Hello, if you have any advice to give for someone who lost their sweet healthy dog suddenly, without any warning, or know of a similar experience.... I would appreciate it hearing it ....... Apr 4 around 2:30pm was a devastating day for me. My sweet yellow labrador retriever that I had since she was 8 weeks and was 10 years and almost 4 months old passed away very suddenly while outside playing from what the Vet believes was a brain aneurysm or stroke (blood clot to the brain)...similar, I guess but I am in shock..... She was in very good shape, no health issues known at all, having run alongside me all winter while I cross country skied on the lake almost every day, eating well, sleeping well…..I had taken her for a walk in the morning after breakfast on a leash on the road ….after which she slept, had lunch and more snoozing... and in the afternoon, I simply had her outside running around free in the fresh snow in the fenced yard, while I was cleaning snow off of the propane tank on the side of property by hand .... and she ran by me but I didn’t pay any attention and then I heard (but did not see her run by again the other way).... ….and I turned around within roughly 20 seconds of having seen her run by the first time……and she was lying on her side in the snow with her tongue out..... I panicked……I thought maybe she accidentally ran into a tree, or something else , having run around like a crazy happy dog with pent up energy but the only tree was ahead of her 3 feet away or maybe she ran into the propane tank but that didn’t make any sense as I was at the tank….. I wasn’t thinking straight….I phoned 911, and then the police came on and told me they don’t send ambulance for dogs…. So I went in the house phoned vet emergency who told me to bring her in right away…..... I brought her in to the vet myself (7 miles away) but she was already limp as I carried her to the car in my yard….. I noticed that in her spot where she lay, she had passed her urine...and her eyes were glazed... and I didn't want to believe she was gone..... but the vet told me she passed.... I can tell you she was the sweetest dog you could ever know.... gentle, loving, I could not have asked for a better dog…. This is the last dog that will ever know my late mom and dad….. both of whom loved her like their children .... Given I have no human kids of my own, this dog was my life and my companion, my best friend….... I can't believe she is gone.... I am in shock and devastated....a lot has gone on in my life since my dear mom died, this dog was a good reason I had to get out of bed in the morning and could smile…..I can’t even tell you how much I loved her and will miss her…. I keep racking my brain to think of what the cause was... poisoning seems unlikely as I do have a fenced yard, and it was snowing, she had no signs of lethargy, vomit, or sickness.... I hope I did not do anything to contribute to this sudden death.... ....she did have hear annual vet checkup just 2 days earlier, in which all the vet did was give her the vaccinations that were due... her rabies shot (due every 3 years) and DA2PP shot (annual).... one breeder of labs told me that she usually doesn't get seniors any vaccinations unless required by law or blood work shows that it is needed.... she says some vaccinations last 5-6 years but the vet doesn't tell you this because it is a money making issue.... I hope the shots did not, in any way, cause her heart/blood/clot issue..... the vet said it is rare for a dog to have a heart attack.... so the likely cause was a brain aneurysm/blood clot to the brain which would have caused instant death.... the vet said there was no bruising, she felt in the abdomen area for any potential tumors that may have burst but she said there was no sign of that... and no blood around the eyes.... I was wondering if anybody had heard of or had experience with such a sudden death like this in a perfectly healthy senior (not overweight at all).... sad and devastated that my sweet girl could be running one minute and then instantly dead on the ground in the next....
So sorry for your sudden, tragic loss. A couple of friends of mine lost Labs very suddenly like this to haemangiosarcoma. Tumours in this case can on an internal organ and not be not noticeable, until they rupture. We lost our own Lab, Scooby, to probable haemangiosarcoma. He was a week in the vets as an inpatient with worsening anemia and weakness. I was lucky enough to be able to say goodbye to him, he was PTS. He didn't show masses on examination or ultrasound. They can be very hard to see. I really feel for you pain right now.
I'm so sorry for you sudden and shocking loss. Like @edzbird , I also lost my beloved boy to hemangiosarcoma, something I'd never heard of prior. We went out for a normal walk at the end of a normal day. Left the house at 5pm with a happy waggy boy and came back at 7:30 pm with only his leash, service dog vest and harness. Absolutely heartbreaking. The vet later told me that there are no symptoms and no cure. He had no pain and I was with him until the end, which is the best we can ask for our pups. But it was very, very hard nonetheless. Sending you all my sympathy.
Thanks for your sympathy and sorry to hear about your own losses... yes, the vet did mention to me that sometimes tumours burst but she implied that it could be ruled out because she felt my lab's abdomen area and didn't see any signs or symptoms or anything that burst.... it is just so hard to accept that a possible brain aneurysm or blood clot to the brain would occur..... however, as you have experience with sudden death yourself, I guess noboby is immune from such rare but tragic events.... you never think it is going to be your dog I guess, as in other tragic life events that occur.... just so devastating to accept and live with....
Thanks for your kind words and sympathy... I appreciate it.... I, too, have never heard of hemangiosarcoma, until now... I am so sorry to hear about your own sudden death situation.... yes, it is incredibly heartbreaking....especially when you have no symptoms and the death is so quick and sudden... I wanted my sweet girl (so loving, kind, and gentle and just a wonderful companion in every way) to live a long, long life as she deserved it so..... which is why I fed her good food, regular vet care, exercised daily to make sure she was not overweight to protect her joints and her heart etc, much loved each and every day with hugs, kisses, body massages,and belly rubs..... we were apart only once for 3 days over her lifetime.... so the bond was strong between us.... and we communicated with looks alone on most occasions.... I wanted her to live to 14 or 16 or however long she was still having a good quality of life.... we swam together in the summer in local lakes, hiking in all 4 seasons on trails, and I always had a fenced yard so she never had to be tied up in her life.... my only solace is that I tried to make her feel loved each and every day, even if it was usually only myself she saw on most days.... just by her sweet presence, she helped me through some very difficult and stressful times in my life,.. I cannot tell you how much I loved her and how I miss her....however, I guess those on this forum know that same kind of love and loss...
It sounds like she had a wonderful life and you will never forget her... in that way our pups really are immortal. If you feel it would help you, please share photos and stories about her here on the Forum whenever you would like. I talk about my boy Brogan here often and find it helps - people here are kind and supportive.
So very sorry to hear this. I have no advice to offer, but just want to say you should be so proud that you gave your girl such a happy, active life and that she was enjoying it and running around right up to the very last minute. It is the best that we can ever hope to do for our pups, and she was a very lucky girl to have you as her life partner. If it helps to talk about her, then we would love to hear about her life and your stories. What was her name? Do you have any photos to share?
I don’t have advice and I haven’t had an experience like this but I am very very sorry you have lost your dear companion. You gave her a wonderful life. She sounds like an amazing dog.
Thank you. I know lab owners and lab lovers can appreciate how painful it is to lose a cherished and much loved member of the family.
Frosty, I too am very sorry to hear of the loss. I lost my yellow lab boy in December, he was 7 yrs old. It was totally unexpected, in our case, it was due to a gastric torsion. I feel your heartbreak, as you can see many others do on the forum, having lost our beloved companions..It is hard. Personally I was aware of labs having some tendency for gastric torsion but never did I think it would hit at my door. I think I may still be trying to understand the reason. TBH I feel I have become suspicious of the pet market and especially of the kibble..I also wonder if there is something I could have done. I took him on his usual morning walk to town for my coffee and about an hour after getting back to the house I was rushing him to the hospital. It was awful and driving him in the car, telling him all was going to be ok and that we were almost there..He didn't make it. I now have a new baby black lab, Gaston. He arrived in February. I have become a bit of a worrier because of what happened to Lion. Sometimes I call Gaston, Lion.
Thanks for your kind words. I gave her the best life that I could and I do hope this, in some way, makes up for the sudden loss of her senior years. Yes, she will stay with me forever, as she was just a wonderful companion.
Thanks so much. I tried my best as I always had in the back of my mind that dogs don't live a long life so I would always make sure that I gave her plenty of attention and love and tell her each day, "I want you to feel loved everyday." My avatar is a fairly recent picture of her.
Thank you. Yes, she was a truly special dog .... such a sweet soul.... and loving girl... never even chewed slippers as a puppy.... and never ran away ever.... always followed me around....
Your story brings me to tears again..... so very sorry that happened to your pet.... unfortunately, I guess I am not alone and that sudden death, in many different ways, is more common that I thought.... Every now and then since it happened, I break into tears and at night, my mind races about how this could have happened and what I could have done differently.... if I had got to the vet faster or just stayed inside that afternoon with her instead of going out in the snow.... I keep thinking this must be a nightmare and I will wake up ....but I must accept it as reality and feel the pain .... there is no way around it except through it... your mention of driving reminds me that I had to drive through a very bad snowstorm and almost went off the road, trying to get to the vet and like yourself.... kept saying, hold on girl, hold on girl.... but I already knew she was gone because when I carried her to the car, she was limp..... I didn't want to believe it though.... So happy that you have a new companion and best wishes to you and him... his pic...what a sweetie... I, too, don't wish to live without a dog as I so enjoy their companionship.... first, though, I have to process the grief for my girl..... she was my second lab.... the first was a yellow female as well...
So sorry! I havent experienced the sudden loss of our dogs, but every loss hurts...I can relate to that. So hugs!
yes, this is the price we all pay for loving a companion animal that most of us will outlive... but our lives are so much fuller and richer with them as part of it, even if it is shorter than expected....
Thank you. Yes, regardless of the circumstances, every loss of a loved member of the family is devastating, as members on this forum have most likely experienced first hand... my first lab was euthanized at the age of 14 and it was terribly painful as she, too, was a real sweetheart.
