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Dog the Bounty Hunter was hospitalized this weekend after suffering a heart emergency that may require surgery -- this just a couple months after his wife, Beth Chapman, died.

Sources tell TMZ the reality TV star was taken to a hospital from his home in Colorado after feeling a pain in his chest.

They're also trying to figure out if he will need a corrective surgery.

Either way ... it's a scary incident for the Chapman family coming just a few months after Beth died from cancer.

Beth's death has been incredibly hard on Dog -- he broke down in tears at her Colorado memorial -- who's also been dealing with other forms of stress lately.

His store was broken into last month -- where crooks made off with some of Beth's personal items -- and Dog also nearly fell victim to a $430k check scam out of Dubai.

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Couple that with the recent premiere of his new show and the countless promotional stops that required, and it's obvious Dog's been under a lot of pressure lately. How much that factors into his heart emergency remains to be seen ... but it certainly couldn't have helped.

Get well soon, DBH.