Rip Tiger.

[Cuban]

I've written about Tiger a few times before in this forum, he was the young pup owned by my niece and her boyfriend that suffered a broken leg earlier this year and more recently had the badly swollen face. Tiger only had a short life, he couldn't have been more than nine months old or so.

Living only a short distance from us he would often spend time with my dogs, eating and sleeping over as well, they too have lost a companion for walks. It was two days ago that Tiger last joined us out in the fields beyond the farmed area of the village, chasing sticks and his speciality: attempting to catch butterflies or dragonflies among the fields. It would often seem that the dragonflies were teasing him by hovering just staying out of reach, watching him.

He was seen playing normally this morning but observed appearing to cough (or try to bring up some food maybe?), our niece chained him up to prevent him leaving their house and went for help but when she returned it was only in time to see him stand, stumble a few times then release a final long breathe, he had died.

It was probably about ten minutes later that we were there so I felt little point attempting revival even though I have read up on this some months ago on a doggie first-aid web site. No heart sounds, mouth and throat were unobstructed, no indication of foam or recent vomit around the mouth or in the area and only a little normal stool that he had been seen to pass shortly before death (I assume stress reaction). Eyes normal but dilated, no indication of puncher or bite marks around the face or elsewhere that I could see and no sign of injury to legs, paws, rib cage, neck. No swelling or stiffness of the abdomen or the site of the (repaired/pinned) former broken leg, or anywhere else. While I was moving him about a small amount of urine leaked, it was normal straw color and not cloudy and without any indication of blood. He looked like he was in a deep sleep - with only the rise and fall of breathing missing to suggest that all was not well.

It would appear that his last meal was table scrap remains of some cooked (!) chicken portions, it didn't look like he had eaten much and I have wondered if a cooked bone splinter could have been the cause. As I said I did check the mouth and airway, it was clear with no indication of obstruction. The only point of note from my inspection was his tongue was a light purple or lilac in color, not his normal red/pink. As this was only 10-15 minutes after he died I am wondering if circulation was a problem prior to death, or oxygen absorption into the blood was a not taking place. We doubt poisoning as there are no family disputes taking place currently and Tiger was not a rouge dog. If there was internal bleeding nothing leaked out of his mouth during my inspection and later when I carried him to his grave.

Humans look for reason or pattern in events. My last interaction with Tiger was late yesterday evening when he roamed into our kitchen area where I was cooking. Sat as best he could with his pinned leg, paused for a moment then wondered off. I wonder if that was a goodbye?

I dug his last resting-place under some papaya trees at the back of their house, trying to make the hole large enough and shaped to allow me to lay him as if sleeping, I placed a stick from their wood-pile with him to chase.

Before I had placed Tiger in his grave I had laid him down as if sleeping on a pile of dried leaves. Our niece (about 28 years old) had then taken a few pictures of him. In these sad moments the bizarre never fails to amaze me, she continued to take pictures as I laid him to rest and then as the first few sods of earth filled in the hole and then as he disappeared one last time. Not a series of pictures I would want to keep.

Below is Tiger during happier times about three weeks ago out in the rice fields with my dogs, similar colors but they are not related.

Edited September 12, 2009 by Cuban

[anothertorres]

little peanut. sorry for your loss.

[djgadget]

I remember this story.

Sorry for your loss.