what is the most common cause of death in older dogs?

i am not trying to be morbid, but i was wondering about older dogs health in general.i know no case is tyipcal, but whatis the leading cause of death in older dogs? virus? heart attack? stroke? i even hear of dogs having diabetes, and cancer. also i have heard that a older dog kinda knows when its time has come to pass away, and they tend to go off by them selves to die, is that true? and why?thanks for your time.

I believe I read somewhere that cancer is the #1 cause.

I think these days it's cancer. Some dogs will hide when they are severely ill, yes, but some will want more attention. It depends on the dog.

Cancer and heart disease.

old age.

My doberman Jack had cancer of the tissues he was 12 years old when we had to have him put to sleep 4 1/2 years ago

well most larger breed dogs with get hip joint problems from their cartlage wearing down over the years and it causes their bones to grind together eventually they can't walk, which then they can't eat or drink which then they cant go to the bathroom.. but before all that i hope you would take the dog to be put down.. another way is that most large breed dogs will also die from their stomach flipping the wrong way, basically getting twisted and blocking food from passing out the stomach and on it way through the body this is caused by the dog eating then doing an activity which can cause the full stomach to flip... even running or jumping on a full stomach can make this happen.. so best bet is after feeding try having the dog lay down for about half an hr to an hr to let some of the food pass by...

It is interesting that some breeds are especially prone to breed specific maladies. Schnauzers are prone to kidney disease, Great Danes die young generally from intestinal issues and working and sporting dogs have frame and bone issues and Goldens get cancer more frequently.....so it is hard to tell and our dog did not want to be by herself when she had her final illness.Diabetes took her.

In my breed of choice the Dobermann, the the number one cause of death is cancer, followed by dilated cardiomyopathy {DCM} ~ heart failure.My senior dogs have never taken themselves off to die, because they were never allowed off the property without supervision & were always under my control when at liberty outside. Due to advances in veterinary treatment, the majority of dogs are now euthanized when they no longer are able to enjoy a good quality of life or the owner cannot afford to pay for the treatment.

Cancer and no most dogs do not go off to die, some animals do wander off when they feel bad just as when I feel bad I don't want anyone to bother me. Letting a pet go off to die is a poor way to treat an animal, better to end it humanely in a vet's office then suffering for days under a bush.

Hi,It's a fact of life: your older dog is simply more susceptible to health issues such as arthritis, hypothyroidism, liver and kidney dysfunction, dental problems, and cataracts. These might lead to death. Here's more info:http://dogtime.com/senior-dogs.html

I've read that it's much the same as it is for humans--cancer, heart disease, and my experience bears that out since I've lost a number of pets to cancer. Animals often do try to go off alone when they're close to dying, but it's not necessarily because they want to be alone. It's because they think that whatever is making them feel bad is something they can get away from if they go somewhere else, though I think it might also be partly because they just don't feel up to having company around. Cats are far more likely than dogs to hide when they don't feel well.