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	Coming to terms with the loss of young dog Q: we recently lost our 6 year old german shepherd dog because we were told she had auto immune deficiency disease resulting in liver failure, fluid in the abdomen. we are still very shocked by this as it happened so quickly and she had been such a healthy dog. do you have any information on this as we are finding it difficult to come to terms with connies death. thank you gill amos.

A: I am sorry to hear that you have had such a distressing time - sudden death of a young dog is very difficult to deal with. There isn't enough detail in your letter for me to know exactly what Connie died of. A deficiency in the immune system can lead to an inability to cope with infection which can certainly lead to sudden death as the body's defences are completely overwhelmed. Perhaps you could make an appointment to discuss it with your vet again. At the time you were probably too shocked and upset to take in much of what was said to you about Connie's condition, and it may help to have it explained again now. You could contact SCAS - The Society for Companion Animal Studies - who have a pet bereavement phone line which is there to offer help and support to people in your situation. Jen Campbell MRCVS (Vet for PetPlanet)

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