dear famous chihuahua®,
my name is phillip and i am just trying to find some answers. our 1 1/2 year old chihuahua suddenly got lethargic and this worried me enough to take her to the vet. on my way there she started salivating severely. the vet put my sick chihuahua on an intravenous, but a total of 5 hours passed from the first symptom and she then died.
it appeared to be congestive heart failure to the vet. he sent samples to the university of auburn to confirm his diagnosis… does anyone know what might have happened to my chihuahua?
thank you for any help or suggestions you can provide.
related: chihuahua health problems
photo from olathe animal hospital in olathe, kansas
75 Comments.
I just lost my Chihuahua last night. And I am so hurt. He would of been 9 in Oct.. I just don’t understand it at all.
Hi Tia, so sorry for your losses. Always remember that your dogs knew they were loved and well taken care of. It’s so hard and i’m in the same place as you at the moment
I’m sorry all of your losses. My poor little Sophie passed this past late Monday/early Tuesday not ing from the same sudden death. It recently made a year since I had to have my Prince put down from CHF. I still come home from work & greet her like she’s still there. My heart is completely broken but that’s the only thing that helps right now.
My heart goes out to everyone on here that lossed their dog. My 12 year old chihuahua (teacup 2 lb) named Twinkie passed away suddenly 3 days ago on July 18, 2017. I am devasted. Hurt beyond words. My four kids are torn. I have two surviving dogs that are 12. They miss the leader of their pack. I was not prepared for Twinkie’s passing. She was healthy. No signs or any illnesses. We had just moved into our New Home for 3 days. Things were hectic. The kids and I were running in and out of the house getting our things together. The night before she passed my son placed the dogs in their pen which has a crate, bed and pee pad. Twinkie shared the pen with my other Chi her bff in the basement because the builder was coming early next morning to do some paint touch ups. In the morning my son went to bring the 3 dogs up for their breakfast. Twinkie did not come out of her crate. My son opened the top of the crate and seen her laying on her side unresponsive. He took her out and her body was cold and soft. He came running up to let us all know something was wrong. When I held her I knew it was too late. Had I known her time was coming she would of slept me or one of us. I am so sad I am in physical pain. I cannot eat, sleep or talk. I miss my little Twinkie so much. Love you always and forever.
I am also very sorry for everyone’s loss. My Lucy a 14 year old Chihuahua died yesterday Jan 20th suddenly in my arm as we were leaving for the vet. On Jan 19 she was wheezing and sneezing all day.Later that night all of a sudden she became lethargic and was hyperventilating and had to be carried out to pee and to drink. Friday morning She started having these tiny little seizures. We immediately got up to go to the emergency vet. As i was holding her waiting for my wife to put on her jacket She had like a super seizure. Her limbs were all splayed out and She was peeing uncontrollably and blood came out of her mouth then She died. Just like that. 3 days ago we were playing fetch..This hurts so much i can hardly breathe
Pat,
Yesterday, Christmas Eve, we lost our Bitsy, an apple-headed 4.5 lb. teacup who had just turned 9. She had had a normal morning, was happy, went to the bathroom, had treats and was sitting on my lap for 2 hours getting petted while I read the paper and talked on the phone. She got down and sat on another bed next to my chair. I got up to do the dishes and didn’t think about what she was doing. About 45 minutes later my husband found her dead.
I am a RN so I am basing my assumptions on my vast experience with people. She either had a seizure that she didn’t come out of, or her heart just gave out. Bitsy had been on Enalapril, a heart medicine to treat heart failure, for about 9 months. Her only symptom of the heart failure was a rare cough. The vet thought that the congestion was putting pressure on her trachea which caused her to cough. She had been doing fine on the medication and, in fact, had her dose that morning.
She had had about 4 seizures in her 9 years and was not on medication for them. They were caused by her gagging or vomiting which irritate the vagus nerve in her neck and caused her BP to drop enough to cause a seizure. She would immediately pull out of the seizure, be a little confused or wobbly for a few minutes and then be back to normal.
As she had had a normal morning and had been in her favorite spot (my lap), I am glad that she went out as she did….after being loved and fed, and apparently peacefully. I walked her every day, sometimes up to 2 miles, so she was in good shape. I can only say that it was her time to go. We are sad and will miss her, but she was well-loved and well-cared for and had a happy life. I hope you will come to that realization and be at peace.
Ok, so I didn’t know where to turn for this. This last Friday, our 3 year old chiweenie Gus passed away when I was at work. My wife said when she came home about 4:00pm, she saw Gus lying in our 18 month old daughter’s little chair asleep. One of the things Gus loved to do was nap in that chair. Their were times the two of them would wrestle to sit in that chair, but would wind up sharing it. When my wife tried to wake him up, she noticed that he was cold to the touch and not breathing. She called me crying and I rushed home early from work. When I got to him, I noticed that he did look like he was asleep, no signs of distress or as if he had choked. I looked over every square inch of our house looking for evidence and answers to tell us why this happened. I thought that he might have gotten into a chemical or some medication. I didn’t find a single thing that he could’ve gotten into to cause this (baby-proofed the entire house). He didn’t have foam around his mouth, signs of vomiting or diarrhea, or anything else that showed he gotten into something.
His last vet check-up was back in October, and other than dirty teeth, he was perfectly healthy. The night before this, we all went on a walk and he seemed fine. He wasn’t tired, in pain, or anything out of the ordinary. When we all left the morning of, I took him outside to use the restroom, then he jumped up on my recliner and waited for me to tell him goodbye for the day. Again, nothing out of the ordinary or any different behaviors that would have alarmed us. When we took his body to the vet, he said that they could conduct a doggy autopsy , but that probably wasn’t necessary as we were assured that Gus probably laid down for a nap then had a heart attack in his sleep hours before my wife found him. No pain, no warning, and no suffering. I have tried ever since searching for answers of why our Gus died that day. I just can’t wrap my head around this; how can our little Gus be as healthy as can be and just pass away without showing any signs of anything?
I’m sorry, I am very angry because of this. Angry that it happened a week before Christmas; angry that we should’ve seen something before; angry with myself that I didn’t know how to do CPR on a dog to maybe save his life; angry that maybe we could’ve done something, anything to save his life; but most of all I am angry that I am no closer to finding answers. I sorry, but I needed vent all of this. Gus was a part of our family, he deserved a better fate than this. You people seem kind and understanding. My heart goes out to each of you that has lost a furry family member. Thank you for your time.
My sympathy and love go out to all of you who have lost your beloved Chihuahuas suddenly. I lost you aremy Annie on October 20th and I’m heartbroken as all of you are. I was searching for answers online when I found this site. It has given me comfort to know that I’m not alone in feeling devastated at sudden loss of Annie “Angel of my heart”. She was with my husband in hospital when he passed 12 years ago and she has been going to movies with me in a dog purse since then.
Love to all of you.
My baby Coco died early this morning at 2am with no explanation as to why for the last several years I did notice she would cough and she never did she would also everytime she was in heat she would hide and scream when u barely touched her or picked her up as if she was hurt she would be shaking and acting like shes in pain but then it would go away, her coughing always stayed i assumed old age because she would cough only when she drank water so i thought she was drinking too fast or when she was running around alot, so it stayed in that cycle for 8 years she seemed happy she was always a playful n protective baby and was my best friend I do have another chihuahua named paco who was her companion though they never had puppies together but she wasnt spayed either she never had puppies though, and hes around 5 to 6 years unlike coco who was 8 but, back to the story I noticed coco was acting a bit weird 2 weeks before her death but it was the same stuff as she would act in heat so i thought as always oh shes in heat and i checked her and she was in heat so i was not worrying because she would feel more like herself when it would go away she still ate and slept but she would also like with every cycle of her being in heat she would act like shes weak she wouldnt be able to jump on the couch or jump down but she did that everytime she was in heat so i thought nothing of it, and 2 days later it went away and she was her happy self like it never happened until yesterday. i woke up and she was acting weird like her heat was back and i was confused because she got over it 2 weeks ago. but anyway i left for the day and my father was home and i was at my sisters to sleep the night until i get a call from my father at 12 midnight saying coco is throwing up and wont eat, thats when i was screaming to bring her to rhe hospital but my father and i didnt know anyvet hospitals open so we search up over the phone i wish i was there to be with my baby and then all of a sudden my father says to me shes becoming limp and i started crying and freaking out he told me her vomit was like white foam with dark black stuff in it i never saw it because i wasnt there but he said the black stuff could of been blood but anyway he hung up on me and started driving with her to pick me up so we can go to the vet even though we had no money the vet clinic was so rude when we called saying u have to pay 122 dollars on spot or we dont touch the animal for emergencys and i actually was suppose to get my paycheck that day but my boss decided to go home with the checks and not pay us till the next day so i asked if i could pay tmrw and she said “we dont do payment deals” like what?? youre just gonna let my dog die ?? but i didnt care so we still went i had to atleast TRY but by the time my dad got to my sisters to pick me up coco passed away in his arms he tried giving mouth to mouth but she wouldnt budge, I have no idea what happened to my dog plus it was so shocking and sudden how it was a 2 hour ordeal. plus the fact 2 months ago our cat angel passed away as well for unknown reasons, she was found outside dead with blood from the mouth , we do live in a duplex so the people that lives upstairs have a personal vendetta with us. im suspicious of if they posioned my cat and my dog because of the death timing is 2 sudden considering they had nothing sudden that changed, animal control took away angel but we have brought coco and paid for her to have an examination to find out what her cause of death was, until then im keeping an eye on paco when hes outside making sure he doesnt eat anything bad or nothing in his personality changes. we wont know results on coco for about 1 to 2 weeks. rest in peace baby mommy loves you and misses you so much 😢 im so sorry
Hi on sept 15th around 11pm I lost my toy chihuahua. He had just made 8 yrs on June 25th. I’m so sad and can’t stop thinking what happened. He was so happy see me come home. That night. Let out all my babies for the night. They all came back in, not even 10 mins. My sister yells. Baby baby! What’s wrong with jumbo. He was gone 😢😢😢
My boyfriend checked his body no bites or any signs of anything. He said that it could have been his heart. 😢
hi, on Sept 15th around 11pm at night i lost my toy chihuahua. he had just made 8 years on June 25th. Im so sad and cant stop thinking what happened. He was so happy to see me come home that night. let all my babies out for the night. they all came back in, not even 10 minutes. my sister is yelling…baby baby, whats wrong with Jumbo. he was gone. :-(. my boyfriend checked his body and there was no bites or any signs of anything. he says, his heart. 🙁
I lost my soulmate Boogie on my birthday this past July 11th. He was a healthy , Long coat Chihuahua. He suddenly fell and looked dizzy than fell over . He made little whimpers and just stared out into nowhere. I still can’t get over it. I have spoke to breeders who have said my story is not unusual and apparently reading this story and all the replies , I know it isn’t.
Boogie was gone before we could even get to my vet (5 minutes away). I prayed but it didn’t help. Im so lost as I’m sure you all understand. He was my service pet and I haven’t left my home since July 11th. I don’t want another pet this soon out of fear this will happen unexpectedly. But. I realize I need a service pet. I will stick to long coat Chihuahuas and hope this does not happen again.
I was always raised with Chihuahuas and know they have long life expectancy compared to other breeds. In fact , my family have 2 in my home now that belong to my parents. The only comforting thing we can know is that we gave these little fur babies the best life we could. Rip Boogie .
Remembering our angel , Maui ❤️
On August 2, 2016 at 6:48pm I got the horrible shocking phone call from my husband, crying, “Maui died! He’s gone!” I couldn’t believe it. Neither could my husband.
Maui was a vibrant, happy 9.5 year old deer head chihuahua/rat terrier mix. We got him as a puppy in 2007 after a traumatic experience; our baby was born a stillborn at 20 weeks. One day I came home and this little puppy came running to greet me! It was a surprise from my husband to cheer me up And bring some joy into our lives. He bought Maui from his friend when he was 3 months old because they realized it was too much taking on a puppy when they had a new baby. I named him Maui. (Even though I’ve never been to Maui – I was into the MTV show at the time called “Maui Fever.” Maui looked so chill and happy, just like our new puppy. It was the perfect name.
He was our baby. He was a handsome boy with a unique coat, short-haire, mostly white with black patches, sort of like a cow pattern. He was super loving, cuddly, always excited to greet people, loved by everyone. In 2009 and 2011 we brought children into the world. Maui was a wonderful pet to them and the kids were very proud he was their dog.
Over the past few years, we noticed some things with his health and aging. He liked to sleep more. His tongue began to stick out some time, he yelped sometimes when we picked him up… He went to the vet if we had any concerns. In the past year he would have coughing spells. We took him to the vet again to see if it was heart disease but they said it was just a cold. Perhaps that was a misdiagnosis 🙁
He coughed more and more in the past 6 months, but still we were told it wasn’t heart disease. He still seemed happy, lively and energetic. The day Maui passed away, he ate, went to the bathroom, was happy and energetic… Then in the afternoon he went to my husband struggling to breathe, drooling nonstop. His ears were pinned back and his pupils were large. He looked very scared. My husband took him to the vet and the vet warned That the drooling was a bad sign. My husband ordered X-rays and test to see what could be done. Maui passed away on the X-ray table 😭💔 that’s when I got the terrible phone call.
I took the kids and drove to the vet. We had to say our goodbyes. It was very hard. We walked into the vet clinic sobbing. Then they opened the door to his room. Maui was lying on the examination table, still warm. We petted him softly and kissed his head. His eyes and mouth were open, like he died suddenly. I looked into his eyes and it broke my heart because this was the first time his beautiful eyes didn’t look back at me. I’m balling my eyes out just writing this. My daughter looked at his tail and asked if it would ever wag again. We are all heartbroken and shocked. It happened so fast. If only we knew he was actually dying, we would have been there holding him. I would do anything to have been there with him, petting him and telling him how much we love him and how he is such a good boy. It hurts so bad that he passed away alone in the X-ray.
The last time I saw Maui he was lying on the grass in the summer sun. He looked so happy. I smiled in my heart and said to my kids, “look how happy Maui is, lying in the sun. He just loves that! He’s a chihuahua and they love the sun.” Seeing him so happy is a beautiful memory I will always cherish, as I will cherish all the memories of Maui.
9.5 years seems too young for a small breed dog to pass away. My parents had a yorkie who lived to 15. Her health got worse over the span of the last 2 years of her life. We could predict she might not have long. Not like Maui. No warning at all. He just suddenly started drooling and struggling for breathe – and he was gone 💔
I’ve never cried so hard in my life. Maui was the closest life to me I’ve ever lost. He was a member of our family. He is irreplaceable. He is our angel now and always on our hearts, forever. I pray for him he is in a better place and knows how special he was and how loved he was.
We love you and miss you Maui 💞
My chiwawa died suddenly too. She was a year and a half old. She has two seizures but recoverd from them quickly. One day she seamed perfectly healthy to me. It was just like any other day. She was eating good she was playful and energetic. Happiest dog alive. I went to work. After being there for 30 minutes my boyfriend told me he found her under the bed dead. Can anyone help me figure out what could of caused her death?
I don’t understand the cause of this, my baby is just lying down his eyes have a slight glaze and I can’t even talk to him because he tries to run while laying on his side his mouth is showing watery.
I’m going to lose him ain’t I?
My sweet Cody pasted away early this morning wasn’t even 3 years old I losted my son in august he was my rock during that time ,he help me get over my depression my husband held him in his arms as he pasted away. He was and is very loved we spoiled him all the time…I’m so broken hearted now that my little guy is gone! Tuesday evening he was acting like he was tired then we went to bed with him in between us like always and an hour later I woke up to him gasping for air couple minutes later he was gone. Absolutely one of the worst days of my life!
Nora
On December 29th 2015 my little baby Marco passed away the worst day of my life. My daughter said that she noticed that two days before when she would try to pick him up he would cry like if his leg or something was hurting him. We kept an eye on him and I went to work and he was acting fine but when I came home my daughter was carrying him and I went to take him from her and he cried like of something was hurting. I tried moving his legs and arms and he didn’t cry so I didn’t lnw what was hurting him this was on Monday night so like usual I took him to bed with me and he loved to cuddle but that night he was restless and he just didn’t want to be near me… That was very strange because he would always go under the blankets and cuddle not that night. I didn’t sleep I just kept watching him around 3:30am I put him down on the floor so he could go drink water and he went and hid he was having a hard time walking. I woke my husband up and he was concerned because he noticed that our baby was lethargic and just not himself. I googled stuuf of what could be wrong I read that maybe he could be hypoglycemic so I gave him some sugar water but he would not drinkn it I tried spoon feeding to him and nothing I even tried giving him his favorite treat … Nothing. We went lay back in bed and he would try to move away around 6:26am he jumps off my bed I was happy I thought wow maybe the sugar water that he did get down helped and he’s starting to come around. So I got up to give him his favorite snack he ate it walked away and I hear a thump he collapsed I ran to pick him up and it looked like he was having a seizure his tounge was out and blue in color I pulled the snack out of his mouth I was a mess I didn’t know what to do I was screaming crying just seeing him trying to fight for his life I was trying to call the vet at the same time it just happened so fast . he was gasping for air his stare was fixed and his tail was wiggling I was lost my daughters were crying it just happened so fast and he died in my arms. There was nothing I could do to help him I keep blaming myself and asking what if…. We are so heartbroken and he will always have a special place in our hearts we took him to funeral home and had him cremated and he is now on top of my dresser next to me. My little Marco I feel like his little spirit is still here in our home I still have his bed and all his stuff out not ready to get rid of it or to be put away … He is soooo missed he was our little boy.
I’m sorry for Your loss and I know too well what You described and encountered.
My Dear Little Saint had a mild heart murmur and was diagnosed with CHF but was doing fine with little need for meds and NO symptoms. All of a sudden on a Sunday afternoon, he awoke from a nap and just looking at Him I immediately knew something was wrong. Still, no worrisome symptoms except profound hind leg weakness. I called the ER Vet and advised me to bring Him in. By the time we got there 40 minutes later, He was alert but rigid in limbs. I took Him in with No idea I wouldn’t be bringing Him home again. Within 2 hours, after a long, agonizing struggle, He passed over. I am still in shock at how quickly it happened and no signs. After He passed Over, clear, frothy liquid was coming from his Precious Mouth. They said it was Heart Failure and had taken a sudden turn for the worse. I had knowledge of it but again, He lived fine with little to no symptoms except occasional coughing up phlegm and some vomiting. Peace be with You.
Hi, I am very sorry for your losses, I too lost my Chihuahua on 7/14/14, I’m never going to get over losing him, like most of you , Peanut was fine, nothing out of the ordinary, He started coughing like he had something in his throat, I thought his trachea collapsed so I tried to help him like I was instructed to do, it didn’t help, I took him to the vet and they worked on him treating him as a heart patient because his heart murmer went from 2-3 to a 4-6 fast, they tried to stablize him but couldn’t, it was a heart valve problem, nothing they could do, I knew I had to lay him to rest, I didn’t want to just put him in the cold ground and not protect him, he came home in a cardboard coffin, I took him out and wrapped him in a blue baby blanket , like you would a baby, put him back in the cardboard coffin and had my husband make him a air tight stainless steel vault, he is resting under the dogwood tree, with an angel that lights up at night to watch over him, I’m goin to make a shadow box with his picture in the background and inside will be all his favorite things including his very first toy, leash , tags, etc.
My baby boy @ 5 weeks & 4 days old had passed 😢 when I got him I noticed he had worms & he acted like he didn’t feel very good so me thinking its then worms which are causing my baby to be miserable & not feel good I started the deworming process & the next day he started to act like he didn’t feel very good so I briushed it off as the worm medicine doing its job ( i researched & researched to make sure it was safe to give the worming medicine ) on Friday morning I woke up to him still laying in the same spot , he hasn’t wined at all through the night to be picked up , go potty , or get in bed with me which is unusual so I take him out of his box & he seems cold , his eyes rolling in the back of his head , he can’t walk , he would try and then fall over and not move , mind you my puppy was only 8 ounces – so we rushed him to vet told them about the deworming medicine just in case & they started working on him & said that he was hypoglycemic – they tried to do whatever they could to help , he then went into cardiac arrest & within 2 hours my precious baby boy had passed 😢 I feel as if my baby had been taken from me . from the day I got him until the day he passed , I would wrap him in his blanket & hold him for hours , when I woke up to when I went to bed he was there & in my arms . Rest In Heaven Baby 💜
It is so very heartbreaking.
My own little treasure-mybest friend and precious babydog died suddenly one night in July.
One minute she was running around as usual, i left the room and returned after a few minutes and she was lying in a stupour, eyes glazed. It was like she had already gone. I just can’t understand what happened. It was like something had struck her down. I wondered if she had been electrocuted but the vets said she would have had a burn somewhere. They tried to save her but her little body just shut down and she died after 4 hours. All they could say was that her blood sugars were high.Nothing makes sense.I fear that somehow she ate something-but could it have struck her down so suddenly. I loved her more than anything. It wasn’t her time to go.
I’m so very sorry for your sad and sudden loss. I had to comment because I experienced something similar. My little Man was fine on a Winter Sunday Morning then we napped. He woke up and I knew from the way He looked at me something was terribly wrong. I immediately jumped up and put Him on the floor and He was unable to walk but could stand. I took Him outside to motivate Him to walk, still He couldn’t move his hind legs. Calling the VET ER, they told me to bring Him in. During the 40 minute drive, He began to stiffen up and by the time we arrived, He also was having fluid come from His Loving Mouth. They told me to spend His last moments as nothing they could do. He fought with ALL His Love and didn’t want to leave me. After 2 agonizing hours, He went to Rainbow Bridge. Taking My Spirit with Him. They said Heart Failure although I had just taken Him to the Vet the week prior for an ear infection and His Lungs and Heart were reported fine to me.
The ER Treating Vet was horrible. No compassion and did nothing to save Him in spite of Him struggling for 2 whole hours and me begging. Money wasn’t an issue. I struggled for months and months wondering what happened and still don’t know. God Bless You in Your Grief. Know that She is in a happier place though Your heart will be broken.
Most vets are the same ..they tell you different by protecting each other…they suck.
You have no money? oh well poor doggy of yours will die and its all your fault because you’re a bad owner…so hum…buh bye.
I lost my mocha today this ). I am totlly brokren. She was a rescue dog that i got at 3 months old in October of 2012 she is my baby like my child. I am so upset, hurt n brokren . Im still holding her in my arms . This is the harrdest thing i have to do is burry her in this hole i dug. I really dont wa.nna let her go im holding her as im trypi.g from my phone. I think my neighbor killed her with poison. But i dont know how to prove it im going yo take my own blood sample. Does anyone know how to get my dogs blood tested for poision because. She is not even 3 years old yet . After reading everyone elses storys, Im so sorry to hear about everyones loss here and i truely feel your pain. I keep askinng god to bring her back to life i know its not possible. I dont know what to do this is my baby Chihuahua. And she is my friend n now she is gone i think my neighbor murdered my dog. Im so heart broken she is not even 3 years old yet. She went for a walk in the back yard for 15 minutes friday evening and when she came back in she was acting like she was drunk and disorientated, she couldnt even hold herself up. When she was perfectly fine b4 that. She started peeing blood on the floor. She didnt even want to eat. The vet wouldnt take a look at her because i didnt have 120$, and i begged them. But because i didnt have the money to pay, n all my credit cards were declining they wouldnt save my dog. I am so upset n sickened by my loss. I dont know what to do. I have read some of your stories and im sorry for everyones loss here. Because this hurts me so bad. My baby MOCHA is my only dog i ever had n shes gone and im still holding her hours after shes passed because i dont wanna let go. Im so angry that the vet wouldnt help her because i couldnt pay. I. Even offered my 1000$ gold chain that my grandfathe bought me when i was a teenager. Now my baby. ( MOCHA ) is dead. And i feel like its my fault because i was suppose to protect her and i couldnt and i feel so broken and hurt right now…
Sorry for rambling on thanks for reading my story.. ( R.I.P MOCHA ) DADDY LOVES YOU AND I MISS YOU SO MUCH. I WILL NEVER FORGET YOU. GOD PLEASE TAKE HER SOUL SHE IS THE BEST DOG EVER. IM SO SORRY MOCHA I COULDNT SAVE YOU. IM SO HURT N HEART BROKEN FROM LOOSING YOU. R.I.P MOCHA.
I LOVE YOU
My chihuahua just passed away on Monday she was only sick for two days, she couldn’t stop throwing up and at the beginning it was clear but them became really dark almost black, took her to the vet and he say she was fine, but it wasn’t true… She couldn’t hold it a little longer for me, she just turn 7 years old about a week ago and now so suddenly I feel : it’s my fault !! Why I was such a bad mother, there is no explanation for what happen?? I want answers?? Can someone give me a reason for my little angel to go? Because I am so worry about her.
Ava.