Eclampsia in Dogs

Eclampsia in Dogs
By: Brenda Alexander
August 7, 2009

Please pass this information along to anyone with an unspayed female dog. I fancy myself very knowledgeable about dogs but I had never heard of this before and it almost cost my beautiful, sweet Dakotah her life. Do NOT let this happen to you and your beloved friend.

Miracle Number 1:

I woke up at approximately 3:15 a.m. on Tuesday morning very thirsty. I was tired and didn't feel like going downstairs for a drink. I sat there for a minute or two trying to make up my mind. By then I was already awake and figured why not.

Miracle Number 2:

My sweet Kota was lying in the hall where she could NOT be missed. Her legs were stretched out in front, muscles rigid and she was hyperventilating. She was panting extremely hard and was moving her mouth funny. I had fed her some turkey earlier that night and because of how she was working her mouth, I thought she might have accidentally ingested a bone and it was obstructing her breathing. So stupid me (or not so stupid, I don't know which) repeatedly put my fingers down her throat searching for an obstruction. I had never heard of eclampsia in dogs and she was fine an hour before that so I just assumed.

My husband works 3rd shift and we only have the one car. He was at work. I called him asking him to come home but he could not leave. I was frantic because is one minute's time (and that is NOT an exaggeration) she went into grand mal seizures. Naturally, I got bit pretty severely and I imagine that she thought her mommy was trying to kill her. She's being a little standoffish to me too but she's alive and that's all I care about.

Miracle Number 3

Normally, because my brother-in-law has severe sleep disorders, she unplugs her phone at night because they go to bed around 8:00 at night because they have to get up at 5:00 (or earlier). In desperation, I called her and like I said, miracle number 3, not only was the phone ON the hook but they were awake. Pam and Jim (my sister and brother-in-law) live about 20 minutes away on a good traffic day but Jim made it to my house in less than 10. We jumped in the car and headed to the emergency vet clinic and I told them she was choking. They said, "no, she has hypocalcemia." I had no idea what that was and still thought she was choking and that she'd die from their misdiagnosis.

About 45 minutes later, the vet comes out and says that Kota's calcium level was so low that it was incompatible with life. Her fever was 107, having grand mal seizures and would most likely die from DIC (deciminated intravascular coagulation) which means her blood was clotting and sending those to her major organs. They fully expected this to happen and asked if we wanted it done. She went on to say that if this happened, the chances of any kind of meaningful recovery was low and it might not be in our financial best interest to pursue it, especially even with treatment, the chances of recovery were small.

Miracle Number 4

Jim whipped out his credit card and said Kota dying was not an option...period. Do whatever it takes so that we pick up a living, breathing, healthy dog. Some people might say, it's just a dog. Why go to that expense. No one reading this will say that. Love is love. No matter what form it takes, when you love something or someone and you lose that, it's heartbreaking. I have never had "just a dog." I never will either. My dogs are a huge part of my family and both Pam and Jim feel the same way. Their generosity still blows me away. How can I thank them for saving my baby? It's not possible. I'm baking them muffins today! Or tomorrow but they're getting them.

I came home and if you think it's bad and hard to sit by the phone waiting for a call, try sitting by the phone praying that it doesn't ring. That's worse! I kept thinking it would ring and I couldn't sleep because for some stupid reason I thought as long as I stayed awake, willing her to live, that she wouldn't die. That somehow my love for her would transcend space and time and give her the courage and strength to fight back. Who am I to say this is not so? My beautiful baby is running around downstairs with her boyfriend (my husband, lol) and love can do miraculous things. So can prayer. God had His hand in this. Of that I have no doubts whatsoever.

Miracle Number 5

I have a beautiful, loving (albeit a little mad at me right now) min pin that I get to enjoy for a long, long time thanks to God, Pam and Jim and to the power of love! I am having her spayed as I will never put her through this again. Also, for the record, she never looked pregnant. We did not even suspect she was going to have babies until the week before she had them. She carried them well. I won't ever make that mistake again.

For more information on this condition and how to hopefully prevent it, please google eclampsia in dogs. Become aware of it so that this does not happen to you and your beloved.