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!

[have 2 kids]

I'm very sorry for your loss.  

[Bulldogs4life]

We lost our bulldog Hendrix two days ago, he was almost 3. We were on holiday when we recieved a panicked call from my partners sister, she rushed him to the vet but he passed away on the car ride. He was perfectly healthy when we left and was doing his normal thing for the previous few days (walking, swimming, eating, sleeping etc). We were so devastated that we weren't there for his last moments and blamed ourselves thinking we could have done something to stop it but after reading all these stories it does sound like it could not have been avoided. The vet said he was really hot and had a fair bit of blood in his lungs so was most likely due to a embolism. We have another bulldog Meatloaf who is almost 4 and I just hope that he isn't too traumatized from this as he was outside on the balcony with Hendrix at the time. As you all know bulldogs are a breed like no other and are known for their health issues but it still came as such a shock. We love him so much and are so heartbroken. I will make sure my time with Meatloaf is never taken for granted and I appreciate every last second with him to honor Hendrix. Thank you so much for everyone sharing their stories on here it has helped us with closure more than I could imagine.  

[dominosarah]

I am so sorry for the loss of your pet........sara

[Ghilly]

I am SO sorry to hear of your loss.  Everything that you have mentioned could be a possibility.  The only way to tell for sure would be to have a necropsy done.  With the tongue being white, I would think there was some type of massive bleed that happened.  Blood loss would be the only reason I could think of for a complete and sudden loss of color like that.  Although it can't change anything, I would contact his vet about a necropsy, because at least it will give you some closure.  Again, my condolences,

Ghilly

[ginger899]

It's very sad. You did the utmost best you could do for your dog, and gave him the best life. Then you and your girlfriend worked so hard to save his life at the end. You could not have done better! But fate is like that. It gives us sudden devastating things without obvious reason sometimes, outside of our control, and snatches those we love away without warning. And that is very hard. We can't see what we did or did not do that was wrong or right. Well it seems you did everything right for this dog. If you really do need to know what happened, the vet will perform an autopsy, then you will understand.

[Vdlucas]

My bulldog just passed. He was fine when we went to bed but when we got up at 4 in the morning, he was gone. He was laying peacefully like he was sleeping. No defecation or urine.  No health problem, went to the vet every 6 months.

[Dalanah]

We just lost our bulldog very similarly.  I found him on the kitchen floor by his water bowl.  He was stretched on his side like he was sleeping.  Just took him to the vet and his blood work was good.   He seemed healthy.  He was 8 1/2.  It's just devastating.   I understand your pain.

[BullyMom]

My 8-year old bulldog, who was the picture of health, died suddenly yesterday.  He was fed a very healthy diet, no people food except for carrots and a little bit of yogurt in his food to help keep the dry food moist.  Anyway, he got very, very sick very fast and we don't know what happened to him.  We did request a necropsy be done (that's an autopsy for an animal) so that we can better understand what happened.  Ivanhoe was our 4th bulldog and we still have two that remain alive with us right now, so knowing what happened to him is very important to us. I'll join this blog and keep all of you posted as to what happened to our very sweet boy.  It's a sin!!

[Dalanah]

Please do.  Ours died so suddenly.  Went to sleep and found him dead.  He was 8 1/2  with no known health issues, other then allergies.

[BullyMom2]

My 7.5 year old bulldog just died suddenly as well. He was fed very good food, got a lot of exercise and had recently visited the vet ..
he collapsed suddenly while walking and playing at the dog park.  The vet suggested an embolism or heart attack...he had no heart murmur and nothing had indicated there was an issue.  Even an autopsy will not be helpful...this is heartbreaking but I understand that Boxers, and Bulldogs and other larger breeds are known to have this happen..heartbreaking.

[RoxyPullerMom]

Hello there,
    My bulldog passed almost 2 months ago now. She was going to be 6 at the end of this month. She died suddenly as well. The week before she passed she seemed to have a very bad ear infection. She spent a night at the vet because she would let out a loud cry that I had never heard before. I spent many nights at the vet that week just trying to find out what was wrong. She seemed to get better once given antibiotics, however they night before she passed was very rough. That morning I asked my mom and dad to come by and get her because I didn't want her to be alone. Much of what you said happened to your bully happened to mine before she passed from the description my parents gave me.
     Ultimately, I wanted to ask if the doctors found anything after doing the examination to your bully? Please let me know. Thank you.

[jettavr6]

Our family bulldog was 7.5 years old and died suddenly yesterday.  Up until the point at which he died, he was in great shape and good health.  We were all in the living room with him, when he stood up and then just keeled over.  My wife and I immediately started CPR, but to no avail.  He didn't lose bowel or bladder control.  We rushed him to the Vet, but by the time he was in the car, we knew that he was already gone.  Thinking back, I can think of two times where he had a similar episode of passing out, but both times he lost bladder control, and quickly woke up - these episodes happened more than 2 years ago.  We elected not to do a necropsy, as my wife reasoned that it wasn't going to change the situation.  The voice of reason in me agrees with my wife, the crazy side of me (I'm a physician myself), wants to know the answer if there is one.  My working theory is that the problem is cardiogenic/vascular.  My dog either had a heart attack, or threw a clot.  Either way, I'm sad to have lost my buddy.  

[Dalanah]

We lost ours suddenly too.  I am just so full of guilt bc it happened at night while we slept.  I found him by his water bowl, stretched out on his side like he was sleeping.   When I cradled his head water fell from his mouth and when I looked at the other side if his mouth I noticed a small amount of blood, like he may have bit his dog.  It's not knowing that is eating at me.  He had just checked out as healthy 3 weeks ago.  We are having him cremated but I may ask for the autopsy.  It has been devastating.   He was a member if the family and we all loved him.

[ThomasCBury]

We just lost our Bulldog, Roxie,  a few days ago.  She was only 3 1/2  years old.  She was playing with our daughter and her friends who were over for a bonfire.  She got worked up and was breathing hard even after the horsing around had stopped.  We've seen this behavior before in our Bulldogs after rough housing so we ended up going  to bed and found her dead on the floor early in the morning.  She seemed tensed up, as her front legs were stretched out as if she was standing up.  We also have her sister who must have witnessed this event and has been traumatized by it (She seems to be quite sad).  They were inseparable since birth.  We assume she must have had a heart attack, but we didn't have a necropsy done on her. The Vet said that they don't often find the cause of death and it wouldn't change the outcome either way.   But we are definitely left feeling "What if" we had just taken it more seriously and taken her to the vet that night....Roxie we miss you so much!!!

[monty6]

Our bulldog Monty 6 years old has just passed away suddenly he was as fit as anything not over weight nothing he was just playing in the front garden with our twin girls age 14 when he just collapsed the way your dog was found was the way he looked when i ran out to him it was seconds that i got to him and he had already gone i done everything i could but i could see he had already gone my vet also said the same maybe it was a heart attack they just dont know .... i hope you find comfort that even if you would have been there you can not save them our monty loved going out loved his walks but he was taken so quick it was 5 days ago we lost him we are so so devasted we are waiting to have him back he is getting cremated we love and miss him so much Bev xxx  

[Robbie20]

Our beautiful boy Dozer died suddenly last night aged 6. Im looking here for answers. He was happy healthy and had recently had his annual check and immunizations. He went out to be fed, ate his dinnerr and then part of his sisters. He then layed down and wet himself. My husband alterted me and we raced him to the vet. We was dead when we got there despite my husband trying cpr on the run. The vet had no answers and said this was uncommon but this forum seems to tell me differently. Robyn

[SophieIsMyBabe1]

I just lost my heart yesterday! Her name is Sophie and she was 9,  She was absolutely fine all day with no health issues.  My baby would whine softly when she needed water or a trip outside.  Last night she whined softly, so I jumped up to check her water bowl, it was fine. She whined again so I picked her and asked her what wrong.  The next whine sounded like a child's soft whine.  This was a new sound, so I grabbed my phone, started recording so I could send it my husband and get his opinion.  The third whine, she stopped breathing.  I just cannot believe she isn't here.  My life evolved around keeping her safe.  She is my second frenchie, the first I had rescued  a puppy mill she was an end of life rescue.  Thank you for reading.

[KimHal]

We suddenly and unexpectedly lost our 6-year old bulldog, Leo, a few days ago, and I was looking for answers too. But many of the stories here are very similar, which in and of itself is some consolation for our breaking hearts, so I first want to thank everyone for posting their stories!! My thoughts and prayers are with you all as bulldogs are such sweet dogs and amazing family pets - it is very hard to lose them! Leo was healthy, walked almost daily and more active (running around chasing the kids, playing fetch, etc.) than his brother, Doug,  (who we still have thankfully) and our first bulldog, Mary, who lived until 13, which I think is almost unheard of!  He had regular shots and checkups and vets never found any issues with his heart - not a irregular heartbeat or anything. He did have chronic ear infections to the point where we had antibiotics stocked all the time, and he had much worse breath than his brother even though we did brush their teeth and tried the anti-plaque chews, etc.. He had 2 short seizures within the last year where he stopped on a walk, laid down and urinated, but within a few minutes was up and walking again and fine. He had not had any seizures for nearly 5 months and those were the first he ever had. He was active and fine as normal, then threw up twice one day. By the afternoon that same day his heart was racing and he looked very lethargic and his face very sad (more than his normal look). Dogs throw up all the time, so we thought we'd keep a close eye and then in the morning take him in if he was still bad, but he laid down after dinner in his favorite napping place and just stopped breathing. He coughed a couple of times but I thought he was just fighting off throwing up again... but I think now those may have been his last breaths. :(  The 2nd time he threw up it was a very weird sounding cough - almost human. He passed away about 1.5 hours later -- just went to lay in his normal after dinner napping spot and  he stopped breathing. We tried CPR for over an hour but he was gone. With the 2 seizures and his racing heart, the other chronic symptoms, we think it must have been heart failure and/or an embolism or a heart attack. He probably had an underlying heart condition that the vets just never detected. So probably just genetics, and a weak heart. It all happened very fast and our family is devastated, but we are very thankful he was home with us, in his favorite cozy place and really didn't suffer. Running him back and forth to vets is understandable, and had he shown any signs of life during CPR we would have done the same. I kept wondering if I had done something sooner if we could have kept him alive, but I think now that I'm reading all of these stories it seemed inevitable, and again, we're just thankful he was at home with us and it was quick. Shocking and terrible for our family to go through, but fast, again, that is more of a blessing. We will grieve for him for a long time, and are loving on his brother who is very lost now without him. I'm sure time will heal our wounds and soon we'll create some memorial items for our family too. My thoughts and prayers to everyone.  I hope my story helps relieve some pain and questions for someone else like the other stories here did for me. <3LoveOurBullies!<3

[Miles5]

My baby boy buster died at the age of four suddenly and unexpectedly he was fine running around and playing the day prior my heart just breaks

[Fpace]

I understand your pain. My bulldog, Dexter, just passed away two days ago. He had a heart condition and was on several medications. However, the cardiologist said he was doing much better and you can tell because he had his old trot back and appetite.

But after a great day with my boy, I woke up the following day to see him sleeping but realized he had passed away in that position. My only hope is that he died quickly and without any pain because he looked very peaceful, like he had always looked when he was sleeping.  

I am grateful that he died at home and that I had a great last day with him. I got to tell him I loved him and we had a bonding moment together on the couch hugging and kissing each other. I went to bed after that and he died a few hours later while I was asleep.

We can only assume that when a bulldog diss a sudden death - there's a very good chance it was heart related since that is the leading cause of death for Bulldogs. I know that's most likely the case for my boy since he had a heart condition already, I just wish I had a little more time with him.

Bulldogs are a special breed full of character - almost humanlike - and although they don't live the longest lives I am grateful that I got to spend eight years with my best friend. He will be missed.

[Dalanah]

I am so sorry for your loss and sadly I understand your pain.  My boy was Booger Bear and I found him like that 2 days ago.  Shock and devastation for the entire family.  He was 8 1/2.  I had hoped we would have him a while longer as I know Bulldogs don't live long.  It just feels like my heart has been ripped out bc he was such a big part of our family.  Did not see it coming.   The comfort is knowing it was quick and hopefully little or no pain.  Bulldogs are truly very humanlike.  He truly was a character and that gives sweet memories..  He will be missed so very much.  I truly have a physical ache inside my body, I loved him so much.  

[kelly2668]

I just lost my bulldog Moe today he was almost 10yrs old with no health problems. He was fine all morning, doing what he does every morning. Around 12:30, I notice he was laying down and he just pooped, then his tongue got real light, he started panting and then went limp. I picked him up and put him in the tub, thinking he was over heated, was putting cold water on him, but he wasn't responding. His eyes were just not there and took a few shallow breaths and was gone in about 10 minutes.

[pinkmm3]

That sounds like my bulldog.  She was almost 10 and she passed away 9 days ago.  I am very sorry for your loss. My Tilly woke up, ate breakfast and went potty.  She was fine all day until around 2:00 and then it was just like yours.  It's heartbreaking!

[Dalanah]

I am so sorry and I do understand.  This forum has been a comfort for me.  My sweet boy was 8 1/2, which I guess is pretty good for Bulldogs.  He looked healthy, acted normal.  Did not see his quick and sudden death coming at all.

[kelly2668]

Thank you, sorry for your lost also.

[Daisy_aem]

Just lost my 12 year old Daisy.  I've been trying to piece everything together to see if it was something I did or missed.  She was fine in the morning, afternoon, and evening, routine as usual.  She had no health problems other than being selectively deaf and blind.  I gave her a bath and then took her outside to relax and dry off completely.  She had all her normal behavior about her, but then I noticed that her jowls were turning white, her tongue was pale.  Her breathing was off.  I thought that maybe she was overheating, so I put the fan on her.  She seemed to enjoy that and I continued to watch her.  She could stay still, up, lay down, up lay down.  Until she coughed some blood and then couldn't breath anymore.  I tried swiping the mouth and throat, CPR, everything.  Nothing.  This all happened so fast, 5-10 minutes.  She was gone.  She is gone.  Not forgotten.  I know this isn't an answer to the original post, and I still not sure what the cause is, but am better now for reading similar posts.  I just hope that my 8 year old bulldog Dexter lives for another 20.  

[KaylaHart6688]

I lost my 6 year old English bulldog last night in a similar fashion to each of you.  I'm so heartbroken thinking there was more I could have done.  He ate breakfast yesterday but didn't want any dinner.  I chalked it up that maybe his stomach was upset and he would be better today.  I sat down to watch TV and heard laid beside me on the floor.  Short time later I hear an unusual groan and jumped up see Duke laying there in his urine and went to pet him and he let out a long breath that was his last.  I just don't understand why this happened so suddenly and found this blog.  It's just so sad and ironic that alot of the bullies on here were around the same age.  I can't help but wonder if there was more I could have done or signs I didn't see.  Like most of you said... Duke was an extraordinary dog, different from most.  So sweet... so loving.  He'll be missed dearly!

Kayla/Ft. Worth, TX

[FelixDuCat]

So strange, we too lost our 6 year old English Bulldog, Duke, about 4 four days ago. He seemed lethargic so we took him to the vet. It seemed like it was just pain from his bad leg. But when we woke in the morning, he had peed on floor and was walking around like he was drugged, and was walking into things. We got him to the vet, who sedated him (he was breathing really fast and freaking out). He passed away as he was waking up. He had gone acutely blind overnight, and an X-Ray revealed he had a collapsed lung. The vet said it looked most likely that he had a stroke, due to the blindness (though it could be a brain tumour or other neurological issues), or it could be a pulmonary embolism which would explain the collapsed lung and probable stroke. Either way, it was devastating to see him in that state, and for him to be gone so quickly. I&#39;m glad he didn&#39;t suffer too long, but it&#39;s hard to wrap our heads around how this all happened. There&#39;s a long sad road ahead. :(

[RalphRM]

Our 4 year old frenchie had a seizure about 2 months ago. She also was in perfect health always.  She had a couple out of nowhere.  The vet put her on seizure meds that seemed to help.  We took her on vacation this week and she had a seizure after over a month being fine. The seizure are legs jerking, losing balance and falling, and foam or liquid coming out of her mouth.  During bad seizures she&#39;d go to the bathroom as well.  She kept having facial issues and another seizure and we brought her to the ER.  They gave her Valium to bring her temp down and wanted to watch her overnight.  They thought she&#39;d be fine.  She passed at 2am in her sleep according to the Dr.  We are completely crushed.

[Ghilly]

I am so very sorry for your loss.  The only way to be certain what killed Francis would be to have the vet perform a necropsy, however from your description of what happened, I would say there was a major bleed somewhere in his body and that was the reason for his tongue turning white.  The one thing that you can be certain of is that Francis did not suffer.  It was quick for him, you were there, he was at home, he knew he was loved.  If there's a good way for a pet to go, this was it.  Please don't beat yourself up over this.  Whatever it was, it was obviously something that killed him quickly and he didn't suffer leading up to his death, so there was nothing you could have done to prevent his death.  I mean, you don't take an outwardly healthy, happy dog to the vet, NOBODY does that.  Keep Francis alive in your heart and eventually you will remember him with smiles instead of tears.  And you WILL see him again, I know you will.

Ghilly

[BulldoggeMom]

Today we lost one of our family members. Our old English bulldog Hoss was nine years old. He had been up ate his breakfast layed around sleeping like he always did most of the day.  My husband took him and the other two girls out this was about their sixth trip for the day it was around 3 PM he step down off the porch went out and laid in the yard us like always I heard my husband yell.  I went outside to find my husband trying to revive our big boy and was unsuccessful. There were no signs whatsoever leading up to or that day that anything was wrong.  He had just been to the vet one week prior and had a clean bill of health with his heartworm check Lyme disease check he had received his vaccinations and his  flea and tick medicine. We did use a new flea and tick medicine called bravo. We also gave it to all three of our old English Bulldogs. We are so saddened tonight with his loss. He immediately had whitened gums and tongue. His legs were stiffened and his stomach smeed swollen. All of this happened in immediately within his death. We were not outside more than 5 minutes when he died.  We are definitely sad and very emotional tonight. We will greatly miss him forever.

[GraceTR]

We lost our English bulldog, Barabbas, quite suddenly yesterday. He was 7, not horribly overweight and kept active with our 2 year old son. And like most stories I&#39;ve read on here, he was fine all morning and just came in from our backyard. While feeding my son lunch, Barabbas slid into a really awkward position from sitting up and I knew something wasn&#39;t right so I helped him onto his side. I noticed he peed all over himself, took really shallow breaths and within seconds, took one final gasp for air and died. I panicked and wanted to rush him to the emergency vet but knew it was too late. He was gone. As heartbroken as we are by his sudden passing I just want to thank everyone who posted their stories on here. Like all of you looking for answers, my husband found this page and even though it won&#39;t bring our baby boy back, it&#39;s brought us some closure and peace knowing that we are not alone. I pray for all of you who have lost your furry child through such traumatic experiences but know that we will see them again when they greet us at heaven&#39;s door. God bless.

[Kellypuleio]

We lost our 8 year old bulldog 5 days ago in the same manner. She was 40lbs, In great shape, we finally got her allergies under control, she was in the best condition we could have wished for. She woke up in the morning, ate breakfast, took her allergy pill (apoquol) played, Peed,  and trotted to the car. We put her in the back seat with her blanket all snuggled up. We heard what sounded like snoring but quickly realized her eyes were open. She looked up and her eyes were really wide and vacant. Then put her head down and stopped breathing. We lost her in minutes. It was so unexpected and fast. She was only 8, we thought we would have had more time. The vet offered thoughts of cardiac or aneurism but She was in perfect health.