Seizure in a Pit Bull 3 Days After Giving Birth

A seizure in a dog who has just given birth is an emergency. You heard correctly that it may be low blood calcium, called eclampsia or milk fever. It usually develops in the first few weeks of nursing, when the puppies are drawing a lot of calcium in milk. Signs include restlessness, panting, trembling, stiffness, a high temperature and seizures. Without treatment it can be fatal.

Please don't try to treat this at home. There is no safe home remedy, and giving calcium by mouth isn't a substitute for emergency treatment. Take her to a vet or emergency clinic right away. Vets give calcium carefully into a vein while monitoring her heart. The puppies may need to be kept off her or bottle-fed for a while, and your vet will advise on calcium afterward.

For more on emergencies, see our page on seizures in dogs.

This is general information, not a diagnosis. Please follow your own vet's advice.