Could this have been prevented

The best way to get a definitive answer as to what caused the internal bleeding that seems to have led to your dog's death would be for you to have the veterinarian do a necropsy.
Poison may have done more damage than was known. An undetected internal tumor may have ruptured leading to death from internal bleeding.
The steroids could have caused a stomach ulcer that bled out because he was overly sensitive to the med or already had an ulcer problem started from whatever he ate that poisoned him.
A necropsy is like a human autopsy and that would give you the best chance of finding out just what happened.
Vets can't even ask their patients what they ate or where it hurts so its extra hard for them to be 100% sure on a diagnosis they can only do the best they can and usually they are right and the pet recovers - but not every time same as with MD's guessing on how people will do.
I am so sorry for your loss - its always terrible losing a companion animal and losing one unexpectedly is worse. You might find www.petloss.com is helpful to you - I like the rainbow bridge story myself.
Hope this helps you!


Edited by NHolmes on July 26 2005 at 12:50pm

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The tests ran on his stools yesterday evening I was told were negitive for blood even tho stools were coal black with no change of diet, and no perisites present.

If he ate any charcoal biscuits, or had any peptobismal that would make the stools dark too.
Usually black stools indicate digested blood.
The stool might not have shown fresh blood.
If you are not comfortable with the vet you are working with you might want to have a necropsy done by another vet to find out what you can about what happened.
If you think the initial poisoning might be deliberate you might want to look in your yard to see if there is any 'bait' tossed in by some cruel person that the dog might have eaten that may have caused this.

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I had over $400.00 worth of tests, ect done on Duke 3 weeks ago in a 24 hour intensive care unit, then he is released. Suppose to be fine. First time for black stools, same day he dies?
I guess my fears or question can,t be answered by you. As you said only autopsy can tell now and i AM UNABLE TO afford that.

I wish I could answer the questions for you but in person examination is the way to find out what you want to know.
I really am so sorry for your loss. Losing a pet with no reason why is terribly hard. I've had to weigh the 'necropsy or no necropsy' decision myself so I know its not easy to choose to spend that money. I've discovered for myself that its worth checking for my own peace of mind.
You could ask if the e-clinic or your vet would take a look to find out what happened and see if they will charge or how much they would charge for an internal exam to see if they can find cause of death. They may also want to know what happened and why their treatment plan failed. Shouldn't cost you to ask them.
If you suspect deliberate poisoning (and some people fear mixes like yours for no sane reasons) then finding out may let you take this to the police as deliberate poisoning of animals is against the law as far as I know.


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