My dog died from a giant hair ball! Yes, that happened!
Chloe beat one of the most aggressive forms of cancer there is in dogs, only to die from something this stupid, that I had no idea could even happen. I want to share this with as many people as possible as there are things you can do to prevent it.
I had a necropsy done at the CSU Vet School, and the only thing they found that was wrong with her, was a huge hairball in her stomach. The first sign of trouble was in the morning when we get up. Normally everyone (all the dogs) runs to the front door to go outside to do their business. Chloe was not there. I called her and she did not come. I went to check on her and she was laying by the glass door and she would not get up. I knew that was a bad sign. I tried to help her up because I wanted to take her to the vet and when I reached under her to lift her up and touched her belly she started throwing up. I was relieved because throwing up was something that happens occasionally with dogs, and I knew the routine, she throws up and then we go the chicken and rice routine, and eventually she gets better.
I did not know she was trying to throw up a giant hairball. I saw her throwing up the dinner from the night before so I didn’t think of a blockage. She got up and moved closer to the front door but laid down at the bedroom door. I got her a blanki and a pillow to make her comfortable and with little time the puking got less, so I thought she was getting better. I checked at her every few minutes and the next thing I know she is dead. Her heart had stopped. She was not breathing.
She was a 12.5 year old Golden Retriever and otherwise very healthy.
She LOVED to lick her brothers, she spent a lot of time licking them, it was one ways they spent quality time together and it was how she took care of them and showed her love. It wasn’t the first year of her doing this, so I’m not sure what made this year so different, so tragic.
It was spring and we live in the mountains. There is no grass here in the spring. I’m not sure if that would have helped, but I now make sure my dogs get a lot of fiber. The dogs do eat grass sometimes when we have it. I now give my dogs kale, spinach, arugula, and other leafy green plants which I cut into small pieces and mix in their food, or the organic spring mix you get at the grocery store. I’m lucky that they love veggies. They eat almost anything, they would probably eat a bowl rocks if I sat it in front of them. My vet says Psyllium is also a good thing to give especially older dogs. We also brush a lot more. I don’t know if that would have prevented this, or why the hairball got so big. If I had taken her to the vet maybe she could have had it surgically removed, and maybe her heart would have been too weak. Who knows, but what an incredibly stupid thing to take her life.
Have you had experience with hairballs in dogs? Please share your experiences and suggestions.