Eclampsia
I have a
mini-dachshund who just gave birth to six puppy's last Saturday. She
has had several litters before and the last three times, she came down
with a case of eclampsia. Needless to say this was quite an alarming
scene. She seems to be alright right now but needless to say I'm
worried. I know how to tube feed, and was wondering when I should remove
the puppies from her. I ideally would like to do it as soon as it is
prudent to do so, to try to avoid a relapse, as it can get pretty
expensive to treat this condition. Is there a chance that she may get
this even though I remove her from puppies? Does the nursing hurry the
onset, or does the mere fact that she is lactating predispose her to it
regardless if the puppies are nursing or not?
Eclampsia results from a deficiency of calcium. Muscles need calcium to contract properly. A lactating bitch looses much of her calcium to her milk, becoming vulnerable to low blood calcium. The body has mechanisms regulated by the parathyroid gland to extract the vast stores of calcium from the bones when needed. Sometimes the dog cannot get the calcium from the bones fast enough to keep up with the sudden draw of calcium for the milk. The result is knotted muscles and cramps. The cure is calcium supplementation.
A good preventative is to give pregnant dogs oral calcium supplements, and to continue calcium support through weaning. Calcium is available in many forms, :milk, puppychow, calcium tablets, antacids, and calcium powder.
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