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Question:

our puppy, Connor, (9 months old) died Tuesday nite of a blood disorder.. they are not sure of the cause, probably something he was born with.. his blood platlets were being destroyed, so the effect was the same as if he had bled to death..   he was at the vet only last week for his kennel cough vaccine/checkup in case we had to board him due to hurricanes.. the vet told us that he had never seen anything like it in a young dog.. the only "symptom" was that sometimes he would act tired, but even the vet chalked that up to "puppyhood" Wed evening, we went out for a bike ride along the nature trails and took him along…  we only went abut 3/4 mile and he started to act tired, so we stopped (we were going slow because we had our daughter with us and Connor has always been our "pace setter" except when we have to try to hold him down from a full run…  he was also on a 10′ lead) we sit/drank water for about 45 minutes and he was acting normal again so we walked out..  I gave him a bath when we got home because he was playing in the dirt and managed to escape long enough to pounce in some swamp water *holding nose*   he was acting normal, just still a little tired..  eating and drinking normally, but still a little sluggish..  so we let him rest in his crate..  he slept for a couple of hours and came out acting his normal self.. about midnight he came out and put his head in my husbands lap for his usual pre-bed loving and went to lay down in our shower (his favorite place) and when my husband went in an hour later, he was dead.. it is such a total shock..  the vet’s office was completely stunned… as I said above, his only symptom had been occassional tiredness.. it was never consistant..  he could play frisbee for hours and not act tired, but sometimes would lay down and nap after a walk to the bathroom..  but in lack on any other symptoms, nothing seemed out of the ordinary…  if he had acted even a little out of the ordinary, we would have taken him in…  I feel so horrible..  the vet says that there is nothing different that they would have done, except that he would have been alone in a cage in his least favorite place… my husband brought home a puppy this morning..   he said he couldnt bear the thought of being in the house all alone..not to mention that we had planned to pack away all of Connor’s things when he came back.. he is 1/4 australian shepherd and the complete opposite of Connor…  very outgoing (Connor was a shyier dog) and my, I had forgotten how sharp those little puppy teeth are…  his name is Loki (god of mischief) and it is a very fitting name.. he could never begin to take the place of my "football player dog" but he does make it a little easier..  the first morning after Connor died, I kept getting up to let him out of his crate because that was the only time he wasnt glued to my side while I had breakfast..  then I kept getting up because I hadnt taken him out for his morning potty..  sorry that this letter is so long and rambling.. its still so shocking to even think about… thanks for letting me share… Dainerra this has all been such a complete shock

Response:

So sorry to hear of the death of your pup.  Losing a long time companion is bad enough, losing a young one is worse. <BR> Charlotte Creeley<BR> http://members.aol.com/cccpups/index.html

Response:

>So sorry to hear of the death of your pup.  Losing a long time companion is bad >enough, losing a young one is worse. ><BR> >Charlotte Creeley<BR> >http://members.aol.com/cccpups/index.html

Agreed. And I hope that you don’t continue to blame yourself for something that you could not have foreseen. Sounds like you had a necropsy done, so perhaps you will get an answer. I am so sorry for your loss. Thank you for sharing it with us. I hope it will help. Best Wishes, Leslie

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