sudden death

[ubarto]

few hours ago i lost my 6.5 year old chihuahua. I am still in shock and cannot believe my little guy is gone. He threw up on Friday night and last night. I thought he got upset stomach or stomach flu. this morning, i took him out to walk. he only peed. he was wobbling and could not walk. i carried him home and wrapped him in a scarf to keep him warm. About an hour later, he started twitching and jerking. i was taking him to the animal hospital and he passed away on the vet's drive way. He first threw up and emptied his bowels in his bed. The vet could not do anything. he was already gone.
i just don't understand what happened. the vet said we won't know for sure but because he thew up, he might have swallowed some of it and it could have stuck in his tummy or his lungs. Or his lungs collapsed since he thew up blood right before he died.
I am reading the description of how your loving pets passed away. I am feeling so guilty that i did not take him to vet yesterday.
Can some one explain what might have happened?  I was, I am in a shock and i authorized cremation. And i am afraid i will never know what might have happened to my little guy.

[JanisM13]

I AM SO VERY SORRY (saw this late) he was a BEAUTIFUL little red,
long coated Chihuahua guy, he loved you very much as you can see
this love in his eyes in the picture.
Your description is THE EXACT thing that happened to our Scottie many
years ago, I don't know if this will be a comfort but we had a necropsy
done on her and the cause was a tumor, cancer that had ruptured in her
stomach, surgery would not have saved her because the massive internal
bleeding that happened to her.Our vet found all of this when he was doing
the necropsy, he said had she been in the clinic when it happened it all
was so quick, with so much bleeding she would not have been saved.
When we loose a fur kid the hardest thing is WHY and could I have done
something different to save them please don't blame yourself you sound
like a very loving fur parent. My heart goes out to you as this is a hard time
for you ( and family?) but if it was like our Rags, there was nothing you
could have done. TRY to think of the good times, they will come back to
memory after the initial pain and shock, as long as you hold your little guy
in your heart he will never be far from you...again I am sorry for your loss.
Jan

[Margot49]

I too am sorry you lost your little guy.  Hard to understand when it is unexpected.  Many of us here have, unfortunately, dealt with similar events.  There is just no way to tell for certain what the cause was unless the Vet performed a necropsy.

[specialmom]

I too am so very sorry.  I lost our 3 year old dog the week before Christmas a year ago.  In a horrible way----  my father in law had passed away that day and I was upstairs at bed time talking to my kids about his death.  I spent extra time with each of my kids letting them get their thoughts and feelings out.  I then noticed after a bit that my trusty, faithful dog was not upstairs with us.  I found her in the kitchen with a bag over her head.  She'd tried to get some beef jerky out of the bottom of a zip lock bag that was in the pantry and got her head stuck and suffocated.  I was probably only a minute or two too late.  I have beaten myself up over that time and time again.  Why didn't I shut the pantry door?  Why didn't I check on her sooner?  But who knows that a tragedy is about to happen?  I have to just know that loss is part of life.  It hurts.  I was in shock and pain and dealing with my children who watched me try to give her cpr and to have that loss on top of losing their grandfather . . .   it was a bad scene.  It's a little over a year later.  We have another dog now.  We love her.  

I know our dog that we lost was a lucky lucky dog.  She was the most loved puppy!  

And your dog, as said above, was a most loved puppy too.   I am sure you are in shock and heartbroken.  And that lasts for a bit.  I'm truly sorry for your loss sweetie.  Big hugs

[Jerry_NJ]

I think you will never know and as I lost my beloved Westie, Wilson, December 3 and still have a broken heart - my sympathy is true empathy, I know h you feel.

In my case I know a tumor,, likely cancerous, ruptured my little Wilson's intestine, and whil we were in an animal hospital that could do the needed surgery, the dog had been in pain most of the day and even prescription intravenous pain killer wasn't making him comfortable.  We decided tu euthanize - in the belief that surgery was not likely to do more, if he survived, than extend a very low quality of life for a month or two...but I still feel guilt and doubt about not going for the surgery.  

I read your dog was fortunate to have you for an owner/mother/family and he had  a good life.  As I can suggest is try to remember the good times and when ready think about another dog... I like the idea of adopting a dog that has been rescued by a no-kill dog care organization.