Our 18mo old Golden Retriever died this morning. While eating his AM meal. he fell over,stopped breathing...?

Question

his tongue turned blue. He was rushed to the vet, DOA.
2 weeks ago he was neutered. His vitals/surgery/recovery was routinely normal. What could have caused this to happen?

Answer 1

some food must have gotten stuck and choke anyways the vet you took the dog to should have given you and explanation or if it was the same vet that did the operation maybe he's trying to cover up some mistake he did with the operation??????

Answer 2

I"m so sorry to hear of your loss and he was so young. Please talk to your vet about an autopsy if still possible. It could have been choking to an allergic reaction to something unknown.

By having an autopsy done you may find the cause of the death and find out if it may be preventable in the future, or if there was a genetic problem you need to contact the breeder and let him/her know. If there is a genetic cause the breeder may happily give you another puppy when you are ready, or at least she will have information she needs for her breeding program. If it's not genetic, and it probably isn't by the sounds of it, you should allow yourself and your family some time to heal and consider getting another dog after you feel ready. It's hard to say it, but often the best way to recover from a loss of a pet is to find a new one to share your love with. Until then, just try your best to think of your favorite times with your dog and know that he was greatly loved and had a happy life while on this earth.

Best wishes.

Answer 3

DM, I am so very, very sorry to hear of your Golden's death. I, too, lost a Golden when he was only 18 months old, and the pain it caused still surfaces once in a while. An autopsy showed a blood clot in his heart. Knowing the reason helped a little; you might say it gave us closure. I wonder if your vet could still do an autopsy to ascertain the real reason behind your beloved companion's death. It's possible that something got stuck in his throat when he was eating, but it's also possible that it was caused by a genetic defect that had gone unnoticed. In that case, the breeder should either give you another puppy or return your money, which I realize isn't worth a hill of beans when what you really want is to have your beloved fur child at your side. Just remember, he took your love with him and he'll be waiting for you at the Rainbow Bridge.

Answer 4

While I have never heard of this happening in the time I have worked as a vet tech it would appear that he choked while he was eating. Other than a sudden heart failure it really is the only thing that makes logical sense. It would be an unusual occurance but it could happen. All that would need to happen was for him to inhale a piece of his food and get it caught and it would all happen too quick to save him.

I highly doubt that his surgery had anything to do with what happened today. I am sorry for your loss. Such a sudden and dramatic death like this is very difficult.

Answer 5

I agree with most of the other answerers, ask your vet for an autopsy. This might be expensive but then you will know what actually happened to your pet and this will help with the grieving process.
I am so sorry for your loss. I had to put down my 15 year old lab a few weeks ago and that was hard, but to not know would make it just harder.
Best wishes to you and your family.
If you have children let them know about the rainbow bridge (you'll find it on the net) this helped my kids and it might help you too.
Again all the best.

Answer 6

I am so very sorry for your loss.

Barring the fact that he may of choked , which would have been easily diagnosed by your vet, the only other thing I could thing of would be pulmonary emboli; a blood clot thrown to the lungs or heart

The dog was two weeks post op ...and in rare cases in animals and humans, the body causes coagulants in the blood to hyper-produce. This increases the chances of a clot forming . Basically a clot forms near the surgery site , usually in a limb or in the IVC ( the main vein within the abdomen)itself. eventually a piece of this clot breaks off , traveling to the heart or lungs. This can cause severe acute onset of respiratory stress, and in some cases it can be instantly fatal .

I know this was a tough day for you and your family. My thoughts and most sincere heartfelt warm wishes are bing sent to you and yours .

~Ej

Answer 7

I am very upset that the vet did not tell you the cause of death. I knw this is a hard time for you right now but I would call the vet in the morning and ask them to do a necropsy on the dog and get some answers.

Answer 8

My guess would be he choked on some food, and by the time you got him to the vet the food dislodged. However, was there something new in the food your dog could have been allergic to? I think only an autopsy would tell for sure, but I don't know if you want to go that route. I am sorry for the loss.

Answer 9

I do believe you can ask for a autopsy, I would assume that since your lab had surgery it could have had a blood clot travel to the brain or lungs..Animals have a very good reflex for choking, better then human beings, so I don't think that's it or you would have noticed, I am sorry for your loss, I am a huge dog lover myself. If it was a clot..there is no fault, it was just one of those things that happen in life, sad to say.

Answer 10

I don't believe it has anything to do with being neutered. Neutering is a very safe procedure.
Sudden death is dogs is usually caused by heart disease called cardiomyopathy. Cardiomyopathy refers to disease of the heart muscle. Some dogs are born with this and there is nothing to be done to prevent it.
. I would urge you to have an autopsy done. It will give you closure and help you heal.
I am so sorry for your loss. I know it is like losing a member of your family.

Answer 11

Sorry for the loss of your dog.I love golden retrievers. As many here have said get an autopsy done on the dog. Might of choaked or it might of been a genetic problem.