Our westie was 13 but in good health and always eaten like a horse.  Since she was 8 she has suffered with arthritis but the tramadol she took seemed to keep her quite cheerful and active.

On Saturday morning she didn't want her breakfast but I gave her a little chicken.  She seemed reasonably perky so I didn't worry too much.  However she didn't want her dinner in the evening so I hand fed her a bit of chicken.  During the evening though she was a bit sick and took to her bed.  After a while I noticed that her breathing seemed laboured and she seemed distressed.  We phoned the emergency vets and put her in the car but by the time we got to the vets  unbelievably she had died.  I am still trying to come to terms with this as I can't believe that in such a short space of time she has gone.  I was in such a state when I got to the vets that night that I didn't ask what on earth could have happened.  Although she was 13 she was slim, quite active, feisty with a good appetite.  She had begun to drink a lot but had undergone blood tests recently which were clear.  Only a month ago she had a full examination when she had her yearly boosters and was pronounced in good health.  What on earth can have gone wrong so quickly?  Today I phoned the vets and have asked for one of the vets who knew and had treated Lucy recently to phone me.  It would help to talk to someone who could give me a clue as to why this has happened.

I am sure others have gone though this ghastly scenario - I do so miss her and can't get my head round what happened.

I have just written this to get it of off my chest - nothing can bring my girl back.  Now  I wish I had done something about it sooner in the day but I just thought she was a bit off colour - she seemed to go downhill so quickly.

Thanks for reading this.

RIP dear Lucy.

Snowflake

My heart goes out to you.  You are still in shock, and no wonder. 

RIP Lucy, run free at the bridge.

I went through very similar last year, but it was over two days. 

She was very nearly gone (unconcious and barely breathing) by the time we got to the vets and the vet said it was congestive heart failure. 

The laboured breathing was due to fluid build up in the lungs, and then her heart went into rapid inefficient rythm. 

My Kizi was two months short of her 14th birthday and was fit and active until then.

For them better a quick end, though it's an awful shock for us.  {{{{Hugs}}}}

So sorry to hear you've lost your girl. It is so utterly heartbreaking when they leave us.
It sounds like a failure of some sort, but heart would be on top of the list for me as well.
Please don't kick yourself because you do your best at the time with the knowledge you have and if you'd thought for one minute that it was something more serious, you would have taken her in quicker. After all we can't know everything and who's to know it would have saved her if it was her time.
When my Archie was diagnosed with a braintumour and given 3 months max to live, I kicked myself for not taking him in earlier, but I know now that it wouldn't have made any difference because it couldn't have been operated on anyway.
Sometimes life just sucks!
Take care.
Run free little one.

She had her annual booster a month ago...?  That might be something to think about.

I'm v sorry for your loss, however they go it is not easy :(

So sorry for your loss, may she RIP and run free at the bridge

So very sorry Snowflake... Its never easy is it... There is probably nothing you could of done had you taken her to the vets sooner, maybe her days would of ended in the vets but she was with you and take comfort in that, much better for her too.

Are you going to have a post mortum? That would put your mind at rest to confirm what she passed from...

RIP Lucy xx

I'm so sorry. I know how very hard such a sudden and unexpected loss is, it really makes it ten times harder on us humans, but at least your lovely dog had a long life and didn't need to be ill for long -in many ways that's the best we can ever wish for.

There could be so many reasons for what happened. I recently lost a cat aged ten, he was literally fine one day and gone less than 2 days later -turned out he had internal tumours that nobody could have known about.

So very sorry for your loss. Run free sweetheart xx

Oh hun [hugs]

I lost Soli very quickly last year to her heart - she was the picture of health and if I hadn't already known she had DCM, it would have come as a complete shock.  Her brother went the same way and his owner had no idea until it happened.

Doesn't make it any easier to cope with but if it was her heart, chances are there wasn't anything you could have done anyway.  So don't beat yourself up - in your situation I'd have done the same thing tbh.

Oh so sorry to hear that, I remember meeting her and she was such a sweet girl. To be honest it sounds like you did everything you possibly could, at that age I guess her body just gave out on her. It sounds like it was suddent and pretty much pain free, so although a nasty shock for you, better than a long painful decline. I know how you feel though, I'll always wish I'd take Henry to the vet in the morning instead of making that lunchtime appointment, though rationally I don't think it would have made a difference. Run free pretty girl. x

Thank you so much for  your kind and comforting words.  I can't say I feel any better yet, still feeling weepy and down but I know it is early days.

Quite often when my 3 others dogs went  out for a walk (as latterly she didn't always want to go with them) Lucy would always prance about by the fridge where I keep carrots as she loved a saucer full of them (raw).  That was her little treat when the others were out of the way!  It is the little things like that that are so unbearable - that  and her funny little whiskery face!  Out of all my dogs funnily enough she was the most feisty and dominant.

We dog owners all have to go through the pain of eventually losing our old friends and you know,  I think apart from the shock and grief we feel it is also because it is the end of yet another chapter in life.  Would  you agree?

Snowflake

Snowflake, you just reminded me of something Sir Walter Scott wrote about losing his beloved dog

"The misery of keeping a dog is his dying so soon. But, to be sure, if he lived for fifty years and then died, what would become of me?".  - Sir Walter Scott

So sorry for your loss, but please don't beat yourself up, remember you gave her a good life and she didn't suffer at the end -  no-one could have done more.

{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}

I am really sorry to hear about your pooch. Whatever you had done or not done you would have felt bad - it's proof of what a lovely owner you are. It's a terrible shock when they go so quickly, but I'm sure you know it's the best for her. You wouldn t have wanted it to be drawn out. Be very kind to yourself. I hope you feel better soon. Cyber hugs XX

Sorry to hear  your news and as your little one went so suddenly it is a terrible shock for you as you had no time to prepare to say goodbye.

Hopefully in time you will see that  her time had come and I know that I personally would much rather my own dogs went to the bridge this way rather than watching them deterioate and agonising over when to take them to the vets for their final journey.

your dog wasn't in pain and sounds as though she had a peaceful end to her life with you,don't beat yourself up about wether or not you should have gone to the vets earlier in the day as in all probability the outcome would have been the same.

Allow yourself time to feel sad and cherish your memories.

So sorry to read about you losing your girl. I think only people who hold their dogs in such high esteem suffer such grief at their passing. I'm sure she will be enjoying all the carrots she can eat over the bridge:-)

Snowflake, so very sorry to read your sad new of Lucy. Life can be excruciating, but remember the love & good times. Hugs.

i am so sorry for you. sudden death is the worst kind of all. I have experienced having pets PTS and also die in surgery, but the sudden death has affected me the worst. i still can't speak of it.

One of the vets phoned me today and told me that the most likely cause of Lucy's sudden collapse and death was heart failure.  In a way I feel a bit relieved about this as I know that whatever I had done,  there would only have been the one outcome.  Her time had come sure enough.

Thank you again all of you, you have really helped me to get through this.  What has helped too is reading about similar situations that you have experienced with your dear dogs. 

I am sure Lucy is up there tucking into her bowl of carrots, bless,  and running free with all our  dear departed old friends.

Snowflake xx

One of the vets phoned me today and told me that the most likely cause of Lucy's sudden collapse and death was heart failure.  In a way I feel a bit relieved about this as I know that whatever I had done,  there would only have been the one outcome.  Her time had come sure enough.

Thank you again all of you, you have really helped me to get through this.  What has helped too is reading about similar situations that you have experienced with your dear dogs. 

I am sure Lucy is up there tucking into her bowl of carrots, bless,  and running free with all our  dear departed old friends.

Snowflake xx

bless you,i know how awful you must be feeling,thinking of you xx

So very sorry, such a shock when it happens that fast, it happens to us all the time one minute we are fine, next we're gone and there is nothing to be done about it, my greatest fear is always to not be there, you were....... till the last moment and she will have had comfort at that........ take comfort from that too.

So sorry. x

So sorry, to read this, I have just very recently lost my terrier boy Jack, so know how you have been feeling.
Jacks demise was sudden and unexpected and it knocked me sideways.

Karen  xx

She's probably being pestered by Henry, he was quite fond of her when we met up for walks that time!