My Bulldog died suddenly. Was fine and then within a minute, dead.

[adam2101]

Of course, a million things run through your mind when something like this happens.  For me, it helps to understand what may have happened.  I hope someone has the answers but, understand that they can only be speculation.  

My 6 year old Bulldog Francis, was in excellent condition.  I've always feared him growing over weight as bulldogs often do so, kept him on a very healthy diet.  He has always been in the best health.  He was not subjected to any trauma that I'm aware of.  

After a night of sleeping he was laying on the floor near the couch doing more of what bulldogs do, sleeping, when he got up took a few steps lost his balance and fell.  He appeared to still be groggy from waking up.  He then peed on the floor (which he never did).  This was certainly a loss of function.  My girlfriend then ran to see that he was having some labored breething and fading fast.  She held him did a few finger sweeps thinking maybe he had something lodged in his throat.  His tongue turn VERY PALE and WHITE.  He kept looking at her like he was scared and kept fading out then would come to for a second then fade out again.  He then defficated and took his last breath, or vice versa.  

Of course my girlfriend did everything she could think of at that point including CPR and RB.  His tongue then turned very blue.  The tongue streched far out hanging to the floor was the only indication (or biggest noticeable indication) that he was no longer with us.

I know bulldogs often die young but, he really was in great shape and well taken care of.  He gave no prior signs of anything wrong.  Very sudden and unexpected.

Current theories:  Heart Attack (didn't seem in pain)-----  Aneurysm (could this account for the white tounge?)-----  Pulmonary Embolism ( mayabe why he stood up and quickly lost his balance in a dizzy-like fashion)

Could any of these be correct and why?  Is there another theory that fits better?

Please Help me find the answers.  Thank you so very much!

[Campos1341]

On June 02, 2017, our beloved English Bulldog "Chops" passed away suddenly.  Chops just turned 8 and was in great health.  We live in Arizona, and kept the house around 74 degrees.  We never had any real issues with him.  His brother "Gino" (also an Engkish Bulldog) is another story.  The day started out just like any other.  Chops was playful and happy.  I started vacuuming, and he did his usual due dilligence and would bark and snap at hose.  This was the norm.  Chops hated the vacuum.  Then Chops let out a loud unusual yelp in the kitchen, and fell over to his side.  Chops then began to urinate and defacate incontrollably, followed by shallow breaths.  We freaked out.  We put cold packs on him to cool him down immidiately, but it wasnt helping.  Chops then got up, staggered, and collapsed again.  Chops tongue was light gray, then started to turn blue, while his breathing was fading.  I picked him up and his body was limp, and he stopped breathing.  This took a total of maybe five minutes tops. We rushed Chops to the Vet ER, but he passed in my arms.  We are devastated by this.  Chops did not deserve to go out this way.  Like most on this post, Chops was a unique individual, and not your normal dog.  Chops had the most gentle and loving disposition ever.  RIP Chops.  God broke the mold when he made you.  You will forever be missed.  We keep on playing the scenario back in our heads thinking we couldve done something to save him, but its obvious we couldnt.  Very sad day.

[Tomfordforever]

Very sad to hear about your loss. I lost my beloved Tom 5 days ago and Im still devastated. My wife, newborn daughter and I were heading to the cottage so we dropped off Tom to our parents place to hang out with their dogs for a couple days. He loved this so much, and always looked forward to seeing his grandparents. Not 2 hours after we dropped him off, my wife's mother calls us and my wife screams...I knew right away what it meant. Tom was 2 days short of his 8th birthday but he was in perfect health. He was everything to us, helped us through some tough times and was the foundation of my relationship with my wife (we got him while we started dating). My wife's dad took him and his other dog for a short walk on a windy day, not 5 minutes in he starts drooling profusely. Another dog owner came over and helped get Tom some water, but he would only slosh his face around in it. My wife's mother came to pick them up because her dad said it didn't look like Tom could make it home on his own. When they got back he was still panting heavily and refused to come indoors, and sat under a tree in front of their house for 30 mins. My wife's dad sat with him during that time and thought he was improving, as eventually they came inside. He ended up laying on the floor as he normally would to cool down, they kept a close eye on him but within 3 minute intervals he was gone. Everyone involved was just devastated. My wife's parents were crushed and I couldn't forgive myself for not being there with him in those final moments. I'm glad he did not suffer and was not alone during his final moments, and writing this is almost therapy for me at this point. I'm still broken and feel there is a giant hole in my life without him, I know that time heals all wounds but this just feels different. I'm sorry to all who had to experience something similar on this forum - I'll never forget you Tom Ford and I know you'll be waiting for us in heaven.

[magi81]

I am so sorry for everyone's losses here...I myself just lost my beloved French Bulldog Chato very suddenly, 3 days ago. He would've been 8 next month (June 29). I'd always fed him very cleanly (raw when I could afford it), with a daily multivitamin, daily fish oil and plenty of organic veggies, sometimes a little yogurt...brushed his teeth every night...we belonged to a wellness plan through PetSmart, so he got great preventive care in general...he had lots of social stimulation from wonderful sitters when I had to work, and tons of affection and walking from me when I was home (I live alone)...Chato was just the most loving dog with the biggest personality...he died completely out of the blue, just steps away from my apartment, coming home from a short morning walk with me on Monday. Thank God I'd taken the day off work, getting over a cold...we'd driven to a park, and my arms were full with some stuff from the car...approaching my staircase, I could feel him sit down in the alley behind me...thinking he was being typically "stubborn" (he did do this from time to time), I pulled on the leash to let him know we weren't going to be doing that...then realized I was dragging him...looked down and he was in some kind of convulsion...he peed...got control of himself...then folded onto the ground...he must have died soon after that, though his eyes were open, so I was wishfully thinking he was just trying to recover, and would...I so regret not having held onto him at that time, but I was so afraid I had hurt him by pulling on the leash, and in such a bad panic, I didn't want my own anxious vibes to interfere with his body's trying to heal, if it was...how stupid of me...in the end, I had a smallscale necropsy done and they found tumors on his spleen and heart they said were consistent with hemangiosarcoma, a mostly canine cancer of the blood vessels...I am just in complete whiplash that my bossy, funny, sweet, loving, beautiful boy was with me on Monday, and now gone...what the hell...

[Thedude54]

Our 11year old Frenchie Molly just died a few hours ago. As described in the original post, she was fine this morning and behaving normally.

When I came home from work, Molly seemed disoriented and unable to walk. She had been lying in the grass in our backyard and it was difficult to determine if she had urinated or vomited, but her tounge was sticking out and was almost white.

She declined rapidly and died within an hour. In her last moments, watery blood came out from either her anus or vagina. However, nothing else seemed wrong with her.

She had just been to the vet for her annual shots and exam and was given a clean bill of health. We are in shock and can't believe she's gone.

Thanks to everyone for sharing their stories and letting me know we are not alone in this experience.

[JLombardi]

This similarly just happened to our 10 year old baby, w we're lucky enough she became stable after taking to ER then declined again and went in our arms. We're so devastaed - they said it was an adrenal glad tumor :( still can't believe it's real and so sudden she was in PERFECT health and so vibrant and full of life

[JLombardi]

JLombardi
This similarly just happened to our 10 year old baby frenchie @adventuresofstellathefrenchie We we're lucky enough she became stable after taking to ER then declined again and went in our arms. We're so devastaed - they said it was an adrenal glad tumor :( still can't believe it's real and so sudden she was in PERFECT health and so vibrant and full of life

[GB2017]

My girl passed away also suddenly after an outing 2 days ago. The vet told me that it could have been caused by GDV or twist of stomach.

[ImisTas]

I just lost my best friend Tas, a couple days ago. My Bully was going to be 7 next Monday.  In a touching sort of way, all the responses I'm reading  here, are my story. It has helped, some.Thank you all for sharing. It truly is a painful experience.

[LisaR72]

Thank you all forposting your stories. Our beloved Lulu died suddenly this morning. 8 years old, healthy, no indications of anything at all. She was breathing a little heavily last night, but that wasn't uncommon from time to time.

Woke up this morning and she was outside my bedroom door as usual. Let her out to go potty, gave her her treats. She went and lay down in her bed (usual routine). I went in to see her 5 minutes later and she was gone. Tongue was white, eyes open. Didn't even look like she'd moved, it looked like she was sleeping.

Of course I'm questioning myself, but it is very comforting to know I'm not alone and it isn't uncommon.

[jillysilly]

I believe these sweet healthy Franchies who died suddenly after collapsing, with a white tongue, had Hemangiosarcoma, a form of canine cancer that causes tumors to form on the liver, spleen, and/or heart.  These tumors go unnoticed, the dogs remain very healthy and active until they suddenly burst, causing massive internal bleeding.  Dogs with short, light colored hair are susceptible to this type of cancer, which can start as a small skin tumor.  My boyfriend's Frenchie has these small red spots and I am encouraging him to take him to the vet asap. I only learned about this type of cancer after my niece's dog collapsed and couldn't stand.  She was able to get him to the vet and it was discovered that he had Hemangiosarcoma tumors on his spleen and one had ruptured, he is bleeding internally.  He did survive, but he has another tumor the size of a grapefruit still waiting to burst. He was a very healthy dog until he collapsed.  It's such a tragic cancer, unknown until it's too late. My condolences to each of you who lost your baby to this silent killer.

[cleoandpetra]

I am sure that's what my 9 and half year old bulldog died of no warning nothing - its called the silent death still coming to terms with it as it was on 5 days ago.  Overwhelming loss and heart pains for this wonderfull beloved breed of dog.