7 Responses

1. Stefani

   2009 Sep 24 1

   My dalmatain boy passed away this weekend ?
   Ah well, lads… long story short we had a beautiful Dalmatian that we had for 12 years. I do know their lifespan is only 10-14 years while some may live a whole lot longer.
   What I am puzzled about is, around the end of May of this year he started losing weight. We took him to the vet June 1st to ask about his sudden weight lost and plus he was due for shots anyhow. The vet tested him for everything and nothing came up positive, they found nothing.
   We then took him to 2 other vets and they took were puzzled and found nothing. They did say it could have very well been a cancer deep inside of him to the point where they would not be able to find the lumps or masses. They said blood-work would not tell us if he had cancer. I find this so weird since when people get blood-work for cancer it usually shows up? White cell or red cell count, isn’t it similar to dogs as well? I could be wrong.

   Anyhow He kept losing weight rapidly, some days he would be the high spirited boy we always knew, playing fetch and eating like a pig regardless of his weird weight lost and then other days he looked like he didn’t feel good at all and we would just make him as comfortable as we possibly could. These vets put him on so much medication trying different things to make him gain weight and I think it made him nauseous. Anyhow this past weekend he passed away on his warm blanket in our home.
   I just cannot believe it, our best friend, our family member is gone so fast. He was doing so great in May, perfect weight, perfect shape, in fact the vets said he was the healthiest Dalmatian at his age they had ever seen. Perfect teeth as well.
   I am just so puzzled and upset that no one knew what was wrong with him. Was is gout? I am pretty positive the vet tested him for gout and said it was negative. I know Dalmatians are prone to gout at an older age especially males.
   I am asking all Dalmatian owners out there to please give me your thoughts or your experiences with this breed and tell me what you think. What happened to our beautiful Dalmatian boy? Why did he crash so fast? He went from being a perfectly healthy dog to losing weight rapidly and sadly passing away in just two months.

   I should mention I live in the mountains now, I used to be a city girl and I had a fantastic vet back home. I sort of feel that these country docs are not as good as those back in the city. Your thoughts on this please.

   Thanks-
   We fed him senior formula for years, he did not start having weight troubles until he was 12 years old just two months ago.

2. petsinformation

   2009 Sep 24 2

   Hmm yes cancer should show up on bloodtest, if doesn’t appear on bloodtest, it would have shown up on Ultrasound.

   What was the food you fed him?
   References :

3. Erica Lynn

   2009 Sep 24 3

   Some cancers aren’t found with blood work but ultrasound or even x-rays sometimes can find it. At 12, he may very well have had some sort of cancer. There’s no use in beating yourself up trying to figure this out though. He lived a good life and passed at home with his family where he felt safe and loved. Be grateful for the time you had with him and enjoy the wonderful memories you have. Making a scrap book of his pictures throughout his life is a good way to help you deal with the loss. My condolences on his loss.
   References :

4. Daniel

   2009 Sep 24 4

   well im sorry to hear this im not joking i cried it sucks
   and yea it does sound like cancer of some sort
   my brother had leukemia so yea
   and just enjoy the memories you had of him im sure he loved you as much as you loved him
   References :

5. ?

   2009 Sep 24 5

   im srry bout ur pet loss!
   i no how it feels
   im quite puzzled to she/he just got old i guess maybe ur animal had cancer or something
   References :

6. Pelly's Mom

   2009 Sep 24 6

   I am so sorry for your loss. It’s so hard to lose a pet, especially one that you are particularly attached to.

   You’re probably right, that there was some sort of cancer that was undetected by the vets. Modern medicine can do some amazing things, but sometimes those cancer cells are elusive to even the most sophisticated of tests. And, there are some cancers that are very "quiet" for a long time, then all of a sudden they just go berserk within the body. I’m sure you did everything you could for your buddy.

   Don’t fault your vets. You indicated that you went to a couple of different vets in search of answers. You did what you could. They took the labs, but someone else most probably did the testing–and it was probably shipped back to a larger town or city.

   I don’t think it was your dog food, either. I think your dog just got sick and the disease was rapid in its progress. It’s hard right now, but know that you did everything you could and you can’t beat yourself up over this. Your dog knew that he was loved and was part of your family. He’s pain free now. Consider the quality of his life over the quantity…would you have wanted him to live longer if he’d been in pain? I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t, and would have let your dog go on instead of keeping him alive to suffer.

   Check out this site…it may help you feel a little better. http://www.petloss.com/poems/maingrp/rainbowb.htm

   My Bassets will be slinging some "Heart-Healing Drool" to you and your family as you grieve.
   References :
   Dog owner/owned by dogs for many years… Mama to four rescued Bassets–all my treasures… And in Memory of Ginger, my wonderful "ADD Dalmatian Girl"…

7. FYNF

   2009 Sep 24 7

   Hi…. I am so sorry for your loss. It does sound like a very aggressive cancer of some sort. Some cancers do not show in blood tests. I know because I had a similar experience with one of my dalmatians as well. She was a perfectly healthy 11 year old very active dalmatian until what seemed like over night she lost alot of weight and had zero energy. Her blood can back, and the only thing they found was a elevated white cell count. It turned out she had a very aggressive cancer and had a tumor on her spleen. Anyways, she became very ill and a few days later the tumor erupted and I had to have her put to sleep. It was one of the saddest days of my life.
   I have 3 dals now. My oldest is 15. He has had some recent weight loss as well. I am hoping for the best. He has his good days and bad days. I hope when he passes, he does so in his sleep on his favorite blanket like your dal did.
   Anyways, once again I am sorry for your loss.
   References :
   dalmatian owner for 25 years