Why did she die?

[maggiesmom]

Our Golden Retriever, Maggie, died recently. She had a large tumor removed, that was benign, and was home recovering for 4 days. She suddenly started throwing up and her stomache was heaving. We rushed her to an animal hospital and they started giving her fluids, but she died within an hour.

The vet was unable to give us any indications as to what went wrong, and my husband is feeling guilty for not noticing that she had a tumor earlier.

Any ideas as to why she died and if it could have been prevented?

Thanks,

Maggie's Mom

[Kariia]

It sounds like a twisted stomach to me...

[maggiesmom]

Thanks for your reply.

Could this have been prevented?

[Luvmypit]

I have no info to give you but I would just like to express my heart felt sympathies to you and your family. Please do not feel guilt.

I am so sorry!

[Prin]

Did you ask for an autopsy? All I can say is sometimes even people die after surgery even though they leave the hospital looking great... Medicine is not an exact science yet...

I'm sorry for your loss. You did so much for this doggy just by having the tumor removed. A lot of people would not have given her that chance.

[StaceyB]

Tell your husband that it is not his fault. Even if it had been found earlier doesn't mean that it would have made any difference. Surgery of any kind is a big deal whether it was removing a small or a large tumor. Odds are she developed complications healing post op. I am so sorry you lost her, sounds like you loved her very much.

[Lucky Rescue]

Without a necropsy there is no way to know what killed your dog.

Please try not to blame yourself. It's very hard to notice every single detail about our pets every day and they are very good at concealing illness.

It sounds like you gave Maggie a loving and caring home, and that's the important thing.

I'm so sorry you lost her!!

[Luba]

So very sorry for your loss. Without further investigation there is little to do but guess and I wouldn't do that to yourself.

If you feel something could have been prevented, make an appt to talk to the vet/surgeon that released your dog from hospital.

If you are not satisfied as them for a documented report on what they feel caused the death. Again if not satisfied, consult with the governing body which regulates vets where you live.

[doggy lover]

I lost my dog Travis to cancer last year. I also blamed myself, he had a bone tumor and our vet said that the outcome would have been the same. I had noticed a small lump on his front foot and once in a while he would limp. Then he got really bad quickly, we took him to the vet and it had already spread into the marrow so nothing other than amputation could be done. He was 9 and a half, already starting to get week in the back end, he wieghed 120lbs and we live in a three story townhouse. I realized right off that he would have no quality of life, the vet said at most with everything he would get another year max. As the stairs would be a big thing he would probably spend the last year of his life in the basement, would just start to recover from surgery to be struck with cancer again. We decided to have him pts. I wonder if we had taken him to the vet sooner if they could have done more, but he was just examined 4 months before and was healthy, if we hadn't moved into our townhouse as he was not use to the stairs could this have caused the cancer? All these thoughts ran through my head and as hind sight is impossible what could I have done. So he had as your dog did the best days of his life with a family that loved him, I think that is much more than alot of dogs get in their lifetime. So don't beat yourself up about what could have been and just enjoy the memories that you have, and take refuge in knowing you loved your dog, and she had the best life possible for the amount of years she was alive. My thoughts are with you. She is an now.

[Beaglemom]

I'm so sorry for your loss. It is never easy when we lose a beloved pet. A post mortem is the only thing that can determine with certainty as to what went wrong.

I know exactly how you and your husband are feeling. We recently lost one of our dogs in May and we too questioned ourselves and wondered if there was something more we could've done to save her. It happened so suddenly that we never had much time to prepare.

There are many steps to healing after the loss of a dear friend and family member. One of the steps is going through the emotion of guilt and anger. It is normal to feel that way and to wonder if there was more that could have been done or worry about the what ifs.

Maggie is in a better place now where she no longer feels any pain and is able to run freely in the fields and play while waiting to be reunited with her loving family.