Hello,
I'm looking for some answers regarding an event that has really traumatised me.
I was recently looking after a friend’s old dog; he was ten years old and had a heart murmur as well as issues with fluid on his lungs.
I had some tablets to give him (Libeo, and another capsule, but I didn't have the packaging so I don't know what that one was).
On the first night I picked him up, he couldn't settle and stayed on his feet, or he’d lie down only to get straight back up again. Since I’d looked after him before, I didn't worry too much as I knew he wasn't comfortable away from home and was often quite nervous.
The next day, there were no signs of any health problems. I took him out as usual, but during the evening walk, everything went wrong: the dog refused to go out. This was also quite typical for him as he'd always been a bit lazy, but I encouraged him anyway. In the hallway, he did a massive wee (this surprised me because I'd taken him out 6 hours before, but since he wasn't my dog, I just figured he had some house-training issues). Once we were out on the street, he walked a few yards and then lay down in a sphinx position, as if he was just tired. No noisy breathing or anything. I called the vet anyway, since he still wouldn't get up after a few minutes, but the line was busy. Then suddenly, the dog collapsed onto his side, tongue out, drooling a huge amount, eyes rolling back, and panting very fast. Within 5 minutes he was gone and there was nothing I could do. I couldn't even get through to the vet (and as I live in the countryside, the nearest one is a 30-minute drive away; I wouldn't have made it in time anyway).
I’ve been feeling incredibly guilty since then, even though my friend told me his heart probably just gave out (the stress of being away from home, without his owner, maybe the journey from his place to mine was the final straw). Basically, he thinks his dog died of old age, but I'm still convinced I should have seen that something was wrong. I’ve been doing some research and the fluid on the lungs could be the cause, so I wanted to know if any of you have witnessed acute pulmonary oedema in your dogs. I can’t stop thinking about it and telling myself he must have suffered if that was the case, and I blame myself for not being more attentive. On the other hand, he wasn't breathing noisily; as I said, he just collapsed, drooled a monstrous amount, messed himself, and his tongue was hanging out and was white. Has anyone else been through this?
