# Sudden Death, Seeking Answers



## Clancy_Wiggum (Mar 21, 2014)

My female shepherd died in her crate last night. She was about two months shy of being 10 years old. She was showing zero signs of illness last night. My male is fine. I emailed the breeder just now to ask how long her mother lived. Do aggressive dogs live shorter lives? I bought her from a county sheriff; she was 100 miles an hour at everything all the time, very energetic and high drive.

My dogs were in a fenced backyard a lot. She killed two possums in the past week, but didn't eat them. I've seen her kill moles before, too. All I can guess about the cause of such a sudden death is a blockage of some sort. I can't find any sort of poison she might have gotten into. She wasn't foaming or salivating at the mouth. Bloat or blockage is the only thing I know of that kills a dog this fast.

Thank you in advance for any condolences. I posted this in the general information thread because I am mostly just wanting to figure out what happened to my dog. Thanks.


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## Courtney (Feb 12, 2010)

Very devastating. I'm very sorry to hear this

Honestly, the only way to know for sure is to have a necropsy done.


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## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

I am so sorry you have to go through this.. it must be hard, I can't even imagine. Have you called yoru vet? maybe to do an autopsy?


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

So sorry. One cause of sudden death is a rapidly growing cancer called hemangiosarcoma.

She is the right age and it is very common in our GSDs. Painless tumors grow on the spleen or heart then rupture and the dog dies a rapid death. Normally bloat gives some warning and the dog is in distress but with hemangio, they can just drop dead.


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## K9POPPY (Mar 6, 2014)

So very, very sorry for your loss. Been through what you are going through many times, probably was a hemangiosarcoma, it can happen very quickly without any warning signs.If the dog bloats, the belly will be just as the term bloat means, very extended, (you will know it), it also happens with horses as well- Wish there was something I could say to make things better for you- thinking of you today- All I know is you have to lean on all your good memories to help- Bob


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## BensLife (Mar 5, 2014)

I am so sorry for your loss. I can't imagine how much pain you're in waking up and seeing her like that. I hope you find the answer you're looking for. Again, my condolences. 

R.I.P


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## Daisy&Lucky's Mom (Apr 24, 2011)

I am so sorry for your loss. I have to agree with Jocoyn it sounds like hemangiosarcoma.We lost our 12 and half year old GSD Daisy to it. As Courtney said the only true way to know is a necropsy. We lose to many of our beloved breed to this dreadful killer. Again my condolences.


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## sitstay (Jan 20, 2003)

My thought is hermangiosarcoma as well. We lost my Jackson to that horrible disease almost two years ago now, and it was all over in the space of ten minutes. If I hadn't been here to witness his collapse and death it would have seemed a mystery.
Sheilah


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## zyppi (Jun 2, 2006)

can't offer any answers. I had this happen to a Lab one time.

So sorry!


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## Stosh (Jun 26, 2010)

I have to agree that hemangio is a likely cause. I'm sorry you lost her


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I hope it was hemangiosarcoma. I lost my heart-dog to it. She was about 9 years old. Very sad to be sure, but she was lying on her cot and had the most peaceful expression on her face. She was not ill. She was running about like a puppy earlier in the day. 

When they bleed out, they get sleepy and go to sleep. Then they die in their sleep. 

It is never easy to lose a dog, but the thing is, they will not live as long as we do, so they got to go some way. Hemangio does not prepare us for their passing. Only time helps us to reflect that at least the dog did not suffer. 

I am sorry for your loss.


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## Zeeva (Aug 10, 2010)

I think? Bloat and a blockage show symptoms and take a little bit of time...

I'm so sorry for your loss. I hope you find some comfort in knowing that hemangio was likely the cause and that it is associated with a peaceful sleep...

Praying for strength for you...


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## blackshep (Aug 3, 2012)

Cardiac arrest?

I'm sorry for your loss. I agree, you could get a necropsy done if you want definitive answers. Perhaps call to your nearest vet college, they might do it for you for teaching purposes.


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## Clancy_Wiggum (Mar 21, 2014)

Thank you to everyone for the responses. I buried her just now in a nice deep grave, across my backyard fence in a cow pasture. My remaining male shepherd can guard her grave from the coyotes. It is a quiet, peaceful place.

Her body was bloated; I couldn't tell if that was from having been dead since last night. I put her in the crate around midnight, and found her about 930 in the morning. She had been dead for a while.

The breeder said that her mother developed cancer on her leg and had to be put down at age 9. She said 10-12 years was their typical life expectancy with their past shepherds. My male is 11. I thought they lived longer.

Rest in peace, Nancy Reagan:
http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x252/dotheopposite/0112121346_01_zps8cdca3a2.jpg


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## jang (May 1, 2011)

I am so sorry for your heartache...I hope you can find peace, some how....I do not know how one can cope with the loss of a GSD...It would seem nothing else could compare to this loss. Blessings to you and yours....


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## LoveEcho (Mar 4, 2011)

No advice, just wanted to say how sorry I am  :hugs:


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

May you find peace in knowing she went in her sleep. I'm very sorry for your loss.


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## nktigger99 (Aug 22, 2006)

I am so sorry for your loss......they are never with us long enough. 

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## K9POPPY (Mar 6, 2014)

My heart breaks for you today. I buried my beloved male GSD in February. I feel your pain. Thanks so much for sharing her picture. She looks so much like one of my GSD's from years ago, such a beautiful dog. I will be thinking of you, so sorry. Bob

RIP, Nancy Reagan


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## Clancy_Wiggum (Mar 21, 2014)

Thank you so much. This forum is probably the most sympathetic place in the world for me, because we all understand the value of a good shepherd. If the mods here need to move this thread to the Loving Memory section, I understand. I have a good idea of why she died now, which is what I wanted.

Here are some other pics:
http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x252/dotheopposite/pond_zpsa0621854.jpg

http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x252/dotheopposite/1226121237_zps5d4cea12.jpg

http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x252/dotheopposite/2shepherds-1.jpg

The best story I could tell about Nancy involves a summer storm knocking down a big tree branch on the fence around her dog pen. I went out after the storm had passed and tried to pull the branch off the fence. It was big and did not move easily. I tried a second time, setting my heels and pulling as hard as I could. I looked behind me, and Nancy had set her teeth into the end of the tree limb and was pulling backward with all her might. She could see what I was trying to do and jumped in to help me. I have never seen that type of intelligence in a dog, and I have had dogs all my life.

Her father's father was the 1998 V1 Champion of Hungary. She had some great genes.

Thank you again to everyone here.


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## Nigel (Jul 10, 2012)

I'm sorry you lost Nancy, it does sound like hermangiosarcoma. My last dog took off across the yard after a cat I think, when she returned I could tell something was wrong. When she refused to eat her breakfast a few minutes later, I noticed her abdomen began swelling up, I knew what it was right away.


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## Thayna (Mar 25, 2013)

Sorry for your loss Nancy I agree sounds like hemangiosarcoma. 
I lost 2 dogs to that Grrrrr I have a question for those that have lost dogs did you notice any type of neurological incident a few months prior to loss. Both of my dogs exhibited what I now consider an indicator one had a seizure and the other one had what the vet thought was a vestibular incident .
Trudy


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## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

hemangio also has signs and in my experience has not been that instant. Dogs do mask a lot. It's just hard to say what caused her death. Could your vet do a necropsy for you?


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## Clancy_Wiggum (Mar 21, 2014)

I buried her already.

I did not notice anything behaviorally different. I did notice that she had diarrhea a couple of days ago. But she was her usual self up until the end. She was having a good time barking at cows the day before she died. There could certainly have been signs that I missed, though. She was out of my sight in the backyard quite a bit. 

My male shepherd is depressed now. He hasn't eaten.


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## Susan_GSD_mom (Jan 7, 2014)

middleofnowhere said:


> hemangio also has signs and in my experience has not been that instant. Dogs do mask a lot. It's just hard to say what caused her death. Could your vet do a necropsy for you?


Yes, sometimes hemangiosarcoma does have signs. With our first dog who suffered with it, he had been acting a bit "punky" for a couple days, then I felt the tumor while petting him on his side. He went into surgery the next day, the spleen was removed, and we enjoyed having him with us for six more months. Unfortunately, then he had to be put down when the cancer was found in his lungs.

The dog I lost to hermangio last December had some vague symptoms when we got up the morning he died, then I noticed his abdomen swelling, and we rushed him to an emergency clinic within a couple hours of when we got up in the morning. He died in my arms while they were preparing him for surgery.

So even when you are attuned to your animals, that wicked disease can still take them in the end.

Susan


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## Susan_GSD_mom (Jan 7, 2014)

Clancy_Wiggum said:


> I buried her already.
> 
> I did not notice anything behaviorally different. I did notice that she had diarrhea a couple of days ago. But she was her usual self up until the end. She was having a good time barking at cows the day before she died. There could certainly have been signs that I missed, though. She was out of my sight in the backyard quite a bit.
> 
> My male shepherd is depressed now. He hasn't eaten.


I have found that if your situation allows, get another puppy or a rescue as soon as possible. It will help your boy get his mind off her, and it will help you not dwell on her death. I know how hard it is, believe me. My heart goes out to you.

Susan


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## Clancy_Wiggum (Mar 21, 2014)

Thank you again to everyone who posted in this thread. You help me more than you realize.

I drove to a county pound four hours away from me today to adopt a new female shepherd. I posted a thread about it here: http://www.germanshepherds.com/foru...289-new-dog-very-challenging.html#post5293961

I can never replace my amazing dog that died, but I can get a new dog that is amazing in her own ways. That is the process of moving on. Every dog we love until death is irreplaceable, but we still love the breed.


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## trcy (Mar 1, 2013)

Susan_GSD_mom said:


> I have found that if your situation allows, get another puppy or a rescue as soon as possible. It will help your boy get his mind off her, and it will help you not dwell on her death. I know how hard it is, believe me. My heart goes out to you.
> 
> Susan


I got a new puppy 4 days after Riley passed. It did help me function better, but did not relieve the grief at all. I still grieve for him and it's been 6 months. I love our new puppy and he has helped me a great deal, but I don't think anything can alleviate the grief and loss I feel for Riley. 

I'm sorry for your loss. (hugs)


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## Clancy_Wiggum (Mar 21, 2014)

My girlfriend had a boxer named Riley. They were very close. He died last year. She has a new boxer puppy now, but I don't think she'll ever love another dog as much as she did Riley.

Riley stopped eating a couple days before he died. I was literally stuffing bacon down his throat in a desperate attempt to make him eat. We knew he was about to die, so my girlfriend slept on the couch with him at her feet. After she left in the morning for work, he retreated to his crate and wouldn't come out. Then unexpectedly he arose about noon and went over to the couch. I put him outside, and (thank you God) I did it very gently and lovingly. He then found a nice place in the yard to go and die. The reason he had gotten up out of the crate is that he wanted to die where he had slept with his owner the night before; he knew it was coming.


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## vprasad (May 17, 2013)

I'm truly sorry for your loss. I had to go through something similar the beginning of last year. My labrador, who is always wanting to eat, didn't eat his food. I don't think much of it and the next thing I see is that his right leg was a little swollen up. Took him to the doctor and they said that he had 24 hours to live. He had lymph node cancer, I think its called lympho-blastoma. The doc said he will die in 24-48 hours. I had to put him to sleep because as the hours progressed, he couldn't even walk. I gave him ice cream and he didn't eat it.


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## Shaolin (Jun 16, 2012)

I have nothing more to say than I'm sorry for your loss. 

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## Angelina03 (Jan 9, 2012)

I'm so sorry for loss. She was a beautiful and amazing dog. I hope you find peace in your grieving and are able to console your male. 


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## Clancy_Wiggum (Mar 21, 2014)

I tried to console him as much as I could, even adopted another female GSD to keep him company, but it wasn't enough. He died in his sleep last night. He didn't want to live any more after Nancy died. I buried them together. Rest in peace, Clancy.


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## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

Clancy_Wiggum said:


> I tried to console him as much as I could, even adopted another female GSD to keep him company, but it wasn't enough. He died in his sleep last night. He didn't want to live any more after Nancy died. I buried them together. Rest in peace, Clancy.


He was a beautiful boy. So sorry for both your losses.


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## K9POPPY (Mar 6, 2014)

So so sorry to hear about your GSD's. It is never easy, thinking about you and your wonderful GSD's today- Bob


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## Angelina03 (Jan 9, 2012)

Oh no. I'm so sorry. May your babies rest in peace. 


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I'm sorry. He was a beautiful dog, and their ability to attach to other critters is why they make such great companions to us. Unfortunately, losing them, and when they lose each other, it is so very difficult.


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## brightspot (Apr 18, 2013)

I'm so sorry for your loss. 

I may be totally wrong, but two of them passing so close together? Could there be something in the environment?


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## volcano (Jan 14, 2013)

I hope its nothing in your environment thats killing them.


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## Clancy_Wiggum (Mar 21, 2014)

She was ten, and he was eleven. He had developed a limp on his front leg. I thought he could have hurt it falling on the ice this winter. It was worse after resting, then the limp would almost go away, which I read on here is a sign of elbow dysplasia. It could have also been bone cancer or a tumor. Even if I knew, I would not have done anything differently than let him die in peace. He just seemed to give up on life after Nancy died

He was acting restless the night before he died. He kept pacing around like he was trying to pick out his spot. He would walk to the corner of the room and stare into it, as if he was watching something that only he could see.


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