Sudden Death in Dogs – Pet Health Network

The tragic unexpected loss of a dog is always painful. Most of us dont think of our dogs suddenly dying with no warning, but it does occur. Understanding what happened and how it happened are a significant part of closure to our loss.

In a study of autopsies performed at Purdue University Small Animal Diagnostic Laboratory1 over a five-year period, nearly 10 percent (112 cases) had been associated with sudden unexpected death. None of these dogs had a history of existing disease.

Dog owners often jump to conclusions in these cases -- Somebody poisoned my dog! -- when in reality malicious poisonings are extremely uncommon and most of those suspected are inadvertent exposures. The causes found by pathologists involved:

A similar survey had been published in Canada and resulted in similar figures2.

Causes of Death

Unfortunately, in spite of all efforts, some causes of death remain undetermined. However, it is always good to pursue a cause of death for your own peace of mind and to protect other pets.

General causes of sudden death can be grouped according to the organ system involved:

Toxins may also be involved but no one toxin is more likely to have caused a dogs death than others.

Purdue University SurveyHere is a deeper look into some of the results from the Purdue University study.

Unfortunately over 20% of cases had no determination of the cause of death. Nonetheless, every effort should be made to find the cause of unexpected death be it sudden or not. This is important for your personal peace of mind as well as for the protection of other pets.

If you have any questions or concerns, you should always visit or call your veterinarian -- they are your best resource to ensure the health and well-being of your pets.

Resources:

1. Dr. Bill Wigle. "Diagnositc Profiles: Sudden Death in Dogs. Purdue University Small Animal Diagnostic Labratory. Summer 2012.

2.Causes of sudden and unexpected death in dogs: A 10-year retrospective study. Olsen TF and Allen AL: 2000. Can Vet J 41:873-875.

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Sudden Death in Dogs - Pet Health Network