Postpartum Eclampsia! - YorkieTalk.com Forums

chipperdancing · 11-13-2005, 04:03 AM

"If it can go wrong, it will ...." This evening Mini began to tremble, followed by panting and knocking?. By the time I got her to the Vet, her little body actually seemed to be knocking and her little heart was beating a mile a minute.

At 18 days after her "C" Section, she was going into Postpartum Eclampsia Shock/Seizure. Now I learn Eclampsia, “milk fever”, is a condition that results from a bitch that has trouble supporting the calcium demand of lactation. It typically occurs within the first three to four weeks of lactation, and is more common in small breeds. The Vet told me not to allow Mini to nurse for a week, and gave me Pet-Cal Tablets to dissolve in water and feed her twice a day.

Mini is an excellent mother and produces a lot of milk. Now I have hungry babies, who do not want a hand-fed bottle, and an uncomfortable mother with lots of milk.

I'm also afraid if I don't allow her to nurse, she might develop Mastitus, a bacterial infection of the mammary glands caused by heavy milk production and incomplete draining of the glands.

I would welcome any advice, please!

Bentley&BitsysMom · 11-13-2005, 04:58 AM

My Bitsy had eclampsia twice with her litter. The first time she got it was was when the pups were around three weeks old if I remember right. I felt the same way you do....ended up trying to let her nurse some because the pups were not doing well with me hand feeding them....then she got eclampsia again...scared me to death because she looked like she was going to die. After the second time we took the vets advice and didn't let her nurse them anymore. I'm not a breeder but I feel your pain

Hopefully a breeder with more experience will post some advice for you...or you can do a search on this board...type in eclampsia and it should pull up LOTS of info for you. Wishing you the very best outcome. Handfeeding puppies is not an easy task!!

chipperdancing · 11-13-2005, 04:09 PM

Wow, Michelle, nothing like having a house full of upset canines! The vet told me, besides not letting Mini nurse for a week & plying her with Pro-Cal, that I could cover Mini from the neck down and she could "visit" her babies ...... well, that went over like a lead balloon! The three little cannibals were all over her like flies ... well, never mind, ... looking for dinner ~ even after we had just fed them! I took your advice and searched the Internet, most define eclampsia, none spell out a remedy, so for lack of more info, we're going with your experience. Thank you!

b_veselka · 11-13-2005, 04:19 PM

i was so afraid that this would happen to my Phebe when she delivered 7 puppies a few years ago! Luckily it did not, but my vet told me about the warning signs. It seems very scary. I am so sorry that this happened to your girl and sorry for your pups. I hope all gets back to normal soon.
Beth

Bentley&BitsysMom · 11-13-2005, 05:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chipperdancing

Wow, Michelle, nothing like having a house full of upset canines! The vet told me, besides not letting Mini nurse for a week & plying her with Pro-Cal, that I could cover Mini from the neck down and she could "visit" her babies ...... well, that went over like a lead balloon! The three little cannibals were all over her like flies ... well, never mind, ... looking for dinner ~ even after we had just fed them! I took your advice and searched the Internet, most define eclampsia, none spell out a remedy, so for lack of more info, we're going with your experience. Thank you!

I really wish someone else would have posted!!! Bitsy had six pups and we tried covering her too so she could visit pups but it was too much stress for EVERYBODY!! We feel very blessed that we didn't lose any pups cause we had no idea what we were doing!!! Did you do a search for eclampsia on THIS board?? Click on the search that right beside the link that says new posts at the top of this page, then click advanced, and type in eclampsia and check the box that says "look for in titles only". You can then view other posters with eclampsia questions and see what answers were given. You might want to do as your vet suggested and retry nursing them after a week and just keep a very close eye on her and watch for signs of a relapse. Do try a search on this board and see what you find

I just did a search. It only pulls up four thread and MINE is one of them, LOL! There are 79 replies with LOTS of great info on there!!! Chek it out

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/sea...earchid=197382

YorkyMommy · 11-13-2005, 06:18 PM

We had a similar problem with one of our moms years ago. We were told by our vet (after she received an IV of calcium) to supplement her diet with cottage cheese and Tums antiacid tabs (basically what the Pet-Cal is). I believe that we could continue to allow her to nurse for short periods and supplement the puppies inbetween, but it has been quite a while since this happened so honestly I don't remember for sure. Do you have another vet you could contact for a second opinion? Do you know of any other nursing dogs that could help you out? That would probably be the best solution but not always easily found. Good luck to you! Sounds like a lot of frustration for all involved.
Tracy

11-13-2005, 04:03 AM	#1
chipperdancing No Longer a Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: South Coast Oregon Posts: 108	Postpartum Eclampsia! "If it can go wrong, it will ...." This evening Mini began to tremble, followed by panting and knocking?. By the time I got her to the Vet, her little body actually seemed to be knocking and her little heart was beating a mile a minute. At 18 days after her "C" Section, she was going into Postpartum Eclampsia Shock/Seizure. Now I learn Eclampsia, “milk fever”, is a condition that results from a bitch that has trouble supporting the calcium demand of lactation. It typically occurs within the first three to four weeks of lactation, and is more common in small breeds. The Vet told me not to allow Mini to nurse for a week, and gave me Pet-Cal Tablets to dissolve in water and feed her twice a day. Mini is an excellent mother and produces a lot of milk. Now I have hungry babies, who do not want a hand-fed bottle, and an uncomfortable mother with lots of milk. I'm also afraid if I don't allow her to nurse, she might develop Mastitus, a bacterial infection of the mammary glands caused by heavy milk production and incomplete draining of the glands. I would welcome any advice, please! __________________ Yorkie Yakker Chipperdancing Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we're here we might as well

11-13-2005, 04:58 AM	#2
Bentley&BitsysMom Donating YT 2000 Club Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Charlotte Posts: 2,836	My Bitsy had eclampsia twice with her litter. The first time she got it was was when the pups were around three weeks old if I remember right. I felt the same way you do....ended up trying to let her nurse some because the pups were not doing well with me hand feeding them....then she got eclampsia again...scared me to death because she looked like she was going to die. After the second time we took the vets advice and didn't let her nurse them anymore. I'm not a breeder but I feel your pain Hopefully a breeder with more experience will post some advice for you...or you can do a search on this board...type in eclampsia and it should pull up LOTS of info for you. Wishing you the very best outcome. Handfeeding puppies is not an easy task!! __________________ Michelle BENTLEY, BITSY, CHARLIE, & BAILEY'S Mommy Dogster Pagehttp://www.dogster.com/?145000

11-13-2005, 04:09 PM	#3
chipperdancing No Longer a Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: South Coast Oregon Posts: 108	Wow, Michelle, nothing like having a house full of upset canines! The vet told me, besides not letting Mini nurse for a week & plying her with Pro-Cal, that I could cover Mini from the neck down and she could "visit" her babies ...... well, that went over like a lead balloon! The three little cannibals were all over her like flies ... well, never mind, ... looking for dinner ~ even after we had just fed them! I took your advice and searched the Internet, most define eclampsia, none spell out a remedy, so for lack of more info, we're going with your experience. Thank you! __________________ Yorkie Yakker Chipperdancing Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we're here we might as well

11-13-2005, 04:19 PM	#4
b_veselka Donating Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: South Texas Posts: 307	i was so afraid that this would happen to my Phebe when she delivered 7 puppies a few years ago! Luckily it did not, but my vet told me about the warning signs. It seems very scary. I am so sorry that this happened to your girl and sorry for your pups. I hope all gets back to normal soon. Beth __________________ Beth Veselka

11-13-2005, 06:18 PM	#6
YorkyMommy Donating Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Akron, Ohio Posts: 337	We had a similar problem with one of our moms years ago. We were told by our vet (after she received an IV of calcium) to supplement her diet with cottage cheese and Tums antiacid tabs (basically what the Pet-Cal is). I believe that we could continue to allow her to nurse for short periods and supplement the puppies inbetween, but it has been quite a while since this happened so honestly I don't remember for sure. Do you have another vet you could contact for a second opinion? Do you know of any other nursing dogs that could help you out? That would probably be the best solution but not always easily found. Good luck to you! Sounds like a lot of frustration for all involved. Tracy