How my pet died?

Question

HI,

I was wondering if anyone has had an older dog die in his sleep when he seemed fairly healthy. I think the hardest part of an animales death is the mystery as to what happened. He was a 15 year old westie and did show signs of age. He had been deaf for about 3 years and recently started seeming a little confused and didnt like going on walks anymore, he slept a lot. But never seemed sick or in pain. Over the past few weeks he started peeing a lot and was peeing in the house.. this was odd for him. I put him on my bed one night and he just peed and didnt seem to think much of it. I made an appointment at the vet but he passed before the appointment. I took him to the beach a few days before and he seemed good.. he walked and looked happy and hung out the window in the car like he loved. Is it normal for an older dog to just die in his sleep? When I came home he looked like he was laying in one of his normal positions sleeping .. there was nothing around to indicate he was sick.

Answer 1

It sounds like your old friend lived a wonderful life and went peacefully. His heart probably just got tired and stopped. It sounds like his body was starting to shut down. Sorry for your loss.

Answer 2

I am very sorry for your loss. I know how hard it is. It's been 16 years since my first westie died and It's still hard, if you're a dog lover like I am, like my family is, the dog becomes part of your family instead of just a pet.

I think it was just his time. 15 years old is a good life for a westie. I had a westie who was playing, running around, having fun the night before. Never showed any signs that anything was going to happen. The next day he went to sleep on coats like he would do and couldn't get up, he couldn't move. We rushed him to the vet and found that a blood vessel burst in his heart. The vet said he wouldn't make it through the day and we had to put him down. He had just turned 16 a month before. I found out a few years later that he tried to hide under our deck the day before he died. Something he's never done before. We think he knew he was going to die.

Answer 3

I am so sorry for the loss of your beloved companion. I, too, had an older dog die in his sleep and was inconsolable because it seemed that there was no serious health problems to which I could attribute his death. Sometimes I think their little organs just get tired with age and finally give out. Now, he can have the eternal rest he needs and keep a loving eye on you.

Answer 4

First of all sorry for your loss. Losing a beloved pet is very hard.

It was probably just old age. A natural death. Best way to go is in his sleep. He felt no pain more and likely.

Be thankful he is now in a better place.

Be thankful you did not have to take him to the vet and have him put down. That is the hardest way to watch your pet pass.

It sounds like he was loved and lived a long happy life with you.

Answer 5

So sorry for your loss. Nothing hurts worse than the passing of your best friend. Been there, done that. Did your pet drink a lot of water? Peeing a lot and inside could have been the kidneys going out or maybe even diabetes. I once had a German Shepherd that was diagnosed with diabetes when he was 10 years old. I gave him insulin shots for 2 years before he passed away.

Answer 6

Lots of older dogs die in their sleep. They do that so they won't feel pain. I had a friend who's old dog died recently in her sleep and her only symptom was coufing. It was simply the dog's time to go and the peeing was probably his bladder becoming weaker. He might have had a bladder infection which could have contributed to his death. He also might have been tired and dizzy because of old age, showing he was just slipping away. The old age was the main cause of his death and like I said he could have had a bladder infection.

Answer 7

Sorry for your loss, on a positive note if your dog was otherwise healthy atleast this sounds like it was a peaceful passing. As to possible causes, there are probably a few things which don't present any major symptoms. If he was peeing a lot and having accidents there could have been a problem with his kidneys like an infection or disease that wasn't that noticable. Passing in his sleep with a kidney problem would say to me that his kidneys may have shut down from infection/disease and his blood then, in essence, caused his passing.
Very important to anyone if you see a change in the pattern of urination to atleast speak to a vet. There are numerous medical problems present themselves with changes in urination including bladder/kidney infection or something as major as cushings disease.

Answer 8

I'm sorry to hear about your westie. We lost one of our Rottweilers to a heart attack. She was sleeping by my mom and suddenly kicked out, voided on the bed, and was gone. We had no warning at all; she had been running and playing with our other dogs just a few hours before. We'd had her for 5 wonderful years (she was 7 when she died), and she's still missed every day.

Answer 9

Yes, this is very normal. Also when dogs get older their kidneys start to deteriorate thus they can not control their bladders, just like humans when we get older. I know it's sad to see your pet pass on, but the way he went is one of the best peacefully in his sleep with no pain or suffering. I'm sorry for your loss.

Best Wishes...

Answer 10

what were you feeding your dog? there have been stories out there that the food Beneful by Purina has caused perfectly healthy dogs to sicken and die over a short period of time. a few people at my vet's office have said they've seen many cases of dogs with bladder stones and other urinary-related illnesses that were caused by beneful. my dog got very sick and the minute we took him off the beneful and started feeding him something else, he went back to his old, happy self.
however, with a dog that old, it could well have been nothing more than old age. a dog as old as yours could just have gone to sleep, like older people do.
in any case, i'm very sorry to hear of your dog's passing.