Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
My dog had no medical conditions to my knowledge. He got routine shots and heart work tests. Yesterday, he woke up really excited and happy as usual. I went to help him onto the bed and right as I reached for him his facial expression changed. When I got him on the bed, he fell to his side and shook for a few seconds.
This is so sad and I am so sorry for your loss. The dog could of had a heart attack or even a seizure. It is very hard to say what actually happened. From what you have described, it sound more like a seizure that happened than a heart attack. The vet might be able to give you the exact cause of death but this normally means an expensive autopsy to find out why the dog actually died.
I am hoping someone may know why my dog Charlie died at home suddenly.
He was a Westie of 13 and was very well for his age. He came into the kitchen his happy self and 2 minutes later he was lying on his side and seemed to be seizing.
He might have had sudden heart failure due to his old age. The best person to ask is your vet.
I so understand your grief. My Ozzie was 16...got him from a terrible rescue shelter ate up w/fleas so bad he had no hair @ age 5. I didn't take him 2 vet this weekend when he had what I thought was a heat stroke Friday. He had howled, fell over & was dead. I picked him up & held him & he came back after waking up so stiff like. I said I would take him 2 vet on Monday. Sunday I took him 4 a long drive, fed him a slice of bacon....he walked up our outside steps, came inside & seemed 2 b ready 2 fall over. I picked him up, he howled so loud & hard, peed & defecated on me, died. He breathed like 3 breaths of gasps & never came back. I miss him w/all my heart & feel devastated I didn't rush him 2 a 24 hour vet clinic.
My 14 year old dog was healthy and had no known health conditions. She went outside during the day to lay in the garden for a while, acting completely normal, and a few hours later we were calling her in. She didn't look comfortable the way she was lying and when she tried to get up her back legs weren't working. She was trying so hard, but we had to lift her in.
She kept trying to get up, but her legs just wouldn't cooperate and then she would just fall down, with hitting her face on the floor a few times as she couldn't even keep her head up at this point. We phoned a vet and were going to take her in, but then eventually we saw that her breaths were getting slower and she passed away with us by her side. I am going mad not knowing what happened to her and am scared to even let my other dog in the garden.
We are devastated beyond belief at the sudden death of our 5 year old Shepherd wolf mix, Missy. She was fine in the morning, came to me for her usual pre breakfast pets, ate her breakfast, and went out the doggy door to play with our other dog. I got ready for work and went to get them inside and when she didn't come I found her lying on her side with her tongue hanging out.
It must have happened right after she went out because she was already stiff. She didn't appear to have any wounds or injuries, but when I lifted her head I did notice a small amount of blood coming from her mouth. Does anyone know what could have happened? She had never been sick in her life.She could have been poisoned, or had an undiagnosed illness or physical condition. The only way to know is to have an autopsy done. So sorry for your loss.
So sorry for your lost,You need the Vet on this one!You will always wonder and there is your other dog to worry about,to make sure there is no connection in the illness.!
Had a 1/2 wolf years back. When she was just about 18 months old, she suddenly had a seizure. Took her in house fearing a rattlesnake bite but found nothing. She recovered with seemingly no ill effects. This was summer in south central Ok. She had flea and tick protection but still I would find a few ticks especially around her neck and ears.
You have my deepest condolences on your loss. So sad. May her memory always be a blessing.
It could be so many things and sadly you will make yourself crazy if you try to figure it out. Like people, pups sometimes pass suddenly and unexpectedly. It is so heartbreaking.
Being that she was outside, there is always the possibility that she was stung by a bee or hornet or wasp and was highly allergic. This reaction can kill in seconds and is scary and sad because sometimes there is no history of the reaction (just like people).
Beating yourself up about it is not going to help so if you have trouble managing your grief, please seek help. Our local animal shelter has a group for pet parents who have lost a furry baby, maybe yours does too.
Sending prayers to you and your family.
My dog was only 4. She was fine on Saturday and went for a walk, but didn't eat anything she shouldn't. Then on Sunday she ate a bit of meat that fell off a lamb shank my little brother had for dinner and the next day she was being sick a lot, but was drinking.
She seemed to pick up. In the early hours of Monday morning she passed away at 4am. Does anyone have an idea of what could have caused this? She was fine the day before.You have my condolences on the loss of your fur baby.
So sad.
Lamb is pretty high in fat, so there is an outside chance it was pancreatitis or if she got a bone, that could have caused a perforation.
Sadly, it could be not related to that at all and it was just her time. Talk to the vet and ask what they may think.
Prayers for your heart to heal!!
I dont think tbe piece of lanb did it. I think she had an undiagnosed physical problem or sudden illness. My condolences.
My dog was playing with the cat, fell on the floor, yelped and he was gone.
Oh my! Sending you my heartfelt and deepest sympathy on your loss. You will be in my heart and prayers!!
While you may never know the cause, may you always find comfort in your happy memories. Like people, it could have been anything from a heart attack to a stroke to just his time. It is lovely that he went out playing and having fun.
Talk to your pup's vet to get his or her insights on what may have happened. If you need help managing your grief, I strongly recommend grief counseling. Our local animal shelter has programs and they are very helpful.
Pets are our family and children and their loss is hard. Take care!!!
I'm sorry this happened with your pet but it does happen, even if we take them to the vet on a regular basis.
It's possible he had a heart problem that you were not aware of but maybe your vet could help you understand this better.
I would suggest that you contact your local humane society or the ASPCA and tell them what happened and maybe they could help you with this loss. Many have grief counselors and it would probably help to talk with one of them.
Search Google with your zip code to find a local office.
My 2 year old dog died this morning and I am still trying to figure out how? 5 days ago, he lost his appetite, which was normal for him. It seemed he couldn't keep his left feet on the ground and seemed he had a huge burden on his head, couldn't lift it. We thought he had a wound on his leg, but no. Next day, he couldn't move and was just taking heavy breaths. He laid in his kennel for 3 days just taking long breaths and not responding. He was paralyzed.
The vet came along and he suspected rabies, but he wasn't sure. My dog didn't have saliva and didn't get scared of water, he was given regular shots. Any idea what might have happened?
My dog passed today, and when he passed blood came out from him anus. Why?
My Dane passed away on Sunday. I'm so heart broken! It happened so suddenly and out of nowhere. Saturday night he was fine, ate his normal food, and I gave him a bone. We went to bed and he was fine. He slept in my room like usual and around 6:30 am Sunday morning I was wakened by him kicking the closet door followed by a howl and a second later he was gone.
There was no diarrhea, vomit, or foam coming out of his mouth, nothing. I checked the entire house to see if he had gotten into anything and found nothing. Idk what to think this could have been from. Any ideas? I'm killing myself with guilt like I could have done something differently.
I have asked this question recently, but am still unsure of why my dog died. I hope you guys will be able to clear my doubts. I had a Labrador, he was 4 years old and he passed away. He was a normal healthy dog, but for last 15 days he had a dry cough. I consulted a vet who gave him a tablet and syrup and he was okay. Then suddenly he was not able to breathe or bark. He kept his head straight.
I immediately rushed him to the vet. They checked his temperature it was around 103.5 degrees. The vet gave him two injections and he was better also had little niggles. In the evening he was scratching the floor and gave few dry coughs and slept and I went for dinner. When I came back he was no more. He was in the same position with a little foam around his mouth.
Any additional thoughts?
My 10 year old Shi Tzu mix died very suddenly. Within minutes of my husband letting her and her sibling outside to go potty she was gone. I have a fenced-in yard and they always run to the fence line to bark at the neighbor dogs or neighbors out in their yard. According to our neighbor - he saw that they running towards the fence close to where he was working and when he looked up a few seconds or minutes (don't really know how much time passed, but not much) he saw one dog was running around and Daisy was laying on the ground next to the fence. He walked over to see if she was OK, but he said he possibly saw her take her last breath.
He then came to the front door to tell us something was wrong with our dog. She was laying perpendicular to the fence on her side laying flat facing the neighbor's property. We don't know if she hit the post accidentally and broke her neck or had heart failure, but she died very quickly. I cried for a solid week. I called my vet about 5 days later to see what they can do because it's driving me crazy what happened, but they said too much time has passed. Do you think based on how she was laying and because she died within minutes of letting her out, do you think it was heart failure of some kind?
I miss my dog very much and I've been searching stuff day and night ever since she passed away. That's because I want my questions answered. Anyway, it started around February 18 or maybe 17 or 16. It one of those dates because I hadn't seen her around almost all weekend. But by Sunday which was the 18th, I found her curled up against the wall. I carried her back inside and made sure she was all warm (because it was cold).
I noticed she had black skin on her tummy, red eyes, and was breathing heavily. I also made sure she had water nearby so she didn't have to walk far. On the 19th of February, she able to walk and eat as well. Then on Monday (sorry if I'm not specific with my dates), she have bloody diarrhea. A few days later, she won't stop moaning or even crying every day and night. She won't even drink water or eat! On her last day, February 24; my loyal 7 year old Lhasa Apso had her final breath. She had been suffering and we tried taking her to the vet, but they were closed. It's had also been a while since she had her vaccinations. What made her died all of a sudden?
She wasn't bitten, but it was a cold temperature outside.
This poor Fur Baby(with no name) suffered!!Only a Vet professional can tell you what if! Between not seeing her for days,with injury and not being herself. Eating and not eating was clue!!!!Sorry for the lost!
My friend's dog recently died and we are not sure why. On Tuesday morning he was fine, but when they came home he sadly was not. He was is perfectly good condition; he was healthy.
The dogs name was Rugar. He lived with his little sister and 3 Pomeranians. He had no wounds or anything. If you have any ideas what happened please let me know.Sometimes dogs appear healthy and have an undiagnosed condition. There is no way for anyone here to know. You could do an autopsy, but that can get expensive
Yesterday morning my dad told me that our 14 year old Pit Bull Elsie vomited. I went to clean it up and saw that she had pooped as well. There was more vomit than I'd seen before and she seemed exhausted. I cleaned it all up and petted her. She looked at me, but didn't want to move. I noticed she had a small amount of white foam on her mouth and decided to call the vet. They said I could bring her in 20 minutes.
I put my clothes on, got the car ready and went to get her. Only 20 + minutes had passed and I found her now lifeless. She was totally normal the day before, ate well, drank well, and we went for our normal walk. She didn't show any signs of anything wrong and it's driving me crazy not having a clue about what could have happened.So sorry about your dog. The foaming at the mouth could indicate poisoning. You may need to get an autopsy done on her to be sure.
My 5 year old wolf Shepherd mix died tonight. She was fine when I went to work at 1 yesterday. When I got home 10 hours later she was bleeding from the mouth. She died before I could get her in the car. She was healthy and had no health issues.
The vet says he has no idea what caused it without an autopsy, which is expensive. She was an outside dog who was in a confined yard. Can you give me an idea of what caused it as I have other dogs I need to protect.Prayers and condolences on your loss. So sad to hear. Without the autopsy no lay person could tell you, which is sad and frustrating.
I have a few suggestions but they may not be possible to protect your other pups.
Since the pup was outdoors it could have been he ate something someone tossed in the yard or caught and ate and animal that made him sick OR an animal could have bit him or fought with him and mortally injured him or he could have been stung by a bee or other insect and had an anaphylactic reaction which lead to his passing.
Could you make arrangements to keep the pups indoors at all times unless you or another family member or friend are supervising?
This is what we do and still my one fur baby ate a bee before I could get to her. Thank G-d she did not pass (but she was pretty miserable for a few days).
I guess I see my dogs as kids and keep them close to me all the time to protect them. I know that is not always possible for everyone and I understand that, so it is just a suggestion to be considered.
May your pup's memory always be a blessing.
My fiancé and I just walked outside on his lunch break and saw that our 1year old lab was dead. We were in shock to say the least. I looked over his body to see if there were any signs of something hurting him and there were none. My fiancé feeds all our dogs the best dog food you can buy.
We just have no clue how he just suddenly died and we need an answer for our children. It has been raining a lot for the past 2 weeks and him being a Lab he loves water, so he would sit in the puddle of muddy water instead of going in his dog house. I just wish we had an answer.I think the only way you will get to know what your dog died of is to have a vet do an autopsy . This would only be for peace of mind and satisfaction that there was nothing you could do.
Also keep in mind that the vet bill will be quite expensive.
My 3.5 year old Lab mix died in her sleep last night. She was fine last night and our other 2 dogs are OK. What happened?
I'm devastated and can't pay $900 for an autopsy. I know it wasn't poison. I am looking for closure.So sorry for your loss. Sometimes, dogs, like people, have undetected heart problems or diseases. There is no way any of us can know what the cause of the dogs death was. Your vet could give you his or her opinion, but only an autopsy could give you the best answer.
I lost my little buddy Norman last week. He was only 6 months old. He just had his last round of shots the week before, the vet said he was all good for another year. He was fine in the morning, then in the afternoon I could tell he was not himself. He was just on the couch, tired/out of it. At night, he vomited one time. He did use the bathroom but it was solid. Normal urination. His paws were cold to the touch. Then within hours, he just passed.
Today, my other dog Lizzie (about two years old) passed within two hours. She vomited once and used the bathroom (which was solid) paws cold to the touch, and before we reached the vet, she too passed away. I just don't understand, I am heartbroken.
Both dogs were well taken care of. Both went to the vet regularly. I have checked so many times to see if they have eaten something that was poisoned. Nothing, absolutely nothing to indicate they have gotten into something that they should not have eaten. I just don't understand! Was it well water? Our softener has been not working for that past month? Any ideas?
It sounds like some kind of poisoning to me. I would have your water checked.
My 9 year old Shepherd/Lab mix female has been my greatest gift. She was a rescue at 1 year old. She was a very healthy, fun loving, loyal doggie. She always just wanted to play fetch.
Recently, about 3 weeks ago, we returned from a park trip and she was lethargic. She didn't eat, drink, or move from one spot for 24hrs. Then when she finally got she up had trouble pooping. The vet expressed her anal glands. One was very impacted and still not much fluid came out. They sent us home.
Zara, my dog, started to return to normal; all was good again. Then yesterday we found her passed out on the couch. She would bark at me and look me right in the eyes. I got her a treat and she was happy. Did I miss something? Was she trying to tell me she was dying? Did the vet miss something? I feel heartbroken and guilty.
Please help.
You have my deepest sympathy on your loss of your beautiful pup. You did the right things taking her to the vet. I doubt you missed anything! Like with people, sometimes dogs get sick very quickly and pass. It could have been anything from a to z.
Please, please, please do not beat yourself up!! Look for your happy memories and find comfort in them. You gave your baby a wonderful life of treats and play and took her to the vet when she needed and loved her always!! That is all they want is love!!
Prayers to help you heal your heart!!
Maybe, when you have had time to heal, you can talk to your vet and get his/her feedback. I know from experience, in most cases, if the vet is honest, they will say sometimes this just happens. It is sad, but true. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF!!!
I am so sorry about Zara. She sounds like she was a wonderful dog that had a wonderful life. What a blessing for you and her. You may never know what happened to her, and it does feel frustrating. I am the kind of person who gets in there and changes things. When I lost my dog, I was so frustrated by the fact I could do nothing about it. As time passed and the memories filled in the painful spots I began to take joy in the life I had with my little guy. It has been many years and I still have the joy. It takes time but you will too. Hugs to you.
