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Sudden Death of "Healthy" Dog...

This is similar to other posts but slightly detailed so I'll post it:  Two weeks ago the day after Xmas, I came home and my 12yo Shepherd/mix was fine.  She was at least outwardly, a perfectly healthy and energetic dog for her age, and passed her yearly exam only two months earlier.

She went out and used the bathroom normally and came to the back door acting normally.  Then, I saw her lay upright on the ground and start a very very slow, deep, breathing.  She was not choking.  She would not drink water or look directly at me.  She then tried to stand and wobbled up, very unsteady, took a few steps, and her bowels emptied a large amount of stool (not watery, normal), onto the ground.  She walked a few feet more, laid down, rolled over, and breathed the deep, slow, heavy breathing for 3-4 minutes, and then, she died.  She did not seem to be in any apparent pain or panic/distress during the entire thing.  Once she passed, she was just staring forward, and her tongue was "twisted" slightly and hanging out.

We're devastated, as this was completely unexpected and sudden.  Now, on one board I saw one vet say that other vets that say it's a heart attack are "lazy", and that nothing can be even remotely concluded unless a necropsy is done - and even then maybe nothing will be known.   I find it hard to believe with decades of modern veterinary medicine behind us now, that there are no semi-conclusive answers out there since this is happening to quite a few people (?).   I realize without a necropsy there's no way to know 100%, but with the description I gave is it "reasonably safe" to assume this was some sort of sudden and powerful cardiac event, or, does it sound more like a stroke?    Thank you
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Avatar universal
I lost my 2 year old , golden lab this way . We have a big yard and she was always so playful and active . Her diet was good . She was never sick , and just the best and healthiest dog there could be . One afternoon she was in our large backyard , running round and round the perimeter of the fence . Full speed . It was quite a sight ! She then came inside , lay down on the kitchen floor , breathing 3 breaths , and then suddenly died !

There were no signs or symptoms . She was fine and in a moment was gone . My grandparents were having lunch at the table and I'd never seen my grandfather cry . He cried strong , but we were all heartbroken and shocked . It happened so suddenly and without cause . She was still just a pup .

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Avatar universal
I lost my 2 year old , golden lab this way . We have a big yard and she was always so playful and active . Her diet was good . She was never sick , and just the best and healthiest dog there could be . One afternoon she was in our large backyard , running round and round the perimeter of the fence . Full speed . It was quite a sight ! She then came inside , lay down on the kitchen floor , breathing 3 breaths , and then suddenly died !

There were no signs or symptoms . She was fine and in a moment was gone . My grandparents were having lunch at the table and I'd never seen my grandfather cry . He cried strong , but we were all heartbroken and shocked . It happened so suddenly and without cause . She was still just a pup .

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11953105 tn?1422367333
I too lost my healthy dog on Dec 21st. Sparky was a Bichon, had just turned 10 and had no chronic ailments. By all accounts his lifespan should have been 4 to 6 more years. I am one of those dog moms who keeps up with all vaccinations/fecal/heartworm tests, did monthly heartworm and flea/tick meds, will take my dog in to the vet because something just doesn't seem right, got him groomed monthly, and even brushed his teeth daily, so he was well taken care of. That evening he ate normally, took a walk,played with our new puppy, took a short snooze, and inexplicably collapsed when he got up from it. Same symptoms as described by so many...no cries of distress, ran and hid under the table, stared straight forward, deep slow breathing. We rushed him to the ER vet and arrived within 10 minutes of the onset of symptoms, but his heart stopped on the way there. Efforts to revive him with injected meds,CPR and ventilation were unsuccessful.  We chose not to do a necropsy because it wasn't going to change anything. The ER vet did say that heart attacks & strokes are fairly uncommon in dogs, and added when it happens so quickly it is usually an embolism (blood clot) which has traveled silently to the heart or lungs. That being the case, there was no way for us to know in advance and also most likely nothing they could have done to save him even if he had suffered the event right in the ER.
Sparky was our heart, our 4-legged kid, and loved by all who met him. I have decided to trust that God simply needed him back. I share your sadness and hope our babies have met up and are enjoying their new lives at the rainbow bridge while they wait for us.  
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Avatar universal
Hi, I'm so sorry for your loss. I don't know if this might help you or not, but many years ago, as part of emergency medical technician [EMT] training, we all took a bus trip to the Philadelphia morgue for a day with the pathologist. We watched several autopsies in person after an hour or so long video presentation and teaching. There was a 12 year old child who had died at her birthday party because she had been blowing up a balloon when it broke and she inhaled a tiny bit of the rubber, which sealed off her trachea [breathing tube], suffocating her. I think it's possible that your sweet dog inhaled a piece of the plastic bag. Being soft and flexible, it would conform to the inside of the trachea and seal it off. There was another poster here whose dog died with a Beggin Strips bag over her head, and she couldn't understand why her dog couldn't remove the bag, as it wasn't tight on her face. After death it wouldn't be, but when she was gasping, it would be plastered to her face by the vacuum her gasping created. Plastic bags and balloons and similar things are deadly to pets and people. [At the pathologists we also saw video of a MAN who had suffocated with a plastic bag over his head, and balloons are the cause of death for many sea turtles, as the balloons float high, then are carried by winds, eventually landing in the sea, where they are eaten by sea creatures who mistake them for jellyfish.] Please, everyone here, be wary of these bags and balloons. It's heartbreaking when anyone dies. Thank you, Lynn
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1916673 tn?1420233270
My sincere condolences to you. Losing a best friend is heartbreaking, particularly when you don't know what or why it happened. It sounds like whatever occurred, it occurred quickly, which is a blessing. I hope your heart feels easier and calmer in the coming days and weeks. Tony
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675347 tn?1365460645
COMMUNITY LEADER
labmixmom,
I am so very sorry to hear the sad news about your boy.
You must feel very shocked, and filled with questions.
How could that happen? What could have been wrong with a completely healthy dog?

I really do not know. I think many vets wouldn't be certain either. It's a thought that he might have had a heart attack.
The only way to know for certain would be to have a necropsy (autopsy) done. But I am not necessarily recommending you do. It will be upsetting, won't bring him back, and will cost you.
However, it would almost certainly answer your questions.

I am so sorry. Bless him, and my heart goes out to you.
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