# Sudden Death - 4 year old German Shepherd



## bowwow

We just lost our much loved, very healthy and happy 4 year old german shepherd to sudden death. He literally died in his tracks during an evening walk. It was heart wrenching, heart breaking, and completely devastating to witness. A necropsy was done and there was no immediate reason found for this beautiful dog to not still be alive and yet he lay dead. Tissue samples of his heart, lungs, liver and spleen were sent out to a veterinary college for further review in the hope some definitive answers can be found. The most likely scenario appears to be tachycardia or a sudden misfiring of his heart. Generally issues of genetic heart problems are discovered early in puppyhood where sudden death occurs with young puppies or those under 1 year old. It is unusual but not unlikely for the genetic issue to surface later and suddenly and without symptoms result in death. One puppy in our dog's litter did die a sudden death when it was only a couple of months old. We had heard the story and felt the pain the owner must have experienced but we had wrongly assumed it was an odd incident that we didn't need to be concerned with and went about our life with our dog. The genetic component only needs to be carried on one parent. If the issue shows up in a litter the breeder needs to be aware that the genetics is there. If a puppy dies of a sudden death in a litter the other puppies and related dogs are at risk even into adulthood. There are steps to find the issue such as looking closely at the health of the breeding pairs by following up on the health of litters and if a problem is possible because a sudden death has occurred then an EKG and electrocardiogram may detect an issue.

There are a ton of things we wish we had known, a ton of would haves, could haves, what ifs, and if only continually flood our grief....but it doesn't change the reality that our dog is gone, our hearts are broken, each sighting of a toy, a treat box, an empty bed, fur that was shedded or left in a brush, and the vacant yard bring on the tears. Our dog should be here and yet he is gone. He left in a instant in front of our eyes..................and now our eyes see everything through tears.


----------



## gsdsar

I am so so sorry for you loss. I can't even imagine your pain.


----------



## zetti

So very sorry for your terrible loss. I can't even imagine what you must be going through. How awful for you and your beloved fur baby.


----------



## Jenny720

I'm sure this must feel like you are trapped in your worst nightmare. I'm so sorry for such a sudden loss. There are a few who mentioned on this forum occurrences such as yours.


----------



## dogfaeries

I am so sorry. I have no words.


----------



## dogma13

So very sorry for your loss.Just heartbreaking.


----------



## TwoBigEars

I am so sorry. My heart aches with yours, as one week ago today I also lost my 4 year old to a sudden, unexpected medical death. Losing a pet is never easy, but losing these young dogs without warning is so much harder. We continue to dwell on the regrets and what-ifs, the heartbreak of the empty house and daily moments that are no more. I hope you can find some answers for the tragic loss of your pup. So sorry.


----------



## DennisTinsley

Breaks my heart to hear this...I am so sorry for your loss.


----------



## charger

I'am so sorry for you loss.


----------



## Daisy&Lucky's Mom

I am so sorry. My heart goes out to you.To lose a family member like your pup in the prime of their life and so suddenly is incredibly difficult. My thoughts are with you at this difficult time.


----------



## selzer

I'm sorry for your loss. 

Could it have been an aneurism? When I was a kid, my neighbor's Newf was lost to that. Happy, athletic, ran around the house and dropped dead. Terrible thing, and young too.


----------



## Gunny

That is some tough stuff right there, Sorry for your loss...

We lost our big girl three months ago...never enough time with them I think.


----------



## NancyJ

Such a terrible loss. So sorry. It is great you are getting at the root of it and may save someone else the same pain.


----------



## Lorrie

I am so sorry for your loss. It's just heartbreaking!


----------



## onyx'girl

so tragic, I can't imagine the pain you are dealing with. I am so sorry for your loss.


----------



## Heartandsoul

I am so sorry. Trying to make sense of it all has to be so difficult. RIP beautiful boy.


----------



## bowwow

Thank you we are hoping to get an answer that at least will be helpful to not only us in understanding what has happened but also to help others avoid it.


----------



## bowwow

At this point aneurysm is not suspected. There seems to be two possibilities and one should be ruled out when tissue testing is completed next week. Most likely scenario is tachycardia or a misfiring of his heart. The remote possibility is Chagas disease caused by the kissing bug of which we have in great numbers. They can and often do carry a parasite that can be deadly and can even cause sudden death in dogs. Usually there would be heart damage that could be seen with the necropsy or noted with symptoms and that was not seen so it becomes less likely and could be ruled out unless the tissue samples show something different.


----------



## Hineni7

Prayers to you and your family... Words don't help, but know we all hurt for you... My deepest sympathy


----------



## LJak007

My thoughts, love and light are coming to you and your family. I, too, lost my 10 month old boy this last week to something equally sudden and tragic. The grief is unimaginable, although every person here has gone through it, when they attach themselves to your very soul it's a billion times worse. In a complete mess here and shedding some tears for the others lost this week, your guy included. :'(


----------



## Loneforce

I am sorry for your loss


----------



## Julian G

So sorry. Sounds terrifying; just going on an evening walk and then your dog dies suddenly. Most likely it had something to do with the heart.


----------



## kelbonc

Heartbreaking. I am so very sorry for your loss. RIP sweet boy.


----------



## bowwow

I want to share what my daughter wrote about her dog on her Facebook yesterday. It is a reminder of how deeply pets effect our lives and for my daughter her dog has been a huge part of her life these last four years as she navigated through her teens. We hope that all breeders realize the lives their puppies effect and make the best efforts to produce healthy and long lived litters. I am sorry I can't share a photo. The thought of trying to search for another dog is overwhelming but also the thought of not having a shepherd is just as overwhelming. 

"Exactly one year ago today, I shared this photo of Blade and I on my instagram in light of National Dog Day..... Not knowing that only 359 days later would be the last time I would ever get to see my sidekick, my number one companion, my partner in crime, my best friend, and the love of my life.

Some people's everyday morning routine is to drink coffee or watch the news. For the last 4 years my morning routine always began with a few tosses of a frizbee and Blade running after it. There were a lot of the times he wouldn't bring the frizbee back and I would have to chase him around the yard. He loved doing this because I could never catch him. He was silly like that and I swear he was smarter than I was too! Every night I would walk him around a neighborhood or take him swimming in our pool. He loved both of these things! He even designated himself to be the unofficial lifeguard. He would jump in the pool and bite someone's arm and swim with them to safety. We took him to the beach once. The waves were a little scary for him, so we stuck to chasing the seagulls and eating cheetos. He always managed to make me laugh with the silly things he did. I loved everything about him unconditionally and endlessly. Blade was my reason for getting out of bed in the morning and he made every single day worth living.

But for this year's National Dog Day all I have is a box. A light brown cedar box. A box that contains nothing more than the ashes of memories.... and my broken heart."


----------



## sitstay

OP, what a heartbreaking experience! I lost my eight year old GSD in 2012 to hemangiosarcoma. We had no idea he was sick and he collapsed and died right in front of us. I know how devastating this kind of loss is. My heart goes out to you.
Sheilah


----------



## LuvShepherds

I'm sorry to hear of your loss. How devastating. Did you tell the breeder?


----------



## bowwow

The breeder is aware of the issue, unfortunately this breeder has become less and less concerned with breeding quality and it seems more concerned with just producing.


----------



## ausdland

I'm sorry for your loss! I can't see where you are located. If you purchased your pup from a breeder in Northern California, would you mind sending me a pm of who that breeder is?


----------



## TiaMarie

I'm so sorry to hear of your loss, I could never imagine what you must be going through. Sending hugs and positive thoughts your way that you get through this difficult time.


----------



## bowwow

I so appreciate everyone's kindness and sympathy. I means a lot and helps it helps to ease the sadness of our loss. For all of those who have a similar story or who shared their story of loss of their dogs, thank you. I know you understand how much it hurts. 

For those who are wondering about the breeder of our dog or where they are located the sad fact is that it really does not matter where they are located because it is a genetic issue that is far wide in scope and well distributed in the breed. The issue my dog succumbed to has a genetic component for not only it occurring but also a predisposition for it to occur But in this particular issue the most likely time for it to present itself is in middle aged or 4-6 year old. It occurs more frequently in males. As you can imagine, if my dog had been used for breeding he could have produced a large number of offspring and he could have passed on the trait to high percentage of them and owners of his offspring could well be believing they have a healthy beautiful dog not realizing the life span will be so short.

To be fair to all the naysayers, of course the issue could be the result of an an infection that is viral or bacterial that just happened to travel to the heart and for which there would have been no way to prevent it or know it even occurred. This happens also in people. But even in people there is still a genetic link in many cases. If heart disease is in your family you understand the implications which is why doctors have you answer the question on the forms and ask you in person. Unfortunately we don't have that family health history with most purebred dogs but maybe we should.

Buyers who ask detailed questions or request health histories of the breeding stock or request information on longevity of offspring are often declared to be annoying and are pushed aside, ignored, or dismissed because after all there are other buyers who don't ask or who are satisfied in a bare minimum statement from the breeder. A health guarantee with a puppy is not a guarantee for health and there are no 100 percent assurances, but it should not be unreasonable to request or expect breeders to keep health histories, longevity data, and to inform their buyers of them.


----------



## KinsleyBlue

I am so sorry for your loss. We lost our GSD suddenly way too young as well. He was a rescue and we didn't know his health history or family history. 4 years later we still miss him terribly. The unknown is hard too. I hope that you at least find some comfort in answers. My heart is breaking for you.


----------



## maxtmill

I am so sorry for your loss.


----------



## Linda1270

I am so terribly sorry for your loss, how heartbreaking, I can only imagine the pain that you and your family are going through. Wish I could think of something profound to say but I am completely stunned.


----------



## bowwow

Thank you Linda1270 and Maxtmill.


----------



## wolfstraum

I am so sorry for your loss.....devastating to lose them at any age but even so much more heartbreaking when it is young and so unexpected...my heart goes out to your daughter as well....


Unfortunately, in this country, we have so so so many commercial and backyard breeders who do not understand, know or care about any thing except sales and money. Breedings are done with marketability as the primary focus - using imported stock or certain colors or flavor of the month or size or any number of factors to appeal to the buying public. Those breeders who concentrate on their lines, pedigrees and building a true "program" are far and few between....there are a few here, and some others out there, but they are certainly in the minority.....

It is also hard to keep track of every puppy - most people are happy to share information as their dog grows up, but invariably you lose track of a few pups in each litter.....breeders who produce 5 - 10 - 20 litters a year certainly do not seem to be able to give you background on the families of each pup they produce....so while it is ideal to know what is in the background health wise, you will rarely be able to learn this information.....personally, I have a 4th generation young female here and her almost 13 year old grandmother (Oct 3 is her 13th birthday) and I know the history of most of this family. But that is not common.

Again, I am so sorry for your loss.....there have been too many of our dog friends losing dogs in the last weeks


Lee


----------



## Walter Mitty

Sorry for your loss


----------



## Walter Mitty

Sorry for your loss


----------



## whitneyk1719

I am so very sorry for you sudden loss. I cannot imagine the pain you are going through right now. You and your family will be in my thoughts and prayers.


----------



## Sabis mom

Walter Mitty said:


> Sorry for your loss[/QUrOTE]
> Hi Walter. Are you ok? You are bumping all the loss threads. Makes me wonder if you are mourning? If you are tell us about it. Most of us have been there. It helps to talk sometimes.


----------



## scarfish

Sabis mom said:


> Walter Mitty said:
> 
> 
> 
> Sorry for your loss[/QUrOTE]
> Hi Walter. Are you ok? You are bumping all the loss threads. Makes me wonder if you are mourning? If you are tell us about it. Most of us have been there. It helps to talk sometimes.
> 
> 
> 
> he's doing this on purpose so people that only browse recent topics get screwed. thank him for me.
Click to expand...


----------



## Nurse Bishop

Some time has passed now I hope the shock of this loss has lessened.

In my experience the best cure for dead dog is 'Nuther Puppy'. They will make you laugh and know that life goes on. People who have puppies are surrounded by an aura of happiness. I hope you get another baby dog.


----------

