Nelly, 10 y/o Rottweiler, has passed -- what happened?

[boubou]

Hello,
I'm checking in a little too late for my beloved 10 year Rottweiler Nelly who passed away 2 weeks ago. She was diagnosed with Cushings and the following week, we started treatment. Thursday was her first day and she was prescribed 5 - 500mg pills of Lysodren (she was a big dog of 110 pounds). She was given this at about 6:30 pm. She was a little quiter than usual that evening as well as in the morning, but we figured the pills were kicking in. When my boyfriend arrived home at 3:30pm, she struggled to get up and then collapsed and died...she was very bloated - we rushed her to the vet anyway and asked for answers and didn't get any. I suspect heart failure, thus the bloating, but can anyone give me more insite as to what killed my Nelly?? I miss her so much and can't believe she's gone...

Thanks,
Cindy

[labblab]

Dear Cindy,

I am so sorry for the loss of your precious girl. As you will see, I have moved your reply from our "Checking In" thread in order to create this new thread for you. This way, it will be easier for our members to talk with you about what has happened.

Regardless of the cause, I can imagine how much you are grieving your Nelly. In hopes that it may bring you a tiny bit of comfort, Nelly has been added to our special memorial thread of honor here:

http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/showthread.php?p=46185#post46185

If you should ever wish to provide us with a photograph of your Nelly, it will be our privilege to add a photo link to her memorial line. You can either upload a photo to create a personal album here (and we can then copy and transfer the image), or you can email a photo to us at k9cushings@gmail.com.

Having said that, I know that you are struggling to find some answers as to what happened. You may never be able to figure that out for certain. But I believe that other folks will soon stop by to add their thoughts. I am really glad that you have found us. Even though Nelly is now at a place where she is free from any pain, you must live with your own pain. We cannot take that pain away, but we are here to support you and walk alongside you during these difficult days.

Sending many hugs,
Marianne

[addy]

I am so sorry to hear about Nelly. I can't comment on what may have happened to cause her death but I can tell you how sorry I am for your loss and send hugs and prayers. You surely must be in shock and I cannot even imagine what you are going through.

We are hear for you whenever you need a shoulder and perhaps other members will have some insight.

Love,
Addy

[lulusmom]

Hi Cindy,

I am so terribly sorry for your loss and I do understand the heartbreak and frustration of not knowing what happened. Unfortunately, without the benefit of a necropsy, I'm afraid the cause of Nelly's death will never be determined. I will tell you that we don't see the scenario you have described with cushdogs. Though there is no way for any of us to know what it was that took your girl away from you, I personally don't think it was cushing's related. This is purely speculation on my part but because of her breed, the rapid onset and your description of her being bloated, the first thing that came to my mind was "bloat" also known as gastric torsion. It is a very serious condition that can come on very quickly and it can be fatal if not treated right away. I had a friend in the early 80's who lost her Newfoundland to bloat and an acquaintance I met on my commuter train recently lost his Mastiff to bloat. Please check out the link below for more information on this condition.

http://www.amrottclub.org/bloat.htm

I hope you will accept Marianne's offer to add a memorial thread for Nelly in our In Loving Memory forum.

Glynda

[StarDeb55]

Cindy, I am so very sorry for your loss. I know when you lose a pup very unexpectedly, it is ever so much harder. I do agree with Glynda, though, that this sounds exactly like bloat. Had Nelly eaten several hours prior to her passing? If she did, this is frequently the exact scenario for bloat to occur. For some reason, something goes awry during the digestion of food, & gas builds up in the stomach/intestinal tract. This buildup causes the stomach to literally twist around on itself. The dog must be taken to surgery almost immediately upon symptoms being detected to have a chance at survival. The technical term for all of this "Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus" ("GDV"). It is one of the true, life-threatening medical emergencies for our pups. One of my best friend's husband lost his lab to bloat. He was a really big lab, had eaten late in the afternoon, & a few hours later collapsed.

Again, I am speculating, without a necropsy, it would be next to impossible to be 100% certain of what happened to Nelly.

Debbie

[boubou]

Hello everyone,
Thank you for your support....I immediately thought about bloat, but she was fed her breakfast at 7:30am and died at 3:30pm....when we brought her in, I asked my vet if it could be bloat and he said the time frame was too long ..it would have happened sooner. He palpatated her belly and said it was filled with fluid and aspirated the fluid from the belly area and there was a bit of blood. I still wonder if it could have been bloat. I am a little disappointed in my vet...I thought he would have helped me find an answer...anyway, she's gone and we'll never know what happened...so sad...I will try to upload a photo of her taken in April in my yard..she loved being outdoors....

[Squirt's Mom]

Dear Cindy,

First, I am so so sorry about your Nellie. To lose a baby is never easy, whether we know the "why" or not. Tho, from experience, I can tell you that the unknown can haunt us if we let it. We run scenarios through our minds over and over trying to find the "AH HA!" moment, that one little thing that will tell us why this happened...and what we could have done to prevent it. For nearly five years I have tried to find out what happened to my baby girl, talking to every and anyone who might have a clue to share, but there are no answers for me - the only thing I know for a fact is that she is gone. And so often, I feel guilty. Guilty that I didn't know something was wrong, if it was; guilty that I didn't do something; guilty that I wasn't there when it happened. The fact is, the guilt does nothing to help me or her, and I have to remind myself constantly to honor her life, to celebrate the time we had together, and to cherish those memories that sustain me.

Hold fast to your memories of Nellie. Let yourself grieve as much as you need, whenever you need, for as long as you need. For a while, that grief will sit on your shoulders like a stone, weighing you down. But as the days and weeks pass, that burden will lighten a bit and the struggle to stay on your feet won't be as difficult. As the weight of loss grows less, the joy of your memories will grow stronger. Grab for those memories of your life with Nellie that remind you how happy she was, how happy she made you, the times of laughter and joy you shared. Wrap yourself in these memories and those dark days won't be able to stick around for long.

Please know we are here anytime you need to talk. If you like, we would be honored to share in celebrating some of the memories you have, in celebrating her life with you. We have an area where we share these stories with our family here at K9C and it does help so much to be able to do this. If you wish to start a thread for Nellie, you may do so at this link:

http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=8

Our deepest sympathies,
Leslie, Squirt, Trinket, Brick and our Angels, Ruby and Crys

[StarDeb55]

the fluid from the belly area and there was a bit of blood.

Cindy, did your vet say anything about the possibility of hemangiosarcoma? With the fluid that was aspirated containing blood, this is another possibility. Hemangios are a splenic tumor that can rupture without warning, causing life-threatening blood loss into the abdominal cavity. This may explain the bloating that you saw. I know you are trying to find answers, & this is the only other thing I can think of based on the symptoms you describe that Nelly had.

Debbie

[Eskimo'sMom]

WOW, so SORRY to hear this. Do you think it was the meds? It sounds that she passed just after receieving treatment? This thread makes me nervous bc Im getting ready to treat my baby :( after so much thinking about to do so or not.....

Oh boy, here goes my brain again...... My Eskimo behaves well w/o treatment, but I do see signs of CUshings: legs shaking, excessive water consumption and panting...

[Eskimo'sMom]

BouBou was a very lucky dog to have you as parents. I can tell just by what I am reading that you really cared for her. Sometimes I wonder when dogs pass if they know it's just the next phase in their life and they go though it just like being called to dinner.

I had a student this year who lost her dog. Her family was devestated. One day she came to me and told me that her dog was being fed biscuits all day long by angels and that the angles would bring her dog down to Earth to see her and hide behind trees just to make sure she was alright. I couldnt help but turn away bc tears were welding up in my eyes but finally had the courage to ask.... "Who told you all this?" She informed me that her parents had read to her a book called "When Dogs go to Heaven". I think you should get this book.

[coopersmom]

Cindy-

So sorry for you sudden loss. I've lost a sheltie suddenly and know just how difficult it is. Cooper has been gone six years and I still look for answers. One possibility for Nelly could be a hemangiosarcoma (HSA). This is the cancer that took Cooper from us. Most hemangiosarcomas originate on the spleen and owners will not even know the dog has the cancer until the dog suddenly collapses. These tumors rupture and if the dog doesn't get immediate help it will bleed out and die. When my Coop went in for emergency surgery, the vet opened up his abdominal cavity and blood was everywhere. He was euthanized on the table. The only clue you might have on HSA would be a decrease in Nelly's hemoglobin & hematacrit. In other words, you could request copies of Nelly's blood work for the past year and check for a decrease in the Hemoglobin & hematacrit. If you wanted to do an autopsy, it would reveal any abdominal massess.

Again so sorry for your loss.

Kim & Randy

[labblab]

Cindy, I just wanted to return to tell you that one of my best friends also lost her dog to HSA, and it occurred very suddenly. Her dog was fine upon arising in the morning, but he collapsed later in the day. My friend rushed him in to the vet, but in the OR they discovered that his spleen had ruptured and there was no hope of recovery.

I do believe that this could be the most likely explanation for Nelly's death. Due to the timing, I certainly understand why you would question whether the Lyosdren was related. But as Glynda has said, Nelly's situation does not sound like anything that is typical of either Cushing's or Lysodren. I do believe that it was just an unusual coincidence. For my friend, the only saving grace was that she knew that her dog had not suffered for any length of time, and that his release was quick once the vets realized what had happened and they could go ahead and ease his passage. I hope that, with time, you may be able to find some comfort in knowing that, too.

Marianne

[Bagel's Mom]

Cindy,

I am so sorry for your loss..I am sure the frustration of not knowing eats at you. But you were seeking the best solution for Nelly and your love for her was, and is, so obvious.

Sometimes wanting and needing closure can stay on your mind- and in this case I know it must constantly.

I think the most important thing now is needing TIME to heal and having her so many years makes that difficult I, know. I am praying for COMFORT for you now and hoping that soon the memories will make you smile. She will always have a huge place in your heart.
Sande

[apollo6]

I am so sorry for your loss. Know you did the best for your beloved Nelly.
Sonja and Apollo