My 8 month old pug died. He was playing one minute and dead the next. What could have caused this?

Question

He was bleeding out of him mouth and there was blood on his front paws. This was sudden.

Answer 1

He might possibly have had a brain aneurysm or a stroke. He may also have gotten bruised or bumped up against something and caused internal bleeding.

Answer 2

I'm very sorry about your pug. It's heartbreaking to lose a pet, especially one that is young and had so many potential good times ahead of it.

As others have said, only a necropsy would tell you why your pug died. He may have injested something sharp, as pups often will do. He may have had a genetic defect. There are many many things that can cause this.

If you bred this dog yourself, I would definitely recommend that you get a necropsy. Many animals have inherited defects and if one that you breed dies in such an unusual way you should investigate and see if this is the case.

Most likely you did not breed this animal and purchased it. I would contact the breeder and let them know. They can be alerted to the possibility of their line carrying a defect. If a dog I bred when I was showing and breeding died in this manner, I would have paid for the necropsy for the owner and replaced the pup if the necropsy indicated that a genetic defect was the cause of death. Many breeders will do this. You probably are not ready for another dog right away, but don't let this sad event sour you on dog ownership. There are risks to loving an animal, but the rewards are great.

I only even had one dog necropsied, a female that died suddenly at 4 years of age in apparant good health. In fact she had been to the vet's earlier that week for a routine checkup and stool check and come back with a clean bill of health. The necropsy showed that she had for whatever reason eaten a few small shards of shale from the rock outcrop in the end of the back yard and one of these had cut a large blood vessel in her gut. As it happened quickly and while we were both at work, we didn't find her until she had died. It didn't bring L.R. Lady back, but it did alert us to a hazard in our environment and let us know that it wasn't something wrong in our breeding stock.

Again, I am very sorry for the loss of your pet.

Answer 3

e might have got a hold of a dead animal that was poisoned- such as a dead mouse that ate d-con. Or got ahold of some antifreeze in a container somewhere. I watched several rabbits die from either eating a plant that was poisonous or got a hold of some antifreeze- they were bleeding of the nose and mouth and had like a seizure and died ! It's a shame people aren't more careful with things that can easily kill and animal almost instantly! T he only way you really know for sure is to have a vet do an autopsy- which can be expensive.

Answer 4

She may try. It sounds like the pup may have swallowed something while in her care. Her own vet gave him a clean bill of health at her initial visit and you would have noticed him not well if it was something at your house. He wouldn't have gone a whole week without showing symptoms. If she tries to contact you again just let her know how sorry you are that the dog suffered such a misfortune but that you know you gave her a perfectly healthy dog. It's not like you gave a 2 year health guaranty...and that doesn't even cover foreign obstructions. It was her negligence that caused the poor little guy to swallow something he shouldn't have. You must feel terrible, but don't let her bully you into thinking it was your fault. Tell her to bring it on...and clean up her clutter!!!!

Answer 5

It's really hard to say what could have killed him, except for the fact that he had internal bleeding. One of the causes for internal bleeding is rat poisoning, which consist of human blood thinner.
Your only way to find out for sure, and I highly recommend it, is for you to have your vet do a necropsy on your dog. If it happened today, please wrap his little body up, and conserve it in a cold place, like a cooler, until tomorrow morning when you can take it to the vet. Make sure it doesn't freeze! Freezing will null any need for a necropsy.

Answer 6

Please get an autopsy.

If in fact, it's poison, you'll want to know how it came about. Was it something he accidentally got into, or, did someone deliberately give it to him?

I know in your grief, you aren't to think about these things yet, but if someone (neighbor?) is setting out poison for dogs, this is illegal and they need to be stopped. If it's something around your home that was an accident, you will want to find a different storage space so children and other pets cannot get into it either.

You will not rest until you know the cause of his death, so I hope it is not too late to find out.

My very first dog was a pug, and I feel your pain. You will be in my prayers.

Answer 7

I have had dogs as pets and I can really sympathize with what you're going through. The shock must be terrible for you. As others have suggested you should get an autopsy so that then you will have a definitive answer to what happened.

You will be in my thoughts.
Billie77

Answer 8

Whoa!

When I first saw your question I was thinking either a stroke or heart failure. But blood coming from it's mouth. I'm clueless.

P.S. Normally, I wouldn't give a reply to a question that I didn't know the answer to but I wanted to tell you I'm sorry about your pug.

Answer 9

Im so sorry to hear about your loss of your beloved pet, he might have had a massive heart attack and his heart exploded, again im sorry about your loss, like alot of people have answered maybe your vet can do an atopsy sorry about the spelling,,, but that will give you the best answer of what happen to him,

Answer 10

Could he have gotten into some Rat poison? A necropsy could tell you the cause of death.