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Lactating bitch in trouble . Eclampsia, calcium deficiency or infection?

I have a bitch with 1-week old pups (9 taken c-section). Just now started shivering, temp was 104.2, lethargic. Talked to vet, started some Amoxi (1000 mg) and gave 800 mg of calcium (Tums). And she ate about 1/2 cup of vanilla ice cream. About 45 minutes later, shivering has subsided, temp is now 103.6.

No bad discharge, no problems with mammary glands, incision looks good.

Any advice? I'm running now to get more Tums (because mine had 10 mg of Famotidine in them. Anybody know how many mg of calcium (Tums) I should give her? I've never encountered this before, but I recall some breeder giving a lot of Tums to a bitch in whelp.

Of course, this could be an infection and have nothing to do with calcium levels but ...

Re: Lactating bitch in trouble . Eclampsia, calcium deficiency or infection?

Jenny, You need some blood work to rule out eclampsia and to test for the high white blood cell count that happens during infection. Do not hesitate to get blood work immediately.

When my bitch had eclampsia, she was restless and whining. She became disoriented and developed muscle
spasms and collapsing weakness. I rushed her to the
ED. I knew that oral calcium would not be sufficient for an eclampsia like my girl had. She needed IV calcium and heart monitoring during the calcium infusion. Eclampsia is very dangerous if not treated but responds really well to treatment (and removing the puppies from nursing).

Re: Lactating bitch in trouble . Eclampsia, calcium deficiency or infection?

Definitely you want to rule out infection. I had a bitch develop metritis about that same interval after whelping. My regular vet wasn't sure what the problem was and agreed that I should go to the repro vet for an ultrasound. It took a special antibiotic, as I remember, to knock it out, but she was OK again after treatment. But you need to get it treated quickly if that is what it is. As I remember, symptoms were lack of appetite, no milk. She had whelped 10 pups with no problems and no assistance. There was no reason to expect any problem before it occurred.

Re: Lactating bitch in trouble . Eclampsia, calcium deficiency or infection?

Your vet should be able to run an inhouse Calcium test by blood like Kate said along with white blood count. We had a girl have a section and spayed at the same time to save her life. About 10 days later she had a high temp and wasn't feeling well. Took her to the vets right away. They checked her calcium level and it was good. So we put her on some more Amoxi. She was fine. We think it was a mild infection.

Re: Lactating bitch in trouble . Eclampsia, calcium deficiency or infection?

Classic eclampsia.
I've given my girls up to 4, 1000mg calcium tums at a time.
I would get your girl to the vet ASAP tho.

Re: Lactating bitch in trouble . Eclampsia, calcium deficiency or infection?

Thank you, all, for your input. Addie's temp is now down to 101.8 and she's acting normal. My vet and I now feel it must be eclampsia rather than infection, since she improved so quickly from the calcium. BTW, she was a bit unstable initially, walked slowly and stiffly. I got more Tums (100% calcium), was advised to give 2 tonight (1500 mg), will continue monitoring temp. Will get bloodwork done tomorrow probably. It was scary since I've never dealt with this before but do know how dangerous it can be. Thanks again!

Re: Lactating bitch in trouble . Eclampsia, calcium deficiency or infection?

with her getting so close I would be giving her 1 tablet twice a day until pups start eating something.

better safe than sorry and her body can use it!

Re: Lactating bitch in trouble . Eclampsia, calcium deficiency or infection?

I really like the Oral Cal plus that Revival carries. Very fast acting and apparently palatable. I give this between puppies and as needed that first week or 2. Then just go to a regular Calcium supp.

Re: Lactating bitch in trouble . Eclampsia, calcium deficiency or infection?

Jenny, I'm so glad she is responding to oral calcium.
What were you feeding her before her whelp and currently? Did you give calcium during her whelp?

I ask these questions because my bitch got into
trouble because I had fed her a dog food that I did not know was high in calcium while she was pregnant and afterward. The high calcium diet suppressed her parathyroid function; when greater calcium was
needed for milk production, she leached it from her own
blood stream and bones to provide the calcium. Then she developed eclampsia because she did not have sufficient calcium for herself and for milk production.

I tell you this because it is possible to provide so
much calcium that you suppress the parathyroid gland. The sole purpose of the parathyroid gland is to regulate calcium in the blood in a very tight range.

I learned a lot the hard way. Before supplementing with calcium, find out how much calcium your dog food contains and check with your reproductive vet. It is possible to get eclampsia because of oversupplementation of calcium.

Re: Lactating bitch in trouble . Eclampsia, calcium deficiency or infection?

I'm glad it wasn't metritis. Eclampsia is an easier fix. I hope she continues to respond well to treatment.

Re: Lactating bitch in trouble . Eclampsia, calcium deficiency or infection?

Addie's still doing well. For now, I'm giving 1 Tum (750 mg) twice/day.

I've been feeding Premium Edge Chicken & Rice Adult for years, never had this problem before. I checked the bag and calcium is way down the list, 8th from the end, so can't be much but I'm going to e-mail and find out exactly how much. I did not supplement calcium prior to whelping, nor during whelp as I did a section.

Have to say it's so nice to get input from breeders on this list ... Even after 20+ years, I encounter things for the first time and it's so helpful to get brainstorming going. Thanks to all of you.
Jenny