Check out some similar questions!

J_9 · May 30, 2013, 06:43 AM

Kimmie was our RottenLab, she passed 2 days ago, she was 10 years old. I'm just interested in what you all think.

She never barked, only smiled.

She hadn't eaten for about 2 days, she did drink though. This wasn't unusual for Kimmie though.

For a couple of weeks it appeared that she would have a hard time getting up and walking around for a short period after a nap. She had a slight limp that would alternate from front to back or left to right. We associated that with her age and size, as it would go away once she was mobile for a few minutes.

On Sunday she was playful as usual, as she was Monday afternoon. Monday evening I let her out to roam the back yard (it is fenced) and use the bathroom. It appeared that she had some diarrhea, I was on the deck grilling ribs at the time, so I was out with her. But... she didn't want to come inside as she usually does. So we left her out with the other dogs. When it was bedtime my hubby had to carry her in.

Fast forward to Monday morning. She was herself again, still not eating but mobile without difficulty. The family left to run some errands and I took a nap for an hour around 4 pm. I woke at 5 to get ready for work and noticed that she had heavy labored breathing. She tried to get up, but her front legs weren't working. She could only get up on her front "elbows." She appeared dizzy and just flopped to the ground. I noticed then that she had urinated all over the dog bed that she was sleeping on. Well, I had no choice but to go to work. The hubby and the kids were going to take her to the emergency vet, which is over an hour away from us. We all left at the same time around 6pm. I got the call at 7pm that she passed in the car on the way to the vet.

There were no symptoms before Monday evening. I am totally and completely perplexed. I can't afford an necropsy, so I'm just grasping for ideas here.

She's always had good vet care, all her shots, heartworm meds, etc. She had parvo as a pup and was cured to the tune of $1,500. So while money is tight, I will find it to take care of my fur babies.

Anyone have any ideas? I know it's a stretch of the imagination for me to think that you could even begin to diagnose her, and I'm not asking that. Maybe I'm just venting.

Fr_Chuck · May 30, 2013, 07:03 AM

I am sorry for your lost,

J_9 · May 30, 2013, 07:03 AM

Thank you Chuck.

Aurora_Bell · May 30, 2013, 11:32 AM

I am so sorry to hear this J, it's never easy losing a family member. <3

10 is getting up there, but it's not OVERLY old. My best guess is cancer. Rottweilers are prone to it, and it sounds like it could have been in her lymphoid or even in the brain perhaps? I know Max was unable to walk, but it was arthritis and then his spinal column ended up collapsing. Most dogs are realllly good at hiding their discomfort and pain, it's a survival mechanism, so my guess was she was actually sick for some time, but was really good at hiding it.

If it was cancer she could have been so weak from fighting it, that she was collapsing and unable to walk.

I'm really sorry J. I wish I could offer more than a guess. I can offer my ears and a virtual hug. Xoxo

J_9 · May 30, 2013, 02:15 PM

Thanks Bella. I really wasn't looking for anything other than a guess, and Kimmie was the master at hiding her pain. I remember when she had parvo. I had to search and search for her in the yard to find her. We don't have too many trees back there, but low and behold, she found the one that had the lowest branches and the most number of leaves to hide in.

Cancer is something I certainly didn't think about. Thanks again, I appreciate you.

Sariss · May 30, 2013, 02:21 PM

I could think of either cancer like hemangiosarcoma that burst, or even a heart attack. Have you considered having a necropsy done?
Im sorry for your loss. :(

J_9 · May 30, 2013, 02:28 PM

Thank you Sariss. Yes, I've though of having a necropsy done as I have 3 other big dogs and home and was worried if it were something contagious. They all have vet appointments now for check ups. However, I can't afford the cost of a necropsy.

Sariss · May 30, 2013, 02:45 PM

Did she go to your regular vet? Or is the ER Vet a separate one?
If she went to the vet that knows her, sometimes clinics will do necropsies for "learning purposes" - they wouldn't send any histo or tox stuff out, but if there's something glaring wrong, they could figure it out. Not every clinic does it though. I know we do, especially if it is something unexpected...

J_9 · May 30, 2013, 02:58 PM

We were sending her to the ER Vet, as our vet doesn't go past clinical hours of 5 pm. All vets in our area refer to this ER after hours. However, she never made it to the ER.

I read up on the hemangiosarcoma, as you know I'm a human nurse not a fur nurse, and that seems to be the most logical explanation, and one I hadn't thought of. I considered Lyme's Disease as she loves the outdoors and gets quite a few ticks per year, but in our area of Tennessee we are more prone to Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever than we are Lyme's, per our vet.

I don't thing necropsy is possible now since the family laid her to rest in her favorite sunning spot in the yard while I was still at work.

Our clinic doesn't do the necropsies for learning purposes. I found this out when our basset hound passed unexpectedly at 6 years old. That was over 3 years ago.

Alty · May 30, 2013, 04:03 PM

My first thought was cancer, mainly because Kimmie sounded a lot like Jasper before he passed.

Dogs are very good at hiding their illness, it's a pack thing. You can't show weakness in a pack, or you get kicked out, or get bumped to a lower status. The lower the status, the less you have to eat, etc. So you hide your pain. It's like prey animals that hide their pain otherwise they're easy pickings for predators.

You can take the dog out of the pack, but you can't take the pack instinct out of the dog. It's likely that she was sick for a long time before you realized it, before she lost the control to hide it from you.

J, I'm so sorry for your loss. I wish we could offer a valid diagnosis. We can't do that, but, we can tell you that this is not your fault. You did the best for her when you realized she was ill. You gave her the best care possible. Don't beat yourself up about this, okay?