Yesterday I learned that my friends Golden of 4 and half years old, went to bed normally Friday night and died in the early hours of Saturday morning. Needless to say they are shocked to the core. This is the second time I have heard this happening, the other a 3 yo in the same circumstances. Both dogs slim, fit incredibly athletic well grown and muscular. Endearing temperaments. This last one was doing very well at Obedience and was worked solcialised and had a very athletic life.

Has anyone else heard of this?

They are too shocked to do a PM as was the other couple, ad the Vet thinks cardiac in both cases but nothing ever found on health checks and NEITHER had any illnesses ever.

Can anyone throw light on this? Has anyone heard of this in Goldens? I have heard of it in Boxers but heart problems were detected at an early stage....nothing with these 2 lads, both entire, both had fantastic lives.

How very sad. If it were me I would have to do a PM to find out.

How long before did they have hearts checked? I've got a young Golden who went from no problem at all to a murmur and physical problems in just about 3 months. :(

No, I haven't heard of any problems like this, however, I did hear of a 1 year old Labrador that did the same thing and was found all cuddled up in his bed the next morning. I think I would have to have a PM done to find out as it would eat away at me.

Hello there so sorry to hear about your friends dogs
The only information i have is I have lost 2 of my beloved briards like this althrough 1 was 11 but we found her dead she was fine in the morning had breakfast we found her at about 11 o'clock again she was fit and healthy.

And the second one was my darling Sophie who passed away last month we found dead at lunch time looked like she had just laid down to go to sleep but never woke up she was only 8 years old and was fit and healthy again she had her breakfast was her normal self in the morning but we found her gone at lunch time Sophie had regular check up and nothing was picked up so we will forever wonder but the vet thinks it was there hearts.

Thank you for your replies. Both these dogs were incredibly fit and athletic with no signs whatsoever of illness. Bouncing around healthily. The only check they had, as neither had been to the Vets with illness ever, was their annual booster.When hearts were listen to. There would be no need to take them unless something was amiss would there?  I have tactfully tried to ask when the vaccination was last done.

They are too shocked too consider a PM. To get up and use the loo in the early hours of the morning and stroke your 'sleeping dog' to find he is dead is not something you can think straightly about for some time.  

I'm very sorry to read this - your friends will be devastated :(

I can fully understand them not wishing to do a pm.  A much loved family pet taken from them so young and without warning - it's only natural they wouldn't want to think of any 'procedure' being done on them :(

Perhaps in time they will feel brave enough to contact the breeders so at least they are aware that 'something' wasn't right. 
Pass on sincere condolences.
Teri

Years ago our Golden suddenly died whilst running on the beach. She was only 4 and similarly totally healthy, was just fine one moment and dead the next. I was given to understand that it was a heart problem occuring in the breed in some lines. We had no PM though, were just devastated, I do feel for your friends. 

what a shock my heart goes out to them.

we also lost a GSP at 10 months during a vist to my parents one minute she was ok next just died in my husbands arms you never get over it

A litter sister of one of mine dropped dead while playing with her daughter at 5 years of age, my girl is 14 years old in three weeks time. Sometimes I just think there isn't an answer to why. Do feel for you friend though.

Someone I know with another retriever breed had one die in her sleep at just 11 months. At first they thought it may have been carbon monoxide poisoning, they had a PM done but it showed nothing. The vet just put it down to a dog form of 'cot death'. I have heard of another 3 this year all from the same litter, they went at 5 months, 6 months and 8 months.

This thread is so sad and I cant say how much I feel for everyone who has lost their dogs this mysterious way...

It made me realise that your dog doesnt have to showing symptoms for you to lose them quick as a flash, I am going to appreciate every minute even more with my dogs as just like these posts have said, they are here one minute and gone the next and I intend to make the most of every second my dogs are with me as I couldnt imagine what I would do if I came home to find my gorgeous girl or boy had died in their sleep, I would never recover from it as I spend all my social time with my dogs, training them, walking them, they are my life.

So so sorry once again and I hope you all give your dogs an extra big hug tonight before bed, I know I will.......xx

How very sad. So sorry! Lois

You are a kind lot, this is even more devastating as I was the breeder of my friends boy, and had both sire and dam who I lost this year. Very well bred parents. The dam at the young age of 7 with the rarest of auto immune diseases (still reeling from that and nothing to do with heart) and the sire at 11, my boy, just 3 weeks ago, with cancer, and I am absolutely devastated at their loss, and now their special baby...and he was the brightest of a very bright litter. So clever, so gentle, so very loved. 

So its been a pretty horrid year. All the others are fine, and I certainly wont be telling them as they will never go to bed again, will they?

What a shock and I feel for all the others on here who know or have experienced this.

how sad.
i think i wouldwant a pm also as i would want to know why it happened.

What a horrid time you have had, so sorry for you and your friend! It's very hard to get over losing a dog at any age but when they are so young it's not right! Sending best wishes

This is devastating.. I am so sorry...

I lost my Ellie 3 years ago, she died in her sleep aged just 14months.. although slightly different circumstances... I only noticed something was wrong, because I had to bath her for a show, she was muddy from head to toe from playing with the rest of the clan... It was when I gave her a cuddle/squeeze, she collapsed...

Now, if I hadn't needed to bath her (Lab) she would not have collapsed... but she would still not have survived.. she died in her sleep at 10.30 next morning...

Cancer had literally wrapped itself around her aesophegus, pushing her windpup nearly an inch out of alignment.. vets were amazed she has survived that long... AND perfectly normally... She had only been at a show the previous day and well placed.. showing her little socks off...

I appreciate its hard for your friends and of course yourself.. and in these times its difficult to make decisions.. especially regarding PM's...

My heart goes out to you all

Kay
xx

You've obviously had a terrible time of things too, my heart goes out to you as this must be a dreadful time for you too.

So sorry for your own losses,
Teri x

TBH it may be worth telling the owners to get the others in the litter health checked as a precaution.
At least if there is a problem with any of the other siblings then you may be able to prevent another unexpected death.
Forewarned is forarmed as they say.

Because there will be no PM you won't know for sure the cause of death (sometimes even with a PM they can't tell).
One of my 'pups' died aged 2 years both the owner and I sobbed our hearts out. But she had a PM done as she wanted
answers. Turns out that Casper had a ruptured spleen. Prior to this he was a fit athlectic dog and no indication of any
medical problems. So it wasn't a hereditary problem and thus no need to contact the owners of his siblings.

As a owner I would rather that the breeder warn me and give me the opportunity to get my dog vet checked more thoroughly
each time they visit the vets. But then that's just my own opinion.

I agree and i am frightened of terrifying the other owners. Dont know whihc way to jump on that one. The one with the ruptured spleen....how awful.

Did he just die in his sleep too?

The other issue with warning the other owners is there would be no treatment if it was a heart issue, so why cause dreadful concern and panic when there is not anything they can do about it. Apart from appreciate every day with them that little bit more. But they are a fantastic lot of owners anyway, and appreciate them everyday without knowing this.

I am still reeling at the moment, this lad was so special (as they all are) so i will think about all what has been suggested. Thank you.

I lost a 2 year old Great Dane last year, who was extremely fit, and in great condition, she was running in the garden, 2 seconds later dead on the ground!
We were devastated, and decided against a PM, after speaking to our vets.
Some people unfortunatley die for no reason!

We had a Springer who died aged 7 from what the vet thought was a heart problem, the breeder who my parents knew said none of the other dogs she had bred had had any problems.  My parents just put it down to one of those things that happen.  I personally would not automatically assume that there was an inherited problem with the breed because of one or two deaths as this sort of thing does happen occaisionally not just with dogs but with any animal (including us).  If a number of dogs of a particular breed or line have a problem then that of course is a different thing entirely

Cancer is suppose to be an inherent problem in Goldies and whether heart problems are too I do not know. It would be interesting to find out but pretty much impossible to breed out.

I am so sorry for your friends loss that must be absolutly awful!! I remember my little baby bonnie (yorkshire terrier) she died in my bedroom, she was fine and all of a sudden she just passed away, she had puppys in her and had given birth easily before, we didnt think anything was wrong, but i found her in my bedroom, was awful, you never get over something like that, i still think about her and how it happened etc.
Give my love to your friend. :)

I had a dog with an illness...told the breeder and found out she KNEW of others from a prior litter and from his own with the same problem. I was not amused to say the least. I was shocked one morning to wake up and find my boy fitting. I know it is not exactly the same....but she knew and did not tell. Makes her (in my eyes) dishonest as I had asked all the right questions before getting him. I also lost a lot of respect for her.

TELL THEM....they will be concerned but in the long run you will be respected for your honesty and in admitting there could be a problem. As another concern...if you have had problems with both the dam and sire and now a pup.....all the relations in that litter should in all probability not be bred from...

Freewayz, the sire died at 11 years of age, so I don't really think you can take that into account.

How awful for all you people, like Rach says I will give mine an extra cuddle tonight. :-(

I think I would want to know if a littermate of my dogs had suddenly died, of course no reasonable person should blame you but it might be best to mention it, not sure how best to word it though.

Freewayz. You cannot avoid an illness such as Myasthenia Gravis, (my girl had) it is an auto immune disease so rare, and not genetic,  the Vet has never experienced it and the specialist hardly ever sees it.....neither can you stop cancer at eleven years of age. We produce, when we breed, living beings, not machines. They are susceptable to any illness, as any living being can be. How many times do we here of a fit young man dropping dead in the middle of a football match. Thank God I only had 3 litters in my life, and from the most amazing dogs, with the most amazing temperaments and all health checks done and perfect. Counts for sod all sometimes, no matter how well you try and do it. There are still no guarantees. 

And yes i am in contact with ALL my puppy owners and they ALL know how my beloved lad and my girl, the pups parents, died withiin ten months of each other.  

No I will not frighten them, hopefully completely unnescessarily. They are all fantastic owners anyway, neither are any of them naive enough not to realise that life can bite you when you least expect it. 

Interesting that PM's can sometimes not find anything, like cot death syndrome.

> Interesting that PM's can sometimes not find anything, like cot death syndrome

I've known two adults (talking non related humans here, both in their 40's) die suddenly and without obvious cause - both had autopsies and neither showed anything significant.  One collapsed with a feeling of nausea and headache and was dead in minutes the other died in sleep.  Two different areas of the country and so two different mortuaries yet each attributed to a similar syndrome to that of infant cot death ............

There aren't always answers :(

That is tragic Teri, Just dreadful.

Now I am not so shocked, and can reflect years ago my sister and I bought litter sisters. There was 4 in the litter and the breeder kept 2 to show. My sisters bitch died of multiple organ failure at 5 months, we were distraught. Ni definitive cause found. And I was on tenterhooks for months about my own girl. But she lived until she was 13, bless her.

The other 2 went to be shown right up to veteran.

So now I am not in so much shock and just very very sad, i can reflect on the best course of action and I don't want to panic people unnecessarily.

Thank you all for your input on a very tragic story.

A friend of mine had a 5 year old shepherd go to bed full of beans as usual and found dead the next morning. It must be (and was for them too) devastating. They didn't have a PM either, I think it's just so shocking you can't deal with that too.

Very sad thread
Kat

Those poor people what a shock...they must be devistated...we are thinking of them.

so heart breaking, we had it with a 6 yr old bitch, went to beed she always slept on the landing, when hubby got up for work next moring she was gone, not a sound in the night.
our vet thought it was a brain heomarage (not sure on spelling)
took me ages to come to terms with the lose of her.