My 45-day-old puppy died after vomiting and hard stomach. Why?

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I am sorry your dog passed away, it is always hard to go through that. From your description, it sounds as though your dog had a gastric dilitation volvulus (GDV) or 'bloat.' This is where the stomach flips upon itself. it is a life threatening condition that requires surgery in attempt to fix. Sometimes, the signs that occur when this first happens can be subtle and it goes unnoticed for some time before being treated. When the 'flip' happens, it causes a large amount of inflammation that the body must contend with and unfortunately, a good outcome doesn't always happen. It sounds like you did everything you could for your pet. Of course, it is hard to know tell what happened for sure based on your description. Since you are asking this question a year later, you may still be grieving. It may be of benefit to speak to the veterinarian who took care of Patch to discuss what happened. There are also counselors who work with grief over pet loss in your area that also may be of benefit to you.

First off, I'm sorry that you lost your dog so suddenly. Please accept my condolences for your loss. I'm only guessing here, but if he wasn't vaccinated, it could have been parvo that caused him to pass. It could also be that he had a foreign body, a severe GI illness, or if he was fed a raw diet, the bacteria from the raw diet could have made him extremely sick. Again, I'm sorry for your loss.

Internal hemorrhage is possible but in a young puppy it would usually happen secondary to a blood clotting disease like hemophilia, ingestion of a toxin like rat bait, or a severe infection. Blood loss could happen from intestinal parasites but I wouldn't expect a purple belly. An intussception is an intestinal problem that could cause an obstruction and result in a perforation of stomach or bowel leading to the signs you noted. GDV would be very very unusual in a young puppy, typically larger breed older dogs are affected. If you noticed signs only two hours before he died (and since it sounds like he is a young puppy) I think the likelihood of him surviving regardless of the cause would be pretty low if you had made it to the hospital - I am making a wild guess here without knowing what may have happened but I would say 2-4/10. If this happened recently you may be able to have a necropsy (animal autopsy) performed which might reveal a cause of death - talk to your regular veterinarian or an emergency veterinarian if you are interested.

I am so deeply sorry for your loss, my thoughts are with you in this difficult time. It is of course difficult to know precisely what happened to Daisy without examining her, however, I would be concerned about two possible conditions. Bloat which is when the stomach becomes englarged and may rotate. This causes the blood vessels to constrict and affects blood flow to and from the heart. It is common in large barrel chested dogs. Another possibility is A foreign body obstruction, which occurs when something becomes lodged and Blocks the gastrointestinal tract, the bloackage can be complete and cause a rupture. Again it is difficult for me to know what could have caused Daisy to pass. If you need to know definitively, a local veterinarian may be able to perform an autopsy. Sending my deepest sympathies to you.

I am very sorry to hear about your puppy, it sounds like he is getting progressively worse so he definitely needs some additional testing/diagnostics. I cannot tell from your question whether he had x-rays or they just recommended them, but he definitely needs some x-rays and bloodwork at this point, and potentially an ultrasound of the abdomen depending on their findings. There are many different possible causes for vomiting in dogs https://www.petcoach.co/article/vomiting-in-dogs/ so they physical examination and tests will help determine the cause which will help to guide treatment.

I am so sorry about Elsa. If Elsa was a puppy and just had on vaccine she was not fully protected. I would be concerned about Parvovirus at that point. Other then that it could be hemorrhagic gastroenteritis or even a foreign boy obstruction. It could also had been a type of cancer. Without more information it is hard to say definitively what caused this without more information. You can always ask for a necropsy and your veterinarian can send sample out to the lab to try to get an answer. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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.