I found my extremely active high strung 6 year old dog Rocky, that I've had for 5 years, dead yesterday morning when I got up. He was lying on the floor next to his bed. He had just begun rigor mortis. He was a Cocker Spaniel Chihuahua mix.
The afternoon before he died we had company stop by and my dog literally freaked out barking and literally screaming when the man walked into the room. I put my dog in the bathroom until they left. Later he went outside to potty and came in until his 10 pm potty break. Then we went to bed. He was quiet at 4:30 am when my husband normally potties him so he didn't check on him. I found him at 7;30 am dead.
He was a rescue who didn't like anyone, but my husband and I. He would bark furiously at anyone else and even in the car at people next to us. Could he have had a heart attack from the unexpected excitement of a stranger coming over earlier in the day?
I miss his happy morning greeting bark this morning.
There's nothing like the sadness that occurs when a pet dies. I am so sorry for the grief you're experiencing now.
It sounds like the dog had anxiety issues which could have caused this problem and led to a stroke in the middle of the night. I am so sorry this has happened and it is so sad when a dog dies so young.
I am so sorry. Losing a pet is a loss like no other. I cant even guess as to what went wrong for Rocky. It may have been a stroke or a heart attack. Like people pets often have hidden illnesses. I was struck by your description of your life with Rocky.
I am terribly sorry to hear of your loss.
The only way to know what happened to your precious doggie is to have an autopsy performed. The reason why could be all sorts of things unrelated to the stress of the visitors such as his mixed breed.
Do not blame yourself in any way. You gave him a loving home despite he was not friendly to strangers. Many would not take on such a dog.
Thank you for opening your heart and home to Rocky.
Take Care.
I found my dog outside dead. She was a healthy 9 year old cairn terrier. Her eyes were open and tongue hanging out. Everything was so shocking that I let my brother bury her.
It's driving me crazy not knowing what happened to her.This type of tragedy can be devastating and, sadly, even more so when there seems to be no answer.
Since I have been through a similar happening, I'm hoping you can find some comfort in reading what vets have to say about happenings like this.
resources.bestfriends.org/
My daughter's 18 month old male brindle pitbull was suddenly found dead in the backyard laying on his side, tongue hanging out, jaw hard to pry open, legs straight and stiff as if it were stuffed by a taxidermist. There was nothing wrong with him before she left, playful and energetic as usual and within a couple hours he was gone. I strongly feel foul play was involved but how and what caused this tragic loss?
Situations like this are sad and, of course, everyone wants answers when there is a sudden death of a pet.
Is there any reason you would suspect foul play? Has someone made remarks or given you a reason to believe someone would do harm to her dog?
Everyone is correct in saying that an autopsy is the only sure way to provide the reason for this puppy's death and, it could very possibly have been from natural causes. If you have a regular vet perhaps they could provide some sort of explanation about this death.
An autopsy can be very expensive.
I do not know how old your daughter is or, how attached she might have been but I would suggest thinking about letting her talk to a counselor as sometimes a death like this can be very traumatic and difficult to accept.
If you are interested, there are some free pet counseling services but your vet may also offer this service.
I am so sorry for your loss.
Unfortunately, cases of sudden death of dogs and cats are not so rare. Sudden death is an unexpected death occurring in less than 1 hour with no observed or a clinical history of ongoing disease.
According to studies performed at Purdue ADDL for almost 5 years, about 8.3% of dogs died as a result of sudden death.
www.addl.purdue.edu/
The most common causes of sudden death in dogs were: Cardiac 24-31% and Neoplasia 28% www.addl.purdue.edu/
www.avma.org/
Gastrointestinal disease - 19.6%.
Only a veterinarian after an examination and, if necessary, a necropsy can determine the cause of sudden death of your dog. Although there are 5-21.8% where causes of sudden death have not been determined from the necropsy findings or additional laboratory testing. So there is no guarantee that after necropsy you will know for sure the cause of your dog's death.
Once again, I'm so sorry. Please take the time to read these tips on how to cope with the loss of your beloved pet:
www.healthline.com/
www.helpguide.org/
7 Self-Care Essentials While Grieving the Death of a Pet
www.psychologytoday.com/
My Scottish terrier was only 8 years old and we found him on his side and he had pooped himself. He was normal that morning. He had his breakfast. He did lose his bff at the beginning of summer, but it honestly looked like we got him over the initial loss.
He was having accidents and was going to the vet on Monday I feel like I missed something. He was eating and drinking and full of spunk. I'm heartbroken.On the 17th June 2020, after 9 and a half years my beloved Jack Russell/English Toy Terrier, Coco, sadly and shockingly passed away. Except for being overweight (it is common in the English toy breed) and a small dog, she was in perfect health. She had no major medical conditions that I had knowledge of. It was my mother who found her. She said her tongue was hanging out and she was very stiff. Her stomach was slightly hard and she wasn't overly cold.
My question though is could she have died because of her weight causing her to have a heart attack? Or some unknown health condition of her heart or other organs? Could she have chocked? Every evening my mother or I would give her a little treat. We have other dogs as well. (Her mum & daughter: both Mum's dogs). So we know she could be very greedy and with being an English Toy she tended to just swallow before chewing. She had choked in the past before and we had to help her. Now with her sudden death I'm quite distraught and confused.
Can anyone help me out please?
Thank You Xx
I am so sorry for the loss of your dog. It sounds like the dog had a heart attack that could have been caused by the weight of the dog. I have several small dogs and the vet is always warning me about how much they weight and to keep them fit and trim. I know after a dog has been fixed it is a lot easier for them to gain weight. In small dogs too much grease or fat can get around the muscles of the heart and this can cause a siezier or heart attack.
My dog had surgery about a month ago on her leg after a Pit Bull attack. She was checked out by 2 vets and they said her health was fine. She had to get stitches and a metal plate with screws in it to put the bones back together. She was walking like her old self again.
But yesterday my kids found her by the fence in our yard, dead. I don't understand what happened. She was fine and healthy Monday, went missing and was found dead on Friday. Can anyone give me some answers?
My 14 year old dog passed yesterday and it was very upsetting to watch. While we were outside he started barking, and we went in for a break and sat down. We heard him starting to breathe extremely fast and saw his eyes roll in the back of his head. His head flopped backwards and his tongue was out as he was shaking.
This went on for around 8 minutes and it was horrible as I could not tell if he was alive during the shaking or not. It's awful to think his last moments were pain like that. He did have heart failure. So I need to know is that normal for dogs to die like that, and did he die before the 8 minute shaking went on.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 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 wiggles. In the evening he was sleeping 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.
It sounds like the dog had some sort of respiratory failure and could no longer breath. I have read that they have tested a few animals such as tiger and they have tested positive for this new virus. I also have read that animals can't get it but then again they say they can. There is a lot we don't know about any of this right now and it could be a problem with the dog's respiratory system, his heart, or a number of other reason why he did die. It is so hard to lose an animals and not know exactly why it passed away and especially at such a young age.
