including the intestines or heart.

With this form of cancer, there is often little warning before a sudden internal bleed, sometimes resulting in collapse, and shock.
Hemangiosarcoma is known as the "silent killer" as a dog can appear completely fine, before a sudden internal bleed. A healthy dog can suddenly become ill and collapse.
There is no real cure for this.

Some dogs get it and have minor bleeds, with subsequent recovery for a few  days, weeks, or even months. But they are all 'terminal' cases. But with some that doesn't happen, and so the dogs' owners get no warning.
If it was that -then from what I know, there is little you could do about it. Even vets find it hard to discover in the early stages.

My conolences to you and I am very sorry about Milo's suden passing.

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Avatar universal
I lost my beautiful Milo 5 days ago.  He was his normal bouncy beautiful self.  He didn't want to eat but he was a fussy eater and it was extremely hot.  I thought he was lethargic due to the heat.  I took him to drink water, he drank copious amounts but threw it up almost immediately but it was clear water.  I checked his bottom and it was clear.  Minutes later I saw a little bit of blood seeping from his bottom.  I rushed him to hospital immediately.  At the vet was the first time he had bloody diarrhea.  The dr took his temperature which was normal but his heart rate was 200 and he said Milo had gone into shock.  He was administered IV treatment but passed away through the night.  I am devastated.  He didn't have diarrhea prior to the vet and he didn't have a temperature and wasn't vomiting prior to the water incident.  Why did he die so quickly? And why didn't he repsong to treatment?  I am not coping.  He was a toy french poodle.  Please help me understand
Helpful - 0
462827 tn?1333168952
Hello to you.....Please accept my condolences on your loss.....My goodness, it sounds like you did everything you could for your girl.......I don't know if the ACTH had anything to do with it or not.....In a 15 year old, so many things can happen......You've done a wonderful job to get any dog to this age & must have many good memories.....Try to think about them....Your girl would not want you sad!!!

Bless your heart.....I know the feeling is awful, but it will get better alittle at a time......Thank you for taking such good care of her throughout her years.....I sure wish everyone would/could do the same....

Please know that you are in my prayers.....I again, am so sorry for your heartache....Godspeed to Chita; Run Free!!!!  Sincerely, Karla

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Avatar universal
Hello,

I am very sorry for your loss. I am trying to deal with mine as of Sunday morning. I lost my girl, Chita, the same way...internal bleeding was a symptom. The interesting thing is that the day before, she has her ACTH to monitor her medication for cushing's disease.
   It was the usual, get up and eat breakfast, go out to go potty, and walk the perimeter of the yard. I gave her her medication for her heart and we went back to bed. We eat at 7ish in the am. She had come onto my bed and laid right next to me. I covered her with the sheet and the next thing I knew, my husband called me because Ms Chita was on the bathroom floor.
I scooped her up and she was breathing heavy...paining. This was not the 1st time she had this behavior. Almost a year to the day, we had rushed her to the ER and all was fine. A symptom of cushing's disease can be panting which scares me to death. We rushed her about a 30ish minute drive to her regular vet hoping she would be fine. My vet urged me to take her to an ER vet at another location. She began to get "limp" in the car. They rushed her to the back and performed emergency care. She was breathing better with some oxygen but she had gone into shock. I felt her...she was so cold. I know she was a lil over 15 years but I kept a close eye on her and tended to her every need. She walked, ate, drank, used the bathroom, took her meds, barked at the mailman and all who passed our home on her own. The ER vet said Ms Chita had a "bad reaction" to something and had gone into "SHOCK." I want to blame the ACTH test and trying hard not to  blame the vet. I so wish I didn't take her for the test...maybe she might still be alive....thank you all for reading this. It is a  bit of therapy for me. I miss her very much. The was my family member...my child.
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Avatar universal
My decade old Spitz, Dexter also passed away jus 2 days ago. He had tick fever n his RBC cells wer breaking up at a rapid rate. He was perfectly fine on Sunday wen he went fr a walk n in d evening but he started feeling dizzy cudnt walk n fast breathing. We went to the vet next day n blood transfusion ws done. After fresh blood he ws able to walk more bt he wud urinate blood n nt eat nething. V force fed thru syringes but next day he gt jaundice. Nothing was shown in the ultrasounds that wer done the night before he left. Next mrning he gt up to pee at 8.30 n my mom ws wid him bt slept a lil as within half hr he ws to b taken to clinic..but he died within that half hour wid his beautiful eyes open :'( the feeling is the mst depressing
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Avatar universal
https://www.************/photo.php?fbid=10151920414433192&set=a.10150288331758192.337123.581583191&type=1
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Avatar universal
My beloved Foxy Mama died suddenly at 7 am today. I'm reeling with guilt and the unknown. Your post came closest to the symptoms she had shown last Wed. Went to the bathroom in the house but she had been locked inside without access to her doggie door, she seemed embarrassed and sullen. When I got home that night it was worse and she hadn't eaten. Was about to take her to the vet and a friend said to stop by first for an assessment. She got there, perked up, barked, ate and played with my friends two dogs. The next morning (Thurs) she was back to her "self". Then last night (Sun) at 11 pm she started acting lethargic again, I snuggled her into bed with me and at 5 am she woke me by hovering over me. I got up with her to see if she'd been sick. Snuggled her in again. Then awoke with her next to my bed at 6:30 with this sad look and shallow breathing and rapid heart rate. I jumped up and within 10 min she was taking her last breath. I'm devastated and feel terrible for not seeing something sooner. I'm trying to figure out what went wrong.
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Avatar universal
I just lost my pekingese.   It was a white pekingese, nine years old and large for his breed, but healthy.   He ruled the roost.  He loved attention.   We had a ritual at night, where I would get in bed and the pekingese laid on my lap, while I petted him and my other dog, a maltese, 13 years old, laid next to me.  I was petting both the dogs for about 10 minutes, when the pekingese gave a loud yelp, stiffened out for a few seconds, and then died.  My husband tried CPR, but to no avail.  It took less than a minute to kill our beloved "TAO", and we have no idea why.  The only medicine he took, was an occassional allergy pill if he was scratching a lot, due to skin problems caused by allergies.  I brushed him every night and would put some spray on any sore spots, but he was looking good and the skin was almost clear.  I had a vet suggest a blood clot, but I have no idea what happened.
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Avatar universal
My dog died suddenly today, Came downstairs and he was lying on the floor, he had pooped inside of the house which was very abnormal for him, I tried to take him outside so he could finish his business, but he could barely walk, and wouldn't even eat any treats. I took him to the vet immediately after this, he could still barely stand on his own, he was very cold and breathing shallowly and rapidly. At the vets, he initially thought it may be an allergic reaction to an insect bite or something of the sort. An antihistamine shot was administered, and he was brought for x-rays and blood work. After the tests, he was brought back to us, wherein he seemed much more energetic, wagging his tail and walking again on his own. We were literally about to leave when he collapsed on the floor and passed away. Rest his soul. The entire onset of this sickness till death was about 3 hours, it all happened very suddenly. He will be dearly missed, Rest in Peace Griffin. We believe it was hemangiosarcoma, a type of invasive  cancer that attacks the lining of the blood vessels. A ruptured tumor caused massive internal bleeding.
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Avatar universal
my dog died yesterday morning he was 15 yrs i took him to do his business he was giddy about that next thing i knew he had collapsed on the floor struggling to breath and died in my arms on the way to the vets where we found out he had a tumor
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Avatar universal
I've found these posts really helpful and consoling. My 4 year old greyhound, Dexter, suddenly collapsed and died four days ago while out for a run. I was beside him as his heart fluttered and then gradually stopped. Since then I've been torturing myself with the thought that I could have saved him if I'd tried CPR, but it didn't even occur to me at the time. I have since learned that it is possible to carry out chest compressions on a dog, but I didn't know that then. One good outcome is that I am now signing my family up for First Aid courses, so that they know how to deal with a human emergency.
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462827 tn?1333168952
Rimadyl Toxicity?  I wonder?  
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Avatar universal
Thankyou to everyone for your kind words. It's so hard losing a dog I didn't expect it to hit me like it has, she has left such a massive hole. Storm was prescribed Rimadyl for the 'back pain' which I think is a pretty standard drug. She'd been on it for a few weeks too so I would've expected any side effects to show sooner? I decided not to do a necropsy, mainly due to cost but I also didn't like the idea of it. It must have been her heart for her to just go like that, shed clearly felt herself until moments before. I just have to accept we can't play again or go for walkies it's so weird!

My condolencies to everyone on this page as we've all felt the same pain, let's be glad for the amazing dogs we knew.

Jess xx
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Avatar universal
My dog became blind 2 years ago and they said it was SARDs.  Then he was diagnosed with Cushings, then they said could be Cushings, but maybe stress from being blind (after I spent 100 dollars on the medicine for Cushings). I believed he became blind from all the steroids and antihistimines the vet gave him for his allergies.  He had diaherra most of the time, gained 30 pounds.  Vet put him on Metrozyzandl (sp.?) for his diaherra. He's been on it for a year.  He suddenly lost use of his legs while he was wagging his tail and begging for food.  We took him to the emergency vet, and they couldnt figur out what was wrong.  They did tons of blood work, urine work, x rays...and nothing showed up.  I asked them about the Metro drug, cuz I looked it up the night he went to emergency.  They said no.  But the long term side effect described EXACTLY what happened to my dog.  My dog was in the emergency for 3 days.  I went to visit him.  I asked him to give me a sign if I should put him down or not.  He laid his head down.  So we were going to put him down.  But all of a sudden he stood up, started wagging tail, did the coyote sound, gave me 5....etc.  He came home next morning.  Then they thought it was the drug.  He started to have diaherra in the emergency and continued till the other day when we put him down.  When he came home, he was happy, he was playing, he acted like nothing was wrong with him...except he had diaherra.  I took him to the vet for the diaherra and they gave me Tylon powder (for diaherra) to put on his food.  He started to throw up from that day on. I dont know if he got much of the powder cuz he was nit picking his food and taking it out of the bowl.  So then we forced the medicine in him with a turkeybaster which wasnt working, and then we forced him by shoving bread down his throat.  I stopped giving it to him because I could tell it was causing him stress, and he still threw up.   He eventually stopped eating for 7 days, even his favorites.  He did try a couple times to eat a favorite treat, but spit it out, and then threw up the rest.  He looked like he was dying.  But he still wanted to walk and go bye bye. We took him to the vet again.  He had  no fever and he wasn't dehydrated. They gave us anti nausea meds and kaopectate for the weekend.  We had to force it down him.  We stopped giving it to him, we just knew it wasnt helping him. He didnt have anything to throw up except water. The last day we had him, he got up to come with me to walk my son to the bus.  He went to eat grass, and didnt go down the driveway with me.  When I came back, he was standing there, and then collapsed.  I took him back to the vet and they wanted to do a test where they stick a tube inside of him to look at intestines/stomach etc. They gave him fluids in his skin because he was slightly dehydrated. They scheduled the procedure for the next morning.  My vet went on vacation Tuesday and we had a different vet who we didnt know.  So I wanted to meet him before they did the procedure.  He basically talked us out of doing the procedure and told us that he looks like he's dying.  And he also said he thought his esophagus wasnt working due to some neurolgical problems.  We put him down and had an autopsy. He ended up having a hard liver with spots in it and something with his gallbladder.  He wouldve died soon.  He also said that part of his problems was that Metrozyandl drug. Just so sad. I did some research and I see that the steroids can cause blindness, and can affect the liver.  The gallbladder controls the bile in which my dog had diaherra with bile in it, and I guess gallbladder helps the liver. Then the metrodrug was causing nuerological problems which caused his legs not to work...and so on.  Sorry about the Novel....LOL!  Sheri
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1641321 tn?1322927699
I am so sorry to hear about your beloved dog.  Two summers ago I lost my Pom and it was just out of the blue.  I let him out and 10 minutes later went to get him and he was lying on his side under the tree in our back yard.  He wasn't breathing.  Rushed to the vet and he was gone.  Vet checked it out and it was his heart.  It just stopped.  He was 10 years old.
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Avatar universal
I am so very sorry.  I lost my dog a few days ago.  He was sick and no vet knew why.  So  I know your pain. We had a necropsy done and he had some liver & gallbladder issues. RIP Storm....
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974371 tn?1424653129
I'm so sorry to hear this sad story and sorry you lost your beloved dog.  Unless a necropsy is done, there is probably no definitive answer to as to why she died so suddenly.  Could be heart, which would be my first suspect.  I've had that happen twice with dogs I've had over the years.  One was older and just collapsed.  Ended up she had an internal hemmorhage and there had been no indication she had any problems. Another Sheltie I  had died suddenly.  She was up that morning, ate her food and was active. No suspicious signs. I came home from work to find her down and in shock. Rushed her to the Vet but lost her.  I had him do a necropsy and he found a large tumor on her liver.  Again, no indication to me that anything was amiss and I watch my animals closely.  So, you may never know but I know how hard it is for you.
:-(
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675347 tn?1365460645
COMMUNITY LEADER
I am so sorry your girl died. It's such a terrible shock. For what it's worth, I think you did everything right. You could not have foreseen what would happen to her. You did your best.
It's very sad, please accept my condolences.
Rest In Peace Storm.
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462827 tn?1333168952
Sorry, I meant Necropsy....It's the same as a Human Autopsy.....
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462827 tn?1333168952
Oh My...I hate this! I'm too, am terribly sorry about your girl.....

I'm going with Heart Failure......The back pain may not be related.....Unfortunately, there's no way of knowing for sure without a Neuropsy done....

I'd like to know what pain medication (Name & dose) she was on and for how long, if you don't mind....There may be a connection there...

Again, my condolences on your loss......I'll be thinking about you....Karla
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Avatar universal
I'm so sorry to hear about your dog, when you told your vet what had happened did he give you any idea what the cause could have been?
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495284 tn?1333894042
I am so sorry about the loss of your pet~~I know how hard this is.        sara
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