Kaiser, our 5 year old GSD died suddenly yesterday after a quick illness.

About a year and a half ago our baby was diagnosed with hip dysplasia and was put on several medications for pain relief and anti inflammatories as well as a joint supplement. Since then we have had to vastly restrict his activity due to his condition, his long walks and running in the fields became a memory. He was also started on a course of hydrotherapy to try and rebuild the wasted muscle associated with his poor hips.

About two months ago he went into a sort of fit. It lasted a minute or so and looked as though he was having a stroke. The episode passed and he went back to normal. Since that time he has had another 3 episodes, that I am aware of. I'm not sure how many times its occurred when he's been alone. The vet suspected mild epilepsy but stated that due to the episodes being so brief and infrequent it wouldn't be investigated further at this stage.

About a week ago he was fit and healthy, well, as fit and healthy as a GSD with bad hips can be. He started coughing and his appetite diminished. We took him to the vet and the vet diagnosed Kennel Cough. He was given a bottle of Benelyn and a weeks course of pallatable antibiotics. It was very hard to get him to take the abs due to his appetite being so bad. Also, it was quite distressing for him to have us ensure that the medicine was going into him. We were told his appetite would return once the abs took effect and that he'd be okay.

Then he began being sick, frequently, however due to him having no food in his system, my poor baby was merely wretching clear fluid and coughing violently.

We took him straight back to the vet as I feared that it was more serious than just a cough. The vet gave him 3 jags, for nausia and a painkiller and something else, I can't remember right now, it may have been the antibiotic that he was struggling to take orally. We were encouraged to persevere with getting the abs course into him to get him over the worst of it and back on the road to recovery. The vet also took bloods from him and phoned later in the day saying they were all clear.

On Friday night he perked up a bit. He looked brighter and his tail wagged again. He took a small amount of food from us and he looked much happier. We thought he was on the mend. We allowed our guard down and truly thought our boy was improving.

Yesterday my wife came home and on opening the front door there was no greeting. Something inside her seemd to know instantly. She went upstairs and our baby boy had went to sleep on our bed for the last time.

Kaiser was the light of our life, a truly lovely animal with a perfect temperament and amazing personality. We miss him so so so much and we are seriously struggling to come to terms with this.

We can't understand why our baby boy was taken from us at such a young age.

Just 7 short days ago he was healthy and today we are planning a cremation for our baby. I feel robbed and utterly deflated and can't comprehend how a "cough" made our boy leave us.

The vet has offered us a pm, but as a family we have taken the personal decision not to. Part of me is desperate to know, but a bigger part of me wants my boy left to rest in peace and not pm'd.

The vet's opinion is that he may have had a tumour which would explain the fits and the sickness and coughing if it had spread to his lungs and heart.

We are holding onto the hope that our boy went peacefully, on his mum and dad's bed and that he is off to rainbow bridge where he'll have no more pain.

I am so sorry to hear your sad news.
Losing such a loved boy so suddenly and so young is heartbreaking.
He was where he wanted to be when he left for the Bridge, snuggled up on your bed, his last memories would have been of a comfortable place, probably his favourites.
Please take comfort from that.

Val

in tears reading this, i'm so sorry for your loss.

So So sorry for you. How lovely that he went to your bed for his last sleep. Thinking of you. xxx

{{{{{{{{{{{hugs}}}}}}}}}}

Run free at the bridge , pain free and back running around the fields Kaiser,

Lea

(((((((((((((big hugs for you both)))))))))))))))))

Run free Kaiser
xx

((((((Big Hugs)))))))) to you both
Im so sorry to hear your sad news, Im thinking of you both

Run free at the Bridge Kaiser
Philly xx

I,m so sorry to hear you lost your special Shepherd boy
He,ll be at peace now looking down on you .
((((take care))))
Sharon

Oh I am so sorry. What an awful experience.

So so sorry for your loss and at such a young age
((((hugs))))

Emma

Sorry for your loss, big hugs for you and your wife. It is a sad time for you. Think of your happy times.
Donna x

i am so sorry for your loss, run like the wind Kaiser you special boy x

So very sory to hear your story.
Thinking of you.
RIP Kaiser xx

Thank you all for your kind words and support at this difficult time. We are really struggling to come to terms with our loss but your kind wishes do help.

I said previously that we did not want our boy pm'd, however the constant wondering about what caused his premature end has made us reconsider and we have decided that we are now going to go ahead and hopefully find some closure. This has been a very personal and difficult decision for us but neither of us could go on, continually wondering and never knowing. I hope we are given the answers we crave and then we can say goodbye to our baby properly.

We are genuinely touched by the sincerity shown to us by complete strangers and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

So sorry to hear about your tragic loss, hopefully the pm will give you the answers you need.

My thoughts and prayers are with you as try to come to terms with losing Kaiser. Know that now he will be at peace, having fun at the bridge. I lost a dog suddenly at 7 years old and know how shocked and devastated you must be feeling.

Rest in Peace dear Kaiser, hugs to you and your family

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

We lost our first Bernese age 4, we were devastated too, he had kennel cough (and bad hips funnily enough), was in vets overnight to get fluids in to him, they found him in the morning. At the PM they found a tumour in his chest which coupled with the KC and the hip problems was too much strain on his heart (it was a long time ago and I forget the details now). It took us 10 years to get another bernese, she is now 4. I can understand the pain you are feeling, it upsets me still, even the vet was in tears, we just couldn't believe he had gone.

I hope you get some answers, sometimes these things just happen, but it does help to know that you did everything you could. Thinking of you all, run free Kaiser.

Marion

such a sad story, my thoughts are with you at this difficult time.

run free kaiser

So sorry to read of your loss.  My thoughts are with you.  Take comfort in the fact, that he went on your bed, laying as close to you as he could.  He knows how much you loved him. 

I hope the pm will give you the answers you are needing. 

Run free at the bridge

Take care

So very sorry to hear of your loss.

So very sorry what a shock ! He was very truely loved..

im so very sorry. i also have a 5 yr old GSD and you have to enjoy every moment dont you as you never know whats round the corner. big hugs, im having a sob for you and your family. xx

Im so sorry... its so sad but he's resting in peace now
Its never easy... Im still reeling in shock from my murphy going to the bridge last november but it does get easier, i promise

My thoughts are with you, so are my hugs

Love
Donna x
(and my boysxx)

i know all to well how you and your family are feeling we lost our boy thoug 12 in a space of a week to,   just a week ago.The emptiness and the heart ache  cannot be measured. He knows he was well loved by you all and you made him a big part of your family that can never be replaced just like our boy Harry
I only ever had GSD for thirty years but when my last one past aged 14 i decied on a another breed (Newfy's god help me)
So Kaiser run free little one in Rainbow bridge and say hello to my boy harry for me)
Big hugs

Dear all,

On behalf of my wife and I, I would like to express our most heartfelt sincere thanks for all of your comforting words of support. We have shed many many tears reading through this thread time and time again, and it does give comfort to us at this lowest of times, and for that we are grateful.

I must say, in the past 4 days I must have experienced every emotion known to man...
The overwhelming sadness has been predominant, as has the unbelievable numbness.
We've felt robbed and quite hard done by that our boy was taken from us years early.
Denial has been a factor too and also huge pity for our boy that he had to endure such an experience at his tender age.

I have a slight tinge of guilt also, due to the fact that my boy was home alone when his time came, and none of us had any idea of what was coming. We were blissfully ignorant that our baby was quite as ill as he must have been. We niavely thought he was on the road to recovery and part of me believes that he wanted us to think that, hence why he appeared to be improving on the Thursday night, so that his mum and dad wouldn't worry.

I can honestly say that I never ever saw that day coming, and when it did it hit me like a sledgehammer. I wish so much that my boy didn't have to be alone when he left this world, but no amount of wishing or tears can undo what has happened.

I hope our baby knows that we love him more than words can even start to describe and that we feel privileged and honoured to have been his parents and to have him a member of our family. We honestly couldn't have asked for a better dog, friend, companion or family member.

They say that time heals all wounds so in time I'm sure the feeling of having a heavy heart will lift but in the meantime we are given strength from the kind wishes and condolences that everyone has expressed.

Kaiser, we love you boy, more than you'll ever know and we miss you so so so much. We hope you are running free, like you did in our fond memories of you.

Love always my big baby boy

Mummy and Daddy

So very sorry about your plight and your loss,We know exactly how you feel we lost Spender in the early hours of Saturday from first visit to the vet concerned about his lack of appetite to doses of antibiotics blood tests and steroids on sunday previous.In one short week our gentle giant, our house clown, our cheif confidant, our best friend, our reason for getting up in the morning,had to be euthanased to prevent him suffering.Leaving behind his life long mate Sheba(who is blind)Spender departed for the Bridge knowing that Sheba,Mam&Dad loved him as life itself,and that we could never forget him or replace him.We too wanted to know the reason he left,but we were not as brave as you and declined the autopsy.We cremated him and brought him home.Never to be forgotton,always treasured.Spender our sunlight. Time at present has no meaning all it suggests is that at some point we will see him again.Our love and prayers are with you at this very painful time.

So very sorry Talizman, words cannot describe what you must be going through.  My Oh wrote the other post as we too have been going through the mill.  I just wanted to give my heartfelt condolences to you and your wife, my love and support.  God Bless you both XX.  Run free Kaiser...

i have tears rolling down my face, what wonderfull loving people you are , my girl was pts 6 years ago and at the time the last thing i wanted to hear (even though i knew they where right) is that ive done the right thing, because at that time i didnt think i did, i wanted her to stay with me forever and ever, but she was in pain and very old (18yrs), time does heal and it will get better, but always remember what love and care you gave and i bet he is looking down on you now and barking with happiness thanking you. big hugs to you,

Hi everyonne,

We got Kaiser's PM results the other day and his cause of death has been determined as heart failure.

Apparently one of our boy's valves in his heart was blocked and this caused a subsequent buildup of fluid in his lungs.

The veterinary pathologist said he suffered a heart attack and assures us it would have been fairly quick.

He also said the problem would always have been present and I suspect that his coughing fits and general weakness due to not eating etc may have triggered the attack.

Although we initially didn't want the pm, my wife and I are now glad we did as we will never wonder "what if..."

We are relieved that our boy didn't die of something that was failed to be diagnosed, nor was it something that we could have prevented.

We can now lay our baby to rest in peace and begin the long healing process.

Thanks to everyone for your continued words of support and encouragement, you are truly lovely people.

Glad that you have found a small comfot from knowing what the cause of death was at this very sad time.
my thoughts are with you.
god bless you all.

xx

Damm it! I havn't been on line for 2 weeks or so due to a daily and heartrending attendance to an injured horse. I have been catching up on the posts this morning though and of course now, I'm in floods of tears. Needless to say, I too feel for you and your family. I'm sending as many hugs through the airways that I can.  
Our animals break our hearts, but our hearts would be empty without them.

so sorry to hear about your loss. You were lucky to get a cause of death.  We lost our ESS three and a half years ago,our vet could not give a diagnosis, he said probably cancer! x

So sad to hear of your loss.  Like you, we recently suffered one too.  We took in an older dog who needed a new home and he already had arthritis in his hips when we took him on.

Like your dog he was put on anti-inflammatories and pain relief.  After only a few weeks he took bad - just like yours.  He went off his food making medication difficult, then he went off his legs and couldn't stand.  After several visits to the vets with x-rays, tests and more pills etc he too seemed to improve.  Then one evening he went off his food again, started to pant and cough, was sick so back to the vets he went.  While there he coughed up blood and as it was late at night we arranged to take him back next day for further investigation.  We got up next morning to find he had passed away in the night.

We didn't have a PM either but the vets did say they thought he had tumours.  Our case is so like yours that all I can add is that your vets thoughts are probably correct.

It may not seem like it now but time does heal and the overwhelming pain of his loss will ease.  One day you will be able to remember your dog with gratitude for all the good times you had and the love he gave.

So, So sorry that you have lost Kaiser. Another gentle shepherd left this world, and your heart in pieces. I think you did the right thing by having the pm, it has let your minds rest that there was nothing you could have done and at least you know he didn't suffer.

I cannot imagine how awful this has been for you,  We can't be with them 24 hours a day, and then feel a terrible guilt in situations like this, but he went to sleep cuddled with smell and the warmth of those he loved best, and goodness shepherds do know how to love. Rest him in your heart, and he will walk with you forever more.

So sorry for your loss. I am glad though that you do have closure in knowing what the cause was. I am sure that would have always been in the back of your mind. Just so sad that he was so young though.

im so so sorry to hear about your baby ,words carnt tell you how i feel for you both ,it was a brave thing and you made the right one ,you both can rest now knowing what had happend to your boy ,
(((((hugs))))) and love r.i.p. xxxx

Only just read this thread. What a heart breaking storry!!! I am so sorry for you both....
Take Care

So very sorry to hear your news. Lots of Love n Hugs. Lois 

Sweet dreams xx

so very sorry for your loss at such a young age .

forever in your hearts R.I.P sweet boy.

Roni

So sorry to hear of your sad loss I know exactly how you are feeling,we lost our beloved shepherd just before christmas 07.we had the privilage to have known and loved her for 11 years,she had cancer in the back passage ,,once it was diagnosed it was only 2 weeks ,and we had to make that decision,her passing is becoming easier  for me as the days go on.but sometimes i still feel very sad,it does get easier I promise you . Your boy is running free now with all those loyal and loving companions at the rainbow bridge .

((((((Big Hugs)))))))) to you both
Im so sorry to hear your sad news, Im thinking of you both
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