i need to know the cause of my dog's death, what did she die from?

Question

my dog, magnolia died early morn on 2/2/07. she was falling down and banging into things, acting pretty much like she was drunk. her breathing was labored. she hasn't been eating right for a week or so.

my dog who was checked by a vet REGULARLY AND HAD AN APPOINTMENT FOR SATURDAY. I CALLED THE VET WHEN SHE STARTED GETTING WORSE BUT THEY WERE CLOSING AND SUGGESTED I TAKE HER TO AVETS IN MONROEVILLE, MAGGIE DIED ON THE WAY TO THE HOSPITAL. AGAIN MY DOG MAGNOLIA WAS TREATED AS MY DAUGHTER AND WAS CHECKED REGULARLY FOR ALL YOU INCONSIDERATE JERKS!

Maggie was ten years old, i had her since birth. thank you for all your condolences and i am sorry for the loss of your friends as well

Answer 1

I am so sorry for your loss. I know how bad and how deep the hurt can be.You didn't mention her age, but the loss of or a poor appetite for a week or so followed by the labored breathing, sounds like there may have been heart and or lung issues. Possibly congestive heart failure, which causes shortness of breath, loss of energy and poor appetite. Caused because the heart is either just plain old worn out and cannot pump hard enough to keep everything in a smooth flow, or maybe heart disease. Whatever the cause, you did provide good care for your dog, and sometimes things do happen very quickly and you have no control over the situation. You did your best to try and get her to another vet..Don't let the nasty comments from other people on this site get to you.They are just cruel and obviously think they know it all. I did not see any DVM at any of the names.She did not get "bad" for long enough for you to have to make the awful decision to put her down, and for that, you are very lucky.I know you have heard this before, but time does lessen the hurt. Hang in there, be assured you did all you could and know she loved you. God Bless-Namaste'

Answer 2

my dog died that way 2 an she was bleeding it was parvo, i very painfull way 2 go its very hard but i could not save her, an people should not tell u that u should hve taken her to the vet cause mayb at the time u didnt hve the money, an it does not mean u dont care 4 your dog or that it was your falt, cause its not.i do no why u want 2 no what it was that happened, but this wil cost alot of money ok, i think sometimes is best left alone but then 2 mayb wil help if u did no, but if it was something that could hve been helped, u will feel even worse, theses things can happen to alot of us, i mean i could go on an tell u a few stories about a few cats an dogs i hve lost, an i wil never 4 get it cause i thought was my falt an kept thinking what if. but it dont help.im so sorry 4 your loss, its like loseing a loved 1, an i think of all my animals as though they were kids its very hard call me if u like 2 talk i dont mind. take care talkin can help sometimes. i also agree with the person above me in what they said, about not 2 listen 2 the cruel people

Answer 3

First off let me say I am sorry for your loss. They are like your kids. I know my pets are. It could be different things as to what the cause was. If you really want to pursue it you can have a vet do a necropsy on her. Like people said it could have been a stoke. It can also have been a seizure that you never saw which could have cause neurological problems. It does happen.
I hope you do find out. There is a chance though with the necropsy they might NOT be able to tell.

Answer 4

she had a lot of bad symptoms.sounds like she was in shock.
maybe an allergic reaction to some medicine. labored breathing is a bad sign. her brain wasn't getting enough oxygen.
you will probably never know the cause of her death. to find out for sure will cost a great deal of money. autopsy's are expensive.
i suggest you let it go.remember the good times and what a friend she was. in time you will get a new friend.

UPDATE
when you find your new friend, i hope you consider a new vet. he should have known this was an emergency situation and stayed until you arrived with your sick pet. my vet does. he knew your dog well and has excepted your money for the easy treatments.BAD VET!

Answer 5

Did you take her to the vet? Sounds like some type of nerve damage. Did she get into anything bad like chemicals or antifreeze? I worked at a vet and had to watch a cat die from antifreeze before. It upsets their stomachs so they won't eat and slowly eats away their insides. They loose function of their body and eventually die. I worked back in the kennel and the vet refused to treat the cat anymore or release it because the family owed him money for the previous treatment and they couldn't pay anymore. So the vet just let the cat die... I quit shortly after.
Also, vets usually tell cause of death even after the animal dies if you haven't already buried her.

Answer 6

I'm so sorry for your loss. I lost one of my dog's yesterday, she had to be euthenized, and I know how hard it can be on someone.

There are hundreds of possibilities regarding what killed your dog but it sounds like a neurological issue to me--blood clot, heart attack, stroke, kidney/liver failure and of course some of these can be the ultimate reaction to posioning.

I'm curious what kind of food you fed her? There are reports right now that bags of Beneful kibble bought around Christmas were laced with some kind of toxic mold. My friends dog has symptoms similar to what you're describing--almost complete peralysis on one side of her body (which had her falling over when she stood up, running into things, etc, etc). I'd consider dumping the food out (if you offer Beneful) and examining it for mold.

Otherwise the only way to find out exactly what killed your poor pooch is to perform a necropsy (autopsy for animals).

Answer 7

It could be worms, you know parasites that sometimes always gets inside dogs bellys or heart when they lick or eat. Think about it, did your dog chew, lick or eat something thats not even clean like water and the food you feed him, is it leftover, I never let my dog die or suffer cause I promise to do my best to take good care of my dog and treat it as part of my family.

Answer 8

She could have died from old age. How old was she? Larger dogs live on average around 6-7 years (sometimes more) and smaller dogs can live up to around 15 years.

Answer 9

Your vet can do a necropsy to see if they can tell what was wrong. Otherwise they will have to go by the symptoms. A layperson can't really know. What matters is that you gave her the best life possible and the best quality of life until she passed.

I am sorry for your loss.

Best Wishes.

Answer 10

You can always speculate using the symptoms she was showing before she passed, but the only way to be sure is to have a vet perform a necropsy on her.

I am very sorry for your loss.