Why did my dog suddenly go blind, vomit, drink excessively, and die?

That’s very sad. Sudden blindness can be from high blood pressure causing retinal detachment or diabetic cataracts. She may have had a heart or lung condition that prevented her from getting enough air and chest expansion to bark. Dogs do die from congestive heart failure, complications from heartworm disease and other heart problems. Unfortunately neither of the symptoms you describe are specific enough to know why she died. I’m sorry for your loss. In the future you can request an autopsy by your veterinarian if an animal dies and you want to know the reason. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you get answers to your veterinary questions.

I'm very sorry to hear about your loss of Bert! It's always very hard to lose a pet, especially due to an unknown illness. Unfortunately, it's impossible to say what might have happened as these are very vague symptoms that could be caused by many different things. He may have had some type of serious systemic illness like liver or kidney disease, a neurologic problem of some kind, or may have ingested something toxic. The only way to know for sure what caused his death would be to have an autopsy done, called a necropsy in animals - but if he passed last week, it's likely too late to have this done now. If he was treated by a veterinarian before he passed away, you could ask him/her if they have any idea what might have been wrong based on his physical exam and any testing that was done. Again, I'm very sorry for your loss.

Allow me to first say that I am deeply sorry for your loss. Dixie bear was taken way too early and I offer you my deepest sympathies. Unfortunately, sudden and acute deaths can happen to dogs and cats just like in human beings. Dogs that are completely normal one moment can suddenly have heart attacks or brain aneurysms, etc. that can cause them to pass away the next. Usually the three main causes of sudden death in dogs of her age are massive heart attacks, brain or cardiac aneurysms, or toxicity of some kind. And yes, all three of these diseases can cause an animal to exhibit vomiting right before they pass away. Sadly, the only true way to find out what an animal has died from it is by having a post death autopsy performed by a specialized pathologist. if this is something you’re interested in doing, please contact your veterinarian as to whether or not they can refer you to someone that could help determine the cause of death. This could possibly still be done even though it has been a week. I hope this helps. Again, I’m sorry for your loss.

I'm so sorry for the loss of your dog! Unfortunately, the only way to know why she died would be to have an autopsy performed (called a necropsy in animals), either by your veterinarian or a veterinary pathologist if you have one nearby. Since it sounds like it happened quite suddenly and she was bleeding from her eyes, she may have had a bleeding disorder (this can be caused by ingesting rat poison, or by some hereditary or immune-mediated diseases), or she could have suffered a head trauma of some kind. But I'm afraid there's no way to know for sure without a necrospy. Again, I'm so sorry for your loss.

I'm so sorry to hear about the loss of your dog. There are many different problems that could cause those symptoms, so unfortunately an autopsy (called a necropsy in animals) would be the only way to know for sure. Some possible causes would include some type of toxicity (such as antifreeze or rat poison), an illness such as kidney or liver failure, or some type of cancer. Your vet could do a necropsy or direct you to a pathologist for more advanced testing if you want to try and determine a specific cause of death.

There is a condition called SARDS or sudden acute retinal degeneration syndrome. We don't know what causes this syndrome in dogs, but it does cause sudden blindness, weight gain, and increased water intake. Your veterinarian may be able to help identify if they agree with this possibility. I hope this is helpful. Thanks for using Pet Coach.

Oh no, I'm so sorry that you suddenly lost Minnie Mae Pearl! How horrible for you, please accept my condolences for your loss. Please keep in mind I can't say for certain what caused her to pass away, but I can offer some guess. It is possible that she had cancer. It's common in senior dogs, and it can be festering for a while before the dog sudden becomes ill. They can't tell us when they are sick and are pretty stoic with pain, so oftentimes when we notice something is wrong, it's very late in the disease. That happened with my own dog last year. He seemed perfectly normal, and then one night he appeared to crashed. I rushed him into the clinic for treatment, and he had an abdomen full of fluid likely from a ruptured splenic tumor. He had shown no other signs of illness before then, and unfortunately I had to let him go, so I completely understand how hard it is to suddenly lose a beloved pet and feel devastated. Her death could have also been caused by liver disease, pancreatitis, or a number of other illnesses. I wish I could say for certain to give you some answers, but I can only offer my guesses and my sincerest condolences for your loss :-(