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!

[mikeg777]

I lost my bulldog yesterday. Follow up vet appointment from last week for a puncture in his paw. Everything was normal when we got home, he always gets a bit worked up and we put a fan on him to calm him down and give him some water. We noticed his breathing never settled down and then we heard a noise when he was breathing that we’d never heard before. Called the vet and they told us to bring him back. Within 5 minutes of that he passed on the living room floor. I am devastated. I am full of guilt that I didn’t think to take him back right away. He was going to be 6 in 2 months. It hurts so much. I don’t know how I am going to move on. I was downstairs working while my wife was upstairs tending to him, as this was a normal thing to us. She had ice packs on him, a fan, a wet towel, gave him cool water. All this was going on and I was conducting an interview on someone so I couldn’t just come up and help. All I can think is that he was wondering where I was and why I wasn’t doing anything. It hurts so much.

[Flyz]

Oh y’all. Reading all of this is helpful for me. Yesterday I took my English bulldog Barron to the dog park. It was in the low 70s and a little muggy ( a storm had just blown through). Barron had a normal morning, ate his food, jumped with joy when I told him we were going to park and seemed like his normal self. He was very well cared for, great food, dietary supplements for his skin, coat and joints, cleaned his folds and moistened his nose nightly. He was my baby.

He was walking around, sniffing, peeing and doing his park thing. He splooted a time or two and then would walk around more. I was chatting, watching him and my mastiff, chatting with a friend. He splooted again, and after a couple minutes I went to check on him. He was non responsive. He gasped twice as I was grabbing my other dog and the leashes. I scooped him up and he was limp. I put him in the car and ran him to our vet across the street - literally just a few minutes. Was he too hot? He was panting, but he would pant in front of a freezer. He had his soft palette surgery and his nose done. We had been to outside for much longer on warmer days. Should I have checked him sooner? Did I wait too long. How could he be so healthy and then essentially pass on while resting at the park. I have been beside myself for the last 36 hours wondering how I could have let my baby boy slip away so suddenly and unexpectedly. Thanks for sharing all of your experiences. This has quieted my thoughts a bit. I think it was just his time.

[LF3241]

I just lost Gwen, my 11 year old English Bulldog...the love of my life..in the same way. She was acting normal all morning...went out- pottied, and came in, ate a little...she then slept for a bit until we were scheduled to go for a routine vet well visit. We walked out to the car, slowly...but that was normal- I lifted her to get her in the truck and within seconds she collapsed, soiled herself, looked at me with her beautiful brown eyes, took 3 agonal breaths and died in my arms. It was seconds. Come from nowhere. She was incredibly healthy leading up to this...her bloodwork was picture perfect and she was energetic and silly.
I was beating myself up- thinking it was something that I did. Was it the mosquito spray my neighbor used?(It wasnt)  Was it something in the water? (it wasnt)  Was it tooo hot? (66 degrees and breezy).
You guys are helping me alot. I cant believe that she is gone. But at least it was quick and painless and on her terms. These Bullys will break your heart...

[Missums]

I found this page on a google search as I too just lost my English bulldog Opie very suddenly at the age of 9. It’s been 5 days. I can see the thread started a few years back and reading these stories did help so I thought I would share mine. The morning of, he was fine. Ate breakfast, we let him out to do his business. We had went out to breakfast and came back and noticed Opie did not greet us like he usually did. I noticed his belly seemed swollen as he was lying on his side. He got up and walked over to my husband for snuggles. He loved on him for a minute and Opie laid down. I then noticed not a minute later that he started panting really hard and his tongue was sticking way out. I checked his gums and they were white. His belly was very swollen at this point and hardened. I jumped in the car and drove him to the ER which was all but 5 minutes from my house. They took him right away. Because of covid we couldn’t go inside so the vet called me and said he was stable. I thought it was bloat but the vet didn’t seem to think so. He was stable at that point and did an ultrasound and found no fluid in his belly so they did bloodwork and said they would call with results. Not even 20 minutes later they called and said he stopped breathing and started CPR. They worked on him for about 10 minutes with no response and asked if i wanted to continue even though they said at this point he was most likely brain dead. I agreed and they called another 10 minutes after that and said he’s not responding at which I told them to stop CPR. He was gone. My heart is shattered. Much like everyone else, he was fine one minute and the next he was gone. Seems to be common with this breed. Hoping my story can help someone else. i miss my Opie with every thread of my soul. It’s so unfair. I picked up his ashes 2 days ago so he is home with me now. He leaves behind his 13 year old bulldog brother Winston. Everyone is heartbroken.

[charm_grace1]

I had just lost my english bulldog, Teddy, yesterday. He had just turned 5 this month. My friend and I took him on a walk on a sunny but windy and cold day. Whenever he walks he usually gets worked up but quickly recovers once he had time to rest. Yesterday, my friend and I was walking with him slowly and not even far from my apartment. We had only been walking for a less that a quarter of a mile. I realized that he was getting tired so we turned back to my apartment. We took all the time my dog needs to walk. We never rushed him and we let him rest whenever he wanted. I bathe him in an ice cold water so he can cool off but as time goes by his breathing becomes more and more compromised. He wasn’t able to recover as he normally would. I noticed that his tongue was turning purple so we rushed him to the ER. He passed in my car on the way to the vet but I had my friend do CPR on him until we got to the ER. When we arrived the Vet started CPR as well and hooked him up with some IV and intubated him. They were never able to bring him back. He was already gone by the time he passed in my car. I feel guilty that I shouldn’t have let him walk that far. But I’m also questioning how did this happen when he always gets worked up like that but quickly bounces back. He was in good health. I fed him good dog food with occasional bones from human food. The only issue that he had was his chronic itchy skin.  

[Miloismusic89_]

I just lost my bulldog a week and go he was fine and happy one day then the next day he was acting drunk like he couldn't walk then he fell down so we took him to the er and the said he had vestibular disease so we took him home with some meds and he was still acting the same and then he fell and let out a big yelp so we rush him to the er and had 2 seizures there so we had to put him down he died right in my face i'm so traumatized he was gonna be 6 aug 5. i guess this is normal in bull dogs but its sucks!! Sorry about your loss

[jcrance1]

Our bulldog was 8 years old when he passed. It started with his back legs just suddenly stopped working.  He was tired and despondent.  He was healthy and always happy.  He died in my lap. His stool at his passing was tar black which indicated liver failure. We still aren't sure what started all of that.

[danimath]

We lost our eight year old Otis to hemangiosarcoma.  Very common in bulldogs.  But he succumbed to a heart attack.

[mcenz]

We lost our Charley girl a few days ago. She was only 6 years old almost to the day. I came home from work and found she had passed.  It was and still is so shocking as she seemed healthy and happy. I am thankful to hear the stories of others here. I thought maybe we missed something and could have prevented it somehow?

[JessieFarrell]

my condolences
rest in peace

[nhart22]

Glad to have found this blog, I suddenly lost my 7 yr old English bully Bowzer yesterday and it’s been hard. Reading stories here gives me comfort that there’s nothing else I could’ve done... all I can do now is be thankful to have had him in my life and cherish all the good memories we have together

[lexiekay77]

We lost our 9 yr old English bulldog Juno out of the blue as well. She was fine the day before, ate normally, went out for a walk and was normal throughout the day. The next morning we woke up and she had passed in her sleep. She looked like she was sleeping. It didn't seem to us as if she had gone through any pain so we are thankful for that but it was very sudden and we miss her a lot.

[Noorgharu]

I amso sorry for your. My dog is sick my brother went to australia in january and afterthat that she became very sad no playing no excitement.we thought its just that she misses him.both of her eyes started watering but i still had no clue i asked vet but he said no big deal but now its been many months and she had more health issues she started having fever i called vet he gave her injections for  2 days and afterthat she had sunken eyes and became very lazy and stopped eating i called the vet again and he said i am going to give her immuno booster injection sothat she will not fall sick again but after 10 mintus she got an attack looked same as seizer her tongue turned white and eyes went up whole body became hard it was for about 5-6 minutes and she was weak afterthat and next morning she had another attack like that aand stopped drinking water also i took her to another vet they done her blood test and told me she has low platlets count only 27000 she has undergone treatment and her platlets count increased to above 2 lackhs but had increased number of wbc vet gave her meds and her reports were fine but after two weeks her platlets count again dropped to 59000 and had some liver issues also as i m from india and very small town there are  no good vets i do not know what to do she is being weak day by day i do not know what to do my whole family loves her alot we pray to for her good health i can not even imagine life without her

[cleoandpetra]

If there was white gums and loss of body fluids peeing etc his body was shutting down.  My one had a stomach full of blood and with being examined bled out which led me to believe it was a ruptured spleen.  They are a strong breed never whine or moan about anything mine was 9 and half and he was a wonderful healthy dog although he had no hearing as his infected ears a few years left me no option but to have a total ear canal ablation - somehow however he seemed to hear the biscuit tin lid haha.  You can keep asking yourself what could I have done but it was his or her tie to go.  Not sure if this helps keep holding onto the good times but I cannot get to them yet but am sure I will.

[Mich2553]

Same thing happened to my English  bulldog, Boomer.  He just had his 11th birthday.  He was healthy and acting normal all morning.  Then in the afternoon I heard this weird noise, like a yelp.  I looked around and saw him laying down like normal.  I wasn't sure if the noise was him or my kids, but all seemed normal.  Maybe 5 minutes later my husband noticed that he had peed on the floor, so I ran over.  He was breathing heavy, eyes open, tongue out and blue looking.  He was breathing, but he wasn't really with us.  Then he pooped.  We were frantic and I kept saying wake him up.  We turned my car on to bring him to the ER, and then he was gone.  This was so traumatic and devastating to us.  He was truly family and it is so difficult to go on without him here.  This thread has been comforting knowing we aren't alone.  

[Diemnzz]

Hi , i have the same story. Came home to find my baby passed away. He was laying peaceful like he normally did. He was only 6 my MO. We are devastated. we lost our child it has been 17 days and it seems like forever. He was our Number 1 he was that fur baby. My husband lost his buddy and the house hasn't been the same. We opted not for the vet to find a reason of his death because it wouldn't bring him back or change the situation, I just know we lost our baby and we are extremely heartbroken and devastated. Us Frenchie parents have the best bread. They love unconditional and make life WAY BETTER. We do have another which was his girlfriend and she has been sad as well. its been very hard on us all. Know you are not alone. Finding this page today help me alittle knowing I'm not alone in this. Thank you for sharing and I hope your family is well and happy...xoxo

[Gabbynguyen]

I lost my frenchie Herman 2 days ago. He was only 3.5. He was perfectly healthy, weight, diet, everything. We had a great last day together at the dog park. I woke up the next day and fed him his breakfast and went in the kichen to prepare my breakfast as usual. I heard some throwing up sounds, thinking it was just him throwing up as always. I walked into the room to find a trail of vomit and a path of him urinating. I immediately woke my boyfriend up thinking he was choking on something. I rushed him to the emergency room but it was too late. I talked to him the entire time in the car, telling him to stay with him, holding his head in my hand. His tongue went purple but I couldn’t accept the fact that he was gone. By the time I got to the ER, he was completely non responsive, as the nurse rushed out to take him from my arms. I’ll never forget when the vet came in the door to tell me he was no longer with us. I fell to my knees and uncontrollably lost it.

I can’t stop running the situation through my mind. Was there something I could’ve done differently? I should’ve been more prepared.

Herman was an odd one. He barked at animals on the tv. He’d go crazy once we put our shoes on because he knew we were leaving. He’d chase after light reflections from my phone. We’d call them ‘shinies’. I love him so much and miss him. Although it’s only been 2 days, I didn’t know how I’d get through life without him, but reading everyone’s stories helped me in my grieving process.

I love you Herman. You were my best friend. RIP.

[zeynepazsizan]

i lost my lilly yesterday and just cant bear the pain.so im with you xxx

[csalas78]

I'm so sorry for your loss I lost my sweet baby chloe yesterday reading these help my situation is so similar to yours

[Wdsanchz]

Roxy my 10 year old bully passed the same way last night. I sent my son out to bring her in for the night and she walked up to him and collapsed. He cried and told me to come out to check on her. She had peed and was laying on her side breathing slowly. I ran in to get my husband and he saw her take her last breath. I couldn't understand, still can't. She was healthy, she ate all her dinner. It's devastating.

[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.

[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.

[Moopingaey]

My little good boy just pass away for 2weeks. He is a very nice and lovely bulldog puppy, just 4 months. I came back home from my work and found he's no longer with me. Some amount of blood on the floor and his body seem rigor and strength his legs. I feel my world is dark, ruin and my heart is broken. I love him so much. I cried every day and night for over 2 weeks. I miss him so much. Before he pass away , he still naughty, active and ate normal. I hope that he's not suffer at the time he gone. Nobody beside him at the time he passaway and that made me so suffer. RIP my little angle Mooping. Hope to see you again in one day...

[Miss_Caroline1212]

Yesterday morning our beautiful and faithful Fiona 8 almost 9 passed. She had always had a skin condition and was at vets just a few weeks ago blood work came out fine urine fine everything fine. She was off all medications for over a month. Only thing was omega 3 and salmon made fresh daily by her daddy. She went out did her thing and daddy carried her in because her legs are weak. He noticed she peed on her bed . I didn’t like that and she usually attacks my feet when  I leave . She didn’t but i had to return and then she did so i was ok she is acting normal. I had to babysit my granddaughter and my husband was home he said she threw up and he cleaned it up and her. He had to go bathroom and when he came out she was gone. We are beyond heartbroken. Stories I’m reading tell me that this is something a lot of bully parents suffer from. Mind you she was #6 we are big fans of the breed and each gave us a heads up that something wasn’t right. She had just been at vet and was up to date on everything

[Amanda201711]

My beautiful sweet Bella ❤ passed away 1 week Friday. I have more questions than answers to her unexpected passing. Bella was 8 years old heart strong and she was physically healthy other than some seasonal allergies. Last Friday was a nightmare literally the worst day of my life. Bella was acting normal she ate her dinner and was acting like her normal self. She then barked to go outside and ran over over to the yard where she had a bowel movement she then collapsed. I work at a Veterinary Hospital so we rushed her there. On arrival she was pale and had blur gums. We put her on and her color returned we snapped some xrays and she had alot of food in her abdomen and gassy but not a GDV. She was stable so we transferred her to the overnight emergency hospital. On arrival her breathing worsened they rushed her to the back treatment room and intubated her and got her on oxygen. Her heart stopped they did CPR and injection of Epinephrine she came back but again she stopped breathing and they gave a 2nd dose and they couldn't bring her back. My heart is shattered I deleted guilty were there warning signs we didn't pick up on I keep running it over in my head. As I read everyone's story's I feel like I'm not the only one,we all share similar experiences why have our bullies left us like this what is going on with this breed that they unexpectedly pass and we are given little to no time to help them. I wish there was more research on the bulldog breed and this issue that seems to be common between all of us. We are all looking for answers that's why we are all looking on here. My heart breaks for all of you. Bullies are such an amazing breed with so much personality. My Bella will be missed and the void in our hearts never filled but with only unforgettable memories of her.

[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.

[westonba]

Not everyone lost their dog to cancer or have white tongues. I woke up this morning and my beloved 8 year old Charlotte had passed. Her tongue was purple and hanging out, from my research it was a cardiac problem. Didn’t see it coming, I played with her the night before and she was fine.

[cosis1]

Just lost me bulldog in a very similar manner. He was 11 and very old. He did still get around (slowly). I came into the room and noticed his head was laying in his own drowl. His breathing was slow. He wasn't really struggling. It was kind of peaceful. I did my best to try and get his attention. I picked him up and looked down his throat. His heart was still beating by stopped after a minute. I am glad I was at least with him when he went. A few minutes later and he would have died all alone.

[cosis1]

Glad to find this board as I know I am among a lot of other people who loved their dogs.

[ajimenez1897]

My Lily died in a very similar manner, she was 3 years old healthy and never an issue. We took her to the vet to cut her nails, when we came home she collapsed and her tong turned blue. We rushed back to the vet and were able to bring her back. She was fine that night, next day she was playing and had lunch. Got her some chicken soup that evening, she refused to eat and started hyperventilating. Not willing to take any chances, took her to ER, where they made every possible test and tried to stabilise her but she still passed away. All tests came normal, except that she was overheating and hyperventilating. Im devastated and not sure how to deal with so much pain. It does help to know its an issue with bulldogs, but wish more was known on why  they die so suddenly.
Thanks

[Itambill]

Thanks to everyone here for sharing their stories.

I just lost my 6 year old English bully.  I left for vacation on a Tuesday and got a call from the sitter on Thursday telling me he was dead.  She told me she let him out Thursday morning and he was fine and when she returned a few hours later, he was lying dead next to a small amount of vomit.  The vet told me there was blood coming from his nose so it could have been some kind of bleeding, but she couldn't have been sure.

This has been extremely difficult.  When I left Tuesday morning there was no signs of anything wrong and he seemed as happy and healthy as ever.  I can't help but think that if I was there I could have done something to help him or could have prevented whatever happened.

Looking back, there may have been some warning signs - it always took him a long time to "recover" from physical activities - for example he'd pant for at least an hour after a short walk. He had fainted once before after coming in from the rain when he tried to shake himself dry.  In that instance I was able to grab him and stabilize him and he was totally fine within minutes.

He was the sweetest dog I've ever known.  Not a mean bone in his body.  It kills me to think I wasn't able to say goodbye and that he was all alone when he passed.  He didn't deserve that.  I got him when he was 5 weeks old and he was my guy since day one.  I can't believe the last time I'll ever see him will be him standing there looking at me as I closed the door to leave for vacation.

All I can take from this is that we got to spend six great years together.  He gave me so much and i know he felt loved.  I am thankful that he will never have to suffer through illness, old age, or becoming a shell of younger more energetic self in what would have been his final few years of a natural life span.

This forum has helped knowing I'm not the only person to experience this.  Don't know how long it will take for me to get past the pain of not being there with my guy in his final moments or the guilt of thinking I could have done something.
He came to me in a dream last night and we got to hang out for a bit.  I only hope he continues to do so.

[Itambill]

Jj