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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
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
I lost my beautiful Maggie, 9 year golden retriever, on Dec. 2, 2013. She was healthy, happy, and having a great romp through the woods where we walk.
She was running along with another dog, bumped into his side (not hard at all) and fell to her left. Perhaps all of 2 feet down a hill. I was right there. Saw it all. I jumped down next to her but somehow I knew she was dead. Maggie let out one big sigh, and died.
So horrible....she was my very best friend and companion.
This is the first time I've been on the web...decided to see if anyone else had a similar experience, and I found this page right off the bat.
I am so sorry for all of you, and for me. But your stories above made me realize that this is not uncommon. It is just such a shock. Thank you for sharing your stories. We are not alone, are we?
She was running along with another dog, bumped into his side (not hard at all) and fell to her left. Perhaps all of 2 feet down a hill. I was right there. Saw it all. I jumped down next to her but somehow I knew she was dead. Maggie let out one big sigh, and died.
So horrible....she was my very best friend and companion.
This is the first time I've been on the web...decided to see if anyone else had a similar experience, and I found this page right off the bat.
I am so sorry for all of you, and for me. But your stories above made me realize that this is not uncommon. It is just such a shock. Thank you for sharing your stories. We are not alone, are we?
I lost my dog Lucy on Friday night, the 6th of December and I, like everyone else on this page, am completely devastated. Lucy was my baby girl. She was a 9 year old Rottie (I can't believe I'm writing 'was') and she was super-smart compared to our other dogs and completely devoted to me. My life has revolved around her, my routines, plans, worries and affection since the day we met. I feel like she's a huge part of who I am.
She had arthritis but was on Previcox and was really well on it. She was otherwise perfectly healthy and running around like a puppy. On Friday morning she did her usual in the autumn - found and made huge piles of leaves and then jumped into the centre looking up at me for me I kick them.
On Friday night I met my friend and her dog as usual for an evening walk. Lucy greeted everybody in her kitchen as normal and gently jumped up a little to take a biscuit from my friend's daughter. Within 10 seconds her head went down and she started moving with a strange wave like action down her body. I thought she was going to be sick but deep down I knew something terrible was happening. I took her out of the kitchen as I thought she might be too hot and might need to be sick. She made it down the back steps and then just stood there. I put my had out to comfort her which she always wanted no matter how sick she might feel but she recoiled away from me, then her body spasmed, her head pointed way up to the sky, her tongue fell out the side and she let out an awful whine, then she collapsed. I screamed and my friends husband tried to revive her. I thought she might have choked on the biscuit so I stuck my hand into her throat but there was nothing there so i pulled her tongue out to clear the airway. Within 20 seconds she had stopped breathing and after another couple of torturous twitches she was gone.
I took her to the vet in desperation but they said it was likely a heart attack.
I feel so cheated. She was enjoying life so much and she had so much more to enjoy with me before we had to start weighing up options.
She had her yearly check up and vaccinations on just Tuesday and everything was fine but we had a new vaccine and the stress of giving her the kennel cough was really high and now I'm worried that visit has weakened some underlying condition.
It does help to read other people's posts and know that Lucy is not alone.
She had arthritis but was on Previcox and was really well on it. She was otherwise perfectly healthy and running around like a puppy. On Friday morning she did her usual in the autumn - found and made huge piles of leaves and then jumped into the centre looking up at me for me I kick them.
On Friday night I met my friend and her dog as usual for an evening walk. Lucy greeted everybody in her kitchen as normal and gently jumped up a little to take a biscuit from my friend's daughter. Within 10 seconds her head went down and she started moving with a strange wave like action down her body. I thought she was going to be sick but deep down I knew something terrible was happening. I took her out of the kitchen as I thought she might be too hot and might need to be sick. She made it down the back steps and then just stood there. I put my had out to comfort her which she always wanted no matter how sick she might feel but she recoiled away from me, then her body spasmed, her head pointed way up to the sky, her tongue fell out the side and she let out an awful whine, then she collapsed. I screamed and my friends husband tried to revive her. I thought she might have choked on the biscuit so I stuck my hand into her throat but there was nothing there so i pulled her tongue out to clear the airway. Within 20 seconds she had stopped breathing and after another couple of torturous twitches she was gone.
I took her to the vet in desperation but they said it was likely a heart attack.
I feel so cheated. She was enjoying life so much and she had so much more to enjoy with me before we had to start weighing up options.
She had her yearly check up and vaccinations on just Tuesday and everything was fine but we had a new vaccine and the stress of giving her the kennel cough was really high and now I'm worried that visit has weakened some underlying condition.
It does help to read other people's posts and know that Lucy is not alone.
I never realized there are so many incidents where a seemingly perfectly healthy dog suddenly drops dead. I recently lost my airedale terrier (just turned 9 years old) in just such an event. Brought her to a new groomer and was home only for about an hour when I got a frantic call from the shop saying Rube was unresponsive and they were giving her CPR and to come down quick! My husband and I raced to the shop (a 5 minute drive which seemed like hours) and when we got there they were carrying her to a car to transport to their animal hospital. I hopped in the car with them and watched helplessly as the groomer (who is also a vet tech) gave her CPR as best she could in the cramped backseat. It took what seemed like forever to get to the animal hospital. Once there, she was whisked away to be worked on by the vet techs but the veterinarian tried to prepare us for the worst (5% chance of reviving her). I think she was already gone before we got there. I am still grieving.
The emergency vet took an x-ray afterward and said she had an enlarged heart (left ventricle, I think he said it was). He said a trip to the groomers --- no matter how used to being groomed she was --- could have still been stressful. He even gave me a disk with the x-ray to show our regular vet. Our regular vet looked at the x-ray and said the heart was slightly enlarged but he could not say that was the cause. He said she could have thrown a clot. Let's face it, we will never know for sure. About a month earlier she had had her teeth cleaned and passed her medical pre-op with flying colors.
The groomer of course felt awful. She said they had given Rube a bath and then a "wet cut" (which they do before a final "dry" cut) and had put her back in her cage to start air drying. I do not know how much time elapsed before someone noticed she had collapsed and urinated and her belly was blue. I keep reliving that morning --- how happily Rube had trotted on her leash through the parking lot.... how happily she greeted the groomer and her assistants (new friends!)... and then an hour later she was gone.
In hindsight, there was one possible clue that there might have been something brewing with her heart: During the past year, Rube had two "episodes" where she seemed "out of it" for several days...like in a depressed state... not "with it" -- for example, I would find her standing in a room, not going anywhere, just standing there... for minutes on end...she just seemed "out of it." We even took her to the vet where she promptly made liars out of us as she warmly greeted him (another friend!) --- So he never really saw what we were describing to him. However, after she passed away I spent hours on the Internet researching heart disease in canines and found a list of 10 symptoms, one being lethargy or depression. I am still angry that our vet never considered heart disease as a possible cause for Rube's symptoms. Although maybe he did but did not find anything out of the ordinary in his physical examination of her.
I did not expect to have such a lengthy comment. It has been two weeks since her passing. I can talk about her now without breaking down (usually) but when I am alone with my thoughts it still hurts.
The emergency vet took an x-ray afterward and said she had an enlarged heart (left ventricle, I think he said it was). He said a trip to the groomers --- no matter how used to being groomed she was --- could have still been stressful. He even gave me a disk with the x-ray to show our regular vet. Our regular vet looked at the x-ray and said the heart was slightly enlarged but he could not say that was the cause. He said she could have thrown a clot. Let's face it, we will never know for sure. About a month earlier she had had her teeth cleaned and passed her medical pre-op with flying colors.
The groomer of course felt awful. She said they had given Rube a bath and then a "wet cut" (which they do before a final "dry" cut) and had put her back in her cage to start air drying. I do not know how much time elapsed before someone noticed she had collapsed and urinated and her belly was blue. I keep reliving that morning --- how happily Rube had trotted on her leash through the parking lot.... how happily she greeted the groomer and her assistants (new friends!)... and then an hour later she was gone.
In hindsight, there was one possible clue that there might have been something brewing with her heart: During the past year, Rube had two "episodes" where she seemed "out of it" for several days...like in a depressed state... not "with it" -- for example, I would find her standing in a room, not going anywhere, just standing there... for minutes on end...she just seemed "out of it." We even took her to the vet where she promptly made liars out of us as she warmly greeted him (another friend!) --- So he never really saw what we were describing to him. However, after she passed away I spent hours on the Internet researching heart disease in canines and found a list of 10 symptoms, one being lethargy or depression. I am still angry that our vet never considered heart disease as a possible cause for Rube's symptoms. Although maybe he did but did not find anything out of the ordinary in his physical examination of her.
I did not expect to have such a lengthy comment. It has been two weeks since her passing. I can talk about her now without breaking down (usually) but when I am alone with my thoughts it still hurts.
Hello Greg and all,
Last night my family lost our Bella a 11 month old golden retriever the same way yours passed. she was perfectly healthy she would always excercise and go running with me. we had the best organic shampoos and food and protected her with all our hearts. Our 3 year old daughter and her were like best friends, and our cat Mumble was like her older brother. she was the perfect dog and so smart and brought so much joy to our lives. it was 6pm 10/16/2013 i had just walked her and we were going to the movies and my mother in law had our daughter they were going to go to the store. we left the house and bella was fine in her usual spot in the crate. we were in the movie by 715 and thats when my mother in law called and said Bella was dead. we rushed home to find our poor Baby Bella laying down with two small pieces of regular looking feces and her tounge twisted and purple hanging outside her mouth. we were in total shock. our daughter had found her and opened the cage and kept saying come on Bella get up hurry up bella we are home. The hardest part is dealing with the fact that shes going to be gone forever, but on top of that as a husband and father i have to find extra strength to help my wife and daughter grieve. i know its none of our faults but my wife keeps asking me why us orlando why us out of all the dogs why us. it is very difficult but Khail Gibran comes to mind -
When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy.
When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.
Last night my family lost our Bella a 11 month old golden retriever the same way yours passed. she was perfectly healthy she would always excercise and go running with me. we had the best organic shampoos and food and protected her with all our hearts. Our 3 year old daughter and her were like best friends, and our cat Mumble was like her older brother. she was the perfect dog and so smart and brought so much joy to our lives. it was 6pm 10/16/2013 i had just walked her and we were going to the movies and my mother in law had our daughter they were going to go to the store. we left the house and bella was fine in her usual spot in the crate. we were in the movie by 715 and thats when my mother in law called and said Bella was dead. we rushed home to find our poor Baby Bella laying down with two small pieces of regular looking feces and her tounge twisted and purple hanging outside her mouth. we were in total shock. our daughter had found her and opened the cage and kept saying come on Bella get up hurry up bella we are home. The hardest part is dealing with the fact that shes going to be gone forever, but on top of that as a husband and father i have to find extra strength to help my wife and daughter grieve. i know its none of our faults but my wife keeps asking me why us orlando why us out of all the dogs why us. it is very difficult but Khail Gibran comes to mind -
When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy.
When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.
My baby Yoki, a black lab mix, passed away 12 days ago and I am broken hearted & devastated. She would have been 10 years old next month. She was my constant companion and my best friend; I don't know how to go on without her. I love her and miss her so much and there is a huge hole in my heart. My daughter rescued Yoki from the animal shelter; my son, a high school senior at the time, was doing volunteer work at the shelter as part of his senior project requirement. My daughter just had to have her, so I went and drove her home...within a few days, the excitement of a new pet wore off my daughter and Yoki became my dog; she was adopted on Christmas Eve 2003 and she was three months old, the last of her litter of siblings to find a home.
My three kids all finished school and moved away from home, so it became just me & Yoki. She would sit in the window and wait for me to come home from work when we first got her and cry when I left the house. She slept in my bed with her head on the pillow beside me and I'd wrap her up like she was a child. She'd follow me everywhere in the house and when I mowed the lawn, she'd walk herself tired following me on the mower. She was my protector and my alarm so even after I moved into the country, I didn't worry about anyone getting close to the house.
About a week before Yoki died, I noticed when she started barking, it sounded like she had something in her throat; she was known for chewing on a string then throwing it up so I assumed she had done it again and couldn't get it up. But she ate well and went through her regular routine. In fact, the last night before she stopped eating, she joined me to eat a snack of peanut butter on a bagel in the middle of the night.
The next morning, Tuesday, she kept coughing and she threw up some bloody substance, which I wiped up with a paper towel and took with me and her to the vet's office. The vet told me he would sedate her and look down her throat and take xrays to see if he could find out the problem. I left her for a few hours and then went back and got her.
The vet told me that he found puncture wounds on her windpipe. He showed me her xray and said he thought she also had either cancer or a fungus in her lungs. He said she had about a year to live and I should just prepare myself because she was 10 years old and was at her life expectancy. He said her blood work was pristine; I was stunned! He gave me some antibiotic capsules and I brought her home. Yoki immediately went under the bed and stayed there. Under my bed has always been her spot when she didn't want to be bothered with anyone. She didn't eat,drink or go out to potty the rest of that night. The next day, Wednesday, she drank some water and I got her to go out; she did relieve herself but she didn't eat anything. I couldn't get her to take her medicine and by Thursday, I was worried because she seemed like she was having a hard time breathing.
I went back to the vet and told them I couldn't get her to take the medicine in pill form so they offered to change it into liquid form and gave me something for pain (I thought her throat still hurt from the procedure) and also a liquid nutritional supplement since she wasn't eating. By now she had not eaten, drank or went to the bathroom all day. I got one dose of pain medicine in her mouth and she choked on it.
A couple hours later, I went to the store and when I came home, Yoki was laying on the floor on my side of the bed panting heavily. I knew it was the end; I cried out to the Lord and prayed for her suffering to end. I rubbed her and prayed over her and a few minutes later, I went to put the groceries away that I had went for and heard her get up. I looked into the room and she was slowly walking around the bed to go under to her spot, she always went under the bed on the opposite side of where I slept. When she got to the foot of the bed, she staggered and moaned then fell against the footboard. She turned and looked at me then her head went straight up as if she was looking at the ceiling.
I took her face in my hands and looked into her eyes and it was as if she looked through me, her eyes didn't look like my baby's eyes. I took her head and laid it on the floor and went to call my boyfriend. I was screaming into the phone. Yoki laid there a few minutes, having convulsions. My boyfriend came a few minutes later and went into the bedroom and talked to her. He said Yoki looked at him when she heard his voice and then she was gone...
There was a pool of blood by her mouth. I called the pet crematorium to come and get her; the man said she looked like she aspirated. I can't believe she's gone. I was shocked that the vet said she had a year to live and I was trying to get myself together to face in a year she would be gone but instead, she was gone in two days. I can't stop crying.
I feel guilty that I didn't take her to the vet when I first heard her coughing; I feel guilty that I didn't take her to a real animal hospital in the next state. I live in a tiny town and I should have known it was going to go downhill when the vet told me he didn't know what that was on the xray. I live 30 miles from the next state; they have a real animal hospital, I should have taken her there. I feel guilty forcing the medicine down her throat when it was clear that she was in pain.
For the first three days after Yoki passed, I stayed in the same clothes I had on the night she died; I didn't eat. I have been sleeping on the couch since she passed away because, I can't sleep in my room. I keep seeing her laying on the side of my bed before she collapsed and died under my footboard. It just hurts so much.
I don't know how I will ever go on; I cry for hours a lot of times. Today, I was driving and started crying. That was almost three hours ago and am crying while typing this. I do have her ashes here with me but sometimes that makes me cry more. I wonder if she knew how much I loved her and if she forgave me for not taking better care of her
My three kids all finished school and moved away from home, so it became just me & Yoki. She would sit in the window and wait for me to come home from work when we first got her and cry when I left the house. She slept in my bed with her head on the pillow beside me and I'd wrap her up like she was a child. She'd follow me everywhere in the house and when I mowed the lawn, she'd walk herself tired following me on the mower. She was my protector and my alarm so even after I moved into the country, I didn't worry about anyone getting close to the house.
About a week before Yoki died, I noticed when she started barking, it sounded like she had something in her throat; she was known for chewing on a string then throwing it up so I assumed she had done it again and couldn't get it up. But she ate well and went through her regular routine. In fact, the last night before she stopped eating, she joined me to eat a snack of peanut butter on a bagel in the middle of the night.
The next morning, Tuesday, she kept coughing and she threw up some bloody substance, which I wiped up with a paper towel and took with me and her to the vet's office. The vet told me he would sedate her and look down her throat and take xrays to see if he could find out the problem. I left her for a few hours and then went back and got her.
The vet told me that he found puncture wounds on her windpipe. He showed me her xray and said he thought she also had either cancer or a fungus in her lungs. He said she had about a year to live and I should just prepare myself because she was 10 years old and was at her life expectancy. He said her blood work was pristine; I was stunned! He gave me some antibiotic capsules and I brought her home. Yoki immediately went under the bed and stayed there. Under my bed has always been her spot when she didn't want to be bothered with anyone. She didn't eat,drink or go out to potty the rest of that night. The next day, Wednesday, she drank some water and I got her to go out; she did relieve herself but she didn't eat anything. I couldn't get her to take her medicine and by Thursday, I was worried because she seemed like she was having a hard time breathing.
I went back to the vet and told them I couldn't get her to take the medicine in pill form so they offered to change it into liquid form and gave me something for pain (I thought her throat still hurt from the procedure) and also a liquid nutritional supplement since she wasn't eating. By now she had not eaten, drank or went to the bathroom all day. I got one dose of pain medicine in her mouth and she choked on it.
A couple hours later, I went to the store and when I came home, Yoki was laying on the floor on my side of the bed panting heavily. I knew it was the end; I cried out to the Lord and prayed for her suffering to end. I rubbed her and prayed over her and a few minutes later, I went to put the groceries away that I had went for and heard her get up. I looked into the room and she was slowly walking around the bed to go under to her spot, she always went under the bed on the opposite side of where I slept. When she got to the foot of the bed, she staggered and moaned then fell against the footboard. She turned and looked at me then her head went straight up as if she was looking at the ceiling.
I took her face in my hands and looked into her eyes and it was as if she looked through me, her eyes didn't look like my baby's eyes. I took her head and laid it on the floor and went to call my boyfriend. I was screaming into the phone. Yoki laid there a few minutes, having convulsions. My boyfriend came a few minutes later and went into the bedroom and talked to her. He said Yoki looked at him when she heard his voice and then she was gone...
There was a pool of blood by her mouth. I called the pet crematorium to come and get her; the man said she looked like she aspirated. I can't believe she's gone. I was shocked that the vet said she had a year to live and I was trying to get myself together to face in a year she would be gone but instead, she was gone in two days. I can't stop crying.
I feel guilty that I didn't take her to the vet when I first heard her coughing; I feel guilty that I didn't take her to a real animal hospital in the next state. I live in a tiny town and I should have known it was going to go downhill when the vet told me he didn't know what that was on the xray. I live 30 miles from the next state; they have a real animal hospital, I should have taken her there. I feel guilty forcing the medicine down her throat when it was clear that she was in pain.
For the first three days after Yoki passed, I stayed in the same clothes I had on the night she died; I didn't eat. I have been sleeping on the couch since she passed away because, I can't sleep in my room. I keep seeing her laying on the side of my bed before she collapsed and died under my footboard. It just hurts so much.
I don't know how I will ever go on; I cry for hours a lot of times. Today, I was driving and started crying. That was almost three hours ago and am crying while typing this. I do have her ashes here with me but sometimes that makes me cry more. I wonder if she knew how much I loved her and if she forgave me for not taking better care of her
Similar case happend also with my dog. Dog was normal for walking, feeding and other activities. At 7:30 PM I gave food as her usual time but she couldnot. When i try to eat best sweet food she take it with paracetamol. After that dog walk outside for urine extraction and came back drink water. After 5 minute later she cry two time and paralyze lags. Than i cath her but it was dead. I showked then without any symptom my lovely puppy of 3 moths was dead.
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