# Causes of Sudden Death in Dogs?



## BrownieM (Aug 30, 2010)

Mil's littermate sister died last weekend. She was found dead and unfortunately the owner did not have a necropsy performed. A necropsy would have been helpful for the breeder and also could have been helpful to the owners of the other dogs from that litter.

She was 15 months old, found dead, tongue hanging out and bitten. She was laying at the bottom of steps leading up to a patio five feet above. No trauma to the body - it appeared normal. She was otherwise healthy, no history of any issues. 


Any ideas on possible causes of sudden death in a young, healthy, medium/large breed dog?

The only possibilities I have been able to come up with are: 

Seizures (of which she had no history) - Possibly had a seizure and then fell down the patio steps?
DCM - I have talked to a few owners of standard poodles who have lost poodles suddenly. Two proved DCM through necropsy. Tongue was bitten too.
A fall off of the patio when running with the other dogs? Possible broken neck?

Unfortunately, nobody will ever know what really happened, but I just hope it was a fluke and not a congenital issue of any kind.


----------



## 1605 (May 27, 2009)

BrownieM said:


> Mil's littermate sister died last weekend. She was found dead and unfortunately the owner did not have a necropsy performed. A necropsy would have been helpful for the breeder and also could have been helpful to the owners of the other dogs from that litter.
> 
> She was 15 months old, found dead, tongue hanging out and bitten. She was laying at the bottom of steps leading up to a patio five feet above. She was otherwise healthy, no history of any issues.
> 
> ...


Disturbing news, indeed. Can you please elaborate on what DM is? I'm not familiar with that term.


----------



## BrownieM (Aug 30, 2010)

SubMariner said:


> Disturbing news, indeed. Can you please elaborate on what DM is? I'm not familiar with that term.


OOPS DM is different - something that is actually genetically tested for and easily avoided.

I meant DCM. Let me get a link on DCM. It stands for Dilated Cardiomyopathy. Basically an enlarged heart. Fatal disease.


----------



## BrownieM (Aug 30, 2010)

Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM)


----------



## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

One of my chows died suddenly. She was absolutely fine, 8 years old, healthy as a horse as far as we knew. She let out a howl at 6am in her sleep and died. We tried CPR in the back of the SUV while rushing her to the emergency vets but there was nothing they could do by the time we got there. At the time my husband told them no necropsy (I was rather 'out of it' by then). 

So, it happens and I have no idea why. It could have been a drug reaction. I have since lost two very very young chows to drug reactions so I am becoming much more aware about the increasing number of dog breeds developing the MDR1 gene reaction to drugs. The list of drugs they can react to is huge and can be as simple as Immodium, St, Johns Wart, or Grapefruit Juice. It's not just in collies and herding breeds anymore.


----------



## SpooOwner (Oct 1, 2010)

I'm so sorry to hear this, Liz. The family must be devastated to lose a pet so young.


----------



## SerenityFL (Sep 28, 2010)

BrownieM said:


> Mil's littermate sister died last weekend. She was found dead and unfortunately the owner did not have a necropsy performed. A necropsy would have been helpful for the breeder and also could have been helpful to the owners of the other dogs from that litter.
> 
> She was 15 months old, found dead, tongue hanging out and bitten. She was laying at the bottom of steps leading up to a patio five feet above. No trauma to the body - it appeared normal. She was otherwise healthy, no history of any issues.
> 
> ...


Ok, this is like the 3rd or 4th incident in the last month to month and a half where I've heard a dog seizing up for no reason and dying. SOMETHING is going on...what is it!


----------



## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

This is terrible :frown:

Are they going to do a necropsy?


----------



## BrownieM (Aug 30, 2010)

DaneMama said:


> This is terrible :frown:
> 
> Are they going to do a necropsy?


No, the owner didn't do one. They emailed the breeder a couple of days after it happened, and for whatever reason breeder didn't get the email for another few days. (This apparently happened the weekend before this past weekend). It was already too late. Breeder is angry, would have wanted necropsy.


----------



## monkeys23 (Dec 8, 2010)

Was the breeding stock health tested for cardio issues?

My best friend had a Keeshond puppy from a way less than stellar breeder. At six months old her body basically stopped producing blood. She was very lethargic in a matter of a day and a half, so we took her in to the e-vet (I was staying with her while her hubby was deployed) and yeah, they could not find a cause and it would have taken upwards of $1500 just to stabalize her at that point. So we brought Lily in so she could understand what was happening had let Koko go from her defective body. I asked my vet about it later in case I needed to be watching Lily for anything and she said that she'd seen that happen every so often in dogs of all ages when she was still doing work in Colorado where she studied. After doing some research on reputable Keesh breeding and genetic disorders later on, I discovered that the breed carries a genetic blood disorder that all breeding stock should be tested for. So that may have been a factor, but its hard to tell for sure. Anyway that is really the only experience I have with weird sudden dog death.


----------



## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

I'd be livid if I were the breeder. It's a responsibility to the breeder to know if things like this pop up from a genetic standpoint. But I can also see it not being something on the mind of a grieving pet owner. Has the breeder tested her dogs for DCM?


----------



## BrownieM (Aug 30, 2010)

monkeys23 said:


> Was the breeding stock health tested for cardio issues?
> 
> .


Her dam was not. I am not aware of her sire having an EKG either. In my experience, it is not particularly common for standard poodles to be tested for heart issues before breeding, although it is a plus when I see it. In fact, to have a CHIC number, cardiac testing is one of the "electives" that a breeder can choose from.


----------



## BrownieM (Aug 30, 2010)

DaneMama said:


> I'd be livid if I were the breeder. It's a responsibility to the breeder to know if things like this pop up from a genetic standpoint. But I can also see it not being something on the mind of a grieving pet owner. Has the breeder tested her dogs for DCM?


They have not been, as I said before it really isn't one of the health tests that the majority of breeders routinely do before breeding. She is going to have an EKG done now, though, on Mil's dam as well as the bitch she kept from that litter.


----------



## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

Cardiomyopathy is the big one that comes to mind, it's very very common in backyard bred Boxers, and the stories I've heard all seem to be "he just dropped dead one day, no warning" type stories. 
What a tragic loss for that family, being big into Boxers, heart health is something that crosses my mind, and cardio tests are something that I need to see to buy with confidence, but I can see in a breed that isn't prone to it how it might be one of those "bonus" tests rather than required.


----------

