Dog died over the course of a day!!!

[cat com]

I had a Westie terrier, an amazing and loving dog; yesterday morning around 6:00 AM he went outside into the garden and was running around, I went to get some sleep and at around 9 O clock he was a bit drowsy. I took notice and thought I’d phone the vet when they open. Cut to two hours later he won’t eat and just drinks water and was pretty lethargic, yet walking around. The vet said to bring him in tomorrow if more symptoms start or if these persist for more than a day. Night came and we went to sleep I woke to him dead. I have no idea what happened, I’ve had sick dogs before too yet death was never so sudden; he was around 6 years old and pretty lively.

 

[Meowmee]

So sorry for your loss. Will you be doing a necropsy to see what happened?

 

[cat com]

Sadly they aren’t available around here, autopsies aren’t conducted by the vet.

So sorry for your loss. Will you be doing a necropsy to see what happened?

 

[Kflowers]

I'm so sorry you lost your little one.

You could ask the vet for what might have happened.

I would check the garden where he was for anything unusual, anything you don't recognize. Pick it up with plastic between you and it and save in a plastic bag. Some rat poisons are in discs that the rats can and will carry from where they found it to their homes. These get dropped and left when the rat is frightened. This is also true of insect bait poisons.

Look for any new plants you weren't aware of in corners or nooks. Birds process seeds and drop them as do small animals. Here, I'm thinking the small animal may have carried something through uneaten and dropped it. Any plant related to lilies is very poisonous, even the pollen can kill a cat. Do you have lilies?

Just be certain your garden is again safe. Again, I'm so sorry this happened.

 

[cat com]

Definitely will be checking tomorrow and having a thorough breakdown of each section of the garden; but i guess I’m mostly feeling guilty of not having taken him to the vet on that day, it was so so so stupid of me honestly, I just didn’t know it was that bad, I feel like I’m the one who made this happen

I'm so sorry you lost your little one.

You could ask the vet for what might have happened.

I would check the garden where he was for anything unusual, anything you don't recognize. Pick it up with plastic between you and it and save in a plastic bag. Some rat poisons are in discs that the rats can and will carry from where they found it to their homes. These get dropped and left when the rat is frightened. This is also true of insect bait poisons.

Look for any new plants you weren't aware of in corners or nooks. Birds process seeds and drop them as do small animals. Here, I'm thinking the small animal may have carried something through uneaten and dropped it. Any plant related to lilies is very poisonous, even the pollen can kill a cat. Do you have lilies?

Just be certain your garden is again safe. Again, I'm so sorry this happened.

 

[fionasmom]

I am very sorry for your loss. If you cannot have a necropsy done, have a talk with your vet once you investigate the garden.

I have been, and still am, a decades long dog owner, often multiple dogs at the same time. From reading your post, I can see where your Westie became lethargic, but you did call the vet and you did plan to bring him in. Frankly, lethargy not accompanied by vomiting, bleeding, or signs of other distress might not have made me rush to the ER either. This could be much more multi faceted than you are realizing right now when all you can see to do is to blame yourself. This could range from a genetic issue which is in the breed, to an undetected medical condition...meaning there were no signs which would have made you take the dog to the vet in the first place.

It is not going to cheer you up if I go into stories of incidences like this that I am aware of including one of my own, but believe me, this can happen. Please let us know if you find out anything from the vet or if you want to just post to help deal with your loss.

 

[Kflowers]

The vet said to bring him in tomorrow if more symptoms start or if these persist for more than a day

It's very hard to go against a vet or a doctor. We are all in such a new situation all our old reflexes continue, you do what the vet says, you do what the doctor says, you forget that in another time they would have seen him before they said wait. It is not your fault.

Your little one felt no fear. You did not fail him. The country is in a difficult place, the confusion changes everything. You believed your vet. Your vet believed he was right in what he told you. Your little one felt no fear. Crossing over to the other side is a change of state not a change of being. He knows you did everything you could for him. He does not hold your decision against you. Now is when you carry the grief for him, with the blessing that he did not have to grieve for you alone in this world. He is safe and waiting patiently with old friends. You will never be truly apart, always together. You did not fail him.

 

[Maria Bayote]

I had a dog that died also in a span of several hours only. It was a weekend so there was no vet available. We just also noticed he had no appetite but he was still playing a bit, so when we called the vet on his mobile we were asked to bring our dog the next day Monday. But he did not last long. The next thing we knew, he was already dead. Vet said he died of cardiac arrest.

I am so sorry for your loss. I can relate how sad and painful it can be.

 

[Meowmee]

I know it probably won’t make you feel better now or maybe ever, sudden death is very hard, but at least he did not seem to suffer much or to be aware of what happened. If it was cardiac arrest he could have passed while asleep. Run free little guy and watch over your mom