My wonderful, heathly, 7 year old fawn male, (otto) died suddenly and we are devastated by this. He was so full of life just hours before he died and was discovered about an hour after he was put in the kennel out on the outside deck dead, on his side, and it appears that he lost his bowls as he lay on his side. Could it have been a heart defect? We have three other dogs in the same kennell who are healthy and happy ( and are grieving him) He was the Alfa male. Has anyone any idea as to what could have happened to him? I need closure to this terrible loss. I just lost my Dad that same weekend so any comfort would be appreciated. Thank you, Dottie
sudden death
- Thread starter dottieb
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Spins1344
Boxer Booster
Dottie,
I'm so so very sorry to hear this news (about otto and your dad). When it rains, it pours. It's a terrible thing to have to do through and not having the closure does make it even worse, but, closure or not, it still hurts like hell!! My husband's white boxer died in June - and it was a sad, sad day. Just know that you have all of us here at BW to help you through this. :(
My deepest and most sincere sympathies,
Jo-Ann
I'm so so very sorry to hear this news (about otto and your dad). When it rains, it pours. It's a terrible thing to have to do through and not having the closure does make it even worse, but, closure or not, it still hurts like hell!! My husband's white boxer died in June - and it was a sad, sad day. Just know that you have all of us here at BW to help you through this. :(
My deepest and most sincere sympathies,
Jo-Ann
Chris W.
Super Boxer
suddenly
DottieB,
I'm very sorry for your losses. I also lost my beloved Boxer very suddenly. I think it would be very difficult for anyone at all to tell you the reason assuming it has been more than just an hour right now since Otto has passed. You may find closure by having an autopsy done at the vet. I would certainly suggest this if you've ever Bred him so you can notify the pups owners, if possible.
After I lost my (what I thought was Very Healthy) 8yo male suddenly like that, he also lost bowell control. I was with him when he passed, vet said heart attack because his gums and tongue when ghastly white during his, what appeared to be, seizure. Since then I have learned that my dog did probably have symptoms that I did not know to look for. He had occasional Lethargy and dry hacked, like a cough occasionally too. My boy was in great spirits and having a great day the day prior to his passing. That morning, he acted slightly lethargic and I didn't think anything of it, as he'd exhibited a queasy stomache his whole life periodically.
But after an hour, just examining him yourself, I don't think you could safely say it was anything in particular, unless you go ahead with an autopsy.
DottieB,
I'm very sorry for your losses. I also lost my beloved Boxer very suddenly. I think it would be very difficult for anyone at all to tell you the reason assuming it has been more than just an hour right now since Otto has passed. You may find closure by having an autopsy done at the vet. I would certainly suggest this if you've ever Bred him so you can notify the pups owners, if possible.
After I lost my (what I thought was Very Healthy) 8yo male suddenly like that, he also lost bowell control. I was with him when he passed, vet said heart attack because his gums and tongue when ghastly white during his, what appeared to be, seizure. Since then I have learned that my dog did probably have symptoms that I did not know to look for. He had occasional Lethargy and dry hacked, like a cough occasionally too. My boy was in great spirits and having a great day the day prior to his passing. That morning, he acted slightly lethargic and I didn't think anything of it, as he'd exhibited a queasy stomache his whole life periodically.
But after an hour, just examining him yourself, I don't think you could safely say it was anything in particular, unless you go ahead with an autopsy.
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ssleighter
Completely Boxer Crazy
I am so sorry for your loss. Godspeed Otto, you have many friends waiting for you at the Bridge!
boxers4life2001
Boxer Insane
I also would like to say how sorry I am about Otto and your father:(
The only way to know for sure what happened would have been to have an autopsy done. Since boxers do suffer from several different types of heart problems, it leads me to believe that it was probably his heart. Often sudden death is the first sign that there is problem. There are many members on BW who have lost their baby's suddenly, most likely because of BCM.
You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers during this very difficult time.
~Carrie~
The only way to know for sure what happened would have been to have an autopsy done. Since boxers do suffer from several different types of heart problems, it leads me to believe that it was probably his heart. Often sudden death is the first sign that there is problem. There are many members on BW who have lost their baby's suddenly, most likely because of BCM.
You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers during this very difficult time.
~Carrie~
Thank you to all who responded to my request for more information about the death of my Otto. Also I sincerely appreciate the kind words for him and also about the death of my Dad. Is there a name for this heart condition that Boxer's have? Is there any cure? My heart goes out to those who own's one of these wonderful dogs who's time has been cut short by this terrible thing. God bless all Boxers. Dottie
JulieM
Boxer Insane
There are two common heart conditions that can lead to sudden death in Boxers; one is Aortic Stenosis, the other is called Boxer Cardiomyopathy (or Familial Ventricular Arrythmia, or Boxer Arrythmic Cardiomyopathy, depending on the day of the week 
). There is no cure for either, but both are generally manageable with medication and/or lifestyle changes.
). There is no cure for either, but both are generally manageable with medication and/or lifestyle changes.I am so sorry to hear of your loss. I lost my first boxer when she was 2 and 1/2 of cardiomyopathy. She had several health problems during her life but we thought they were under control. I was out of town when she passed...she was at my parent's house. My Mom thought there was a problem because she collapsed in the house after playing in the yard. She let her in the house when a few minutes later my father found her dead in the hallway(she had a loss of bowel control so he knew she was gone). But...he rushed her to my vet anyway and she was already gone. I chose not to have an autopsy because I wanted to bury her body and I wouldn't have been able to get her back from the autopsy. I know what you are going through and hope the best for you and your other babies.
Isabella's Mom
Isabella's Mom
Kathryn Saxon
Boxer Booster
I to am very sorry to hear about your two losses, and so close to each other that each had to make the other even more painful.
An autopsy might have given you a precise cause, or at least
pointed to one. There's a form of cardiomyopathy called dilated cardiomyopathy that would have shown up on autopsy, as would cardiomyopathies caused by infection of the lining of the pericardium, etc. If the heart appeared perfectly normal this would imply an arrhythmia-induced death -- but I'd beware of simply extracting the heart and checking it in a suspicious death. Without a complete necropsy it's also possible there was a stroke or any number of other things.
Also, it's a small comfort, but comfort nevertheless, to sometimes learn on necropsy that there were other issues (particularly in older dogs). A friend's dog died suddenly and she was quite hard on herself for not rushing him to the vet when he didn't seem himself. The necropsy was a small consolation because it showed that he was riddled with cancer, and had been on borrowed time for quite a while. Prompt action on her part would probably only have made a difference of a few days as they would have put him down earlier, and as he was happy (if a bit lethargic) up to the end, maybe things worked out as they should have.
On another issue, I've necropsied and cremated and gotten the ashes back on two dogs. I'm not sure if you could get the actual body back for burial but for those who are thinking ahead (when it's so much easier to deal with these things), ask your vet what the procedure is.
An autopsy might have given you a precise cause, or at least
pointed to one. There's a form of cardiomyopathy called dilated cardiomyopathy that would have shown up on autopsy, as would cardiomyopathies caused by infection of the lining of the pericardium, etc. If the heart appeared perfectly normal this would imply an arrhythmia-induced death -- but I'd beware of simply extracting the heart and checking it in a suspicious death. Without a complete necropsy it's also possible there was a stroke or any number of other things.
Also, it's a small comfort, but comfort nevertheless, to sometimes learn on necropsy that there were other issues (particularly in older dogs). A friend's dog died suddenly and she was quite hard on herself for not rushing him to the vet when he didn't seem himself. The necropsy was a small consolation because it showed that he was riddled with cancer, and had been on borrowed time for quite a while. Prompt action on her part would probably only have made a difference of a few days as they would have put him down earlier, and as he was happy (if a bit lethargic) up to the end, maybe things worked out as they should have.
On another issue, I've necropsied and cremated and gotten the ashes back on two dogs. I'm not sure if you could get the actual body back for burial but for those who are thinking ahead (when it's so much easier to deal with these things), ask your vet what the procedure is.
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