unexpected death of a dog

[chambless2125]

Tonight my dog died very unexpectedly. Her name is Delilah. She had been a little sluggish the past few weeks, but nothing extreme. Just running a little slower than normal. We have another dog, Sam, a 12 year old English Chocolate Lab who seems to be perfectly fine for a 12 year old lab. It's so crazy! When my husband saw my face he assumed that our older dog had finally died. We have been expecting him to go for over 2 years. He just has bad hips and kind of hobbles around. We never expected our 5 year old "puppy" would go first. I am devestated! Two weeks ago she went on a 2 mile run with me.

My biggest fear right now is that we have a 6 month old baby girl and I want to make sure whatever killed my sweet Delilah isn't contagious. She has been in the backyard for 2 weeks now with Sam and like I said, he seems just fine. But I am going to take him to the vet first thing in the morning just to be sure.

Are there any diseases/viruses that can pass from dogs to humans that I should be concerned about?

[Prtyeyes]

I want you to know I feel your pain. My dog was 9 years old had him since 6 years old. A normal day for both of my dogs today as well. My chipin and I were eating original Ritz toasted chips and he was laying on back of double recliner like he always does looking out the window. I was on tablet looking at flowers. Next thing I know I feel a movement and a loud thump. Davidson my chipin was on the floor with his tongue hanging out to the side. (he rolled off from the back of double recliner couch) I screamed for my neighbors daughter Vicky running to her with him in my arms. She took him and told me to get my purse and lock my door she took her car and drove rushing him to the vet which is about 15 minutes away but he died either in her arms or mine  because I got no response from him however she said he was still
breathing while she held him. I believe it was Cardiac Arrest.. This happened on May 26th, 2023. I am having him cremated and going to wear some of his ashes in Memorial Urn Pendant I am purchasing off Amazon.

[AnnieBrooke]

I am so sorry to hear about your loss. The only thing you can be sure of is that you did everything humanly possible, but I know that doesn't make the shock or the loss easier to bear. RIP, Davidson.

[tparisi79]

I am soo sorry for your loss. I had to put my 5 year old pitbull down in Jan of this year due to a accident she got into and we ddint have the money for amri 2500 or a amputation another 500. She was soo young and the best dog ever. Now that we have another pit I am soo over protective of him with everything. 5 was way too young to die

[jeny_gibby]

My dog, Winston, died on Friday suddenly. He was only 3 1/2 years old. He was perfectly healthy. I took him on his morning walk, he ate, and then two hours later my boyfriend found him shaking in the bathtub with vomit full of unchewed food that was maroon. He later walked him but Winston would spin a little and then sit. When my boyfriend came home later that afternoon he found Winston dead in my dead. I have no idea how he died and it's driving me crazy. Does anyone have a similar experience?

[Ghilly]

My condolences to you on the loss of Delilah.  It's difficult enough to say goodbye to dogs when they have lived to a ripe old age, but it's doubly difficult when the dog is still a  youngster.

There is nothing zoonotic (passable from dogs to humans) in terms of disease, so you don't have to worry about your baby picking up anything from her. If it was a poisoning, however, say, at the hands of a neighbor who could have thrown something over your fence into your yard, if there's any of it still there that your daughter could get into, that might be a concern.

I know that nobody likes to think about these things, but in this case, I would advise you to have the vet do a necropsy on Delilah to determine the cause of death.  This will not only let you know what you are dealing with, it will tell you whether or not you need to go over your yard with a fine toothed comb to make it safe for your daughter.  Also, if it does turn out to be a poisoning, I would not hesitate to go after the person, legally speaking of course, with everything you've got.  

Please stay in touch with the board and let us know what you find out.  Again, my sympathies to you.

Ghilly

[Red931]

I don't think it was a snake bite because you said she was slowing down over the last few weeks and that it was noticable. Cancer is a possible reason but I am thinking more on an issue with the heart if she was eating and drinking regularly.

Was she wormed? The reason I ask is heartworm will come on fast lke this.

[chambless2125]

No vomit, no diarreaha, no blood. She just looked like she laid down in the sun and fell asleep and never woke up. If it was a poison of some sort, it would be unlikely because our other dog seems fine. We have already burried her, but I am taking our other dog to the vet in the morning to be sure he is ok.

My husband thinks either cancer or maybe even a snake bite that we can't see because of her fur. I don't think we'll ever know, just want to be sure it isn't contagious for the sake of our daughter and other dog.

[Red931]

I am very sorry to hear of your loss. I don't think any of us can answer your questions without a little more information.

Was the dog having regular bowel movements? Any throwing up of any kind? Could the dog have gotten into any poison? Were you taking the dog for regular Vet visits?

If there were no signs other than the dog becoming sluggish, it could have been a heart problem, or even cancer.

If the dog had gotten into something that was exremely poisonous there would have been some signs, such as diarreaha, throwing up and passing blood.

Are you having a Vet check for a cause of death?