Milk Fever

Blue Briar Kennel · Post by **Blue Briar Kennel** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 9:22 pm

Has anyone had a nursing female get milk fever before? If you have did you take her to the vet or did you treat it yourself? If you did treat it what did you do?

NorWester · Post by **NorWester** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 7:41 am

What is making you think your bitch is suffering from "milk fever"? If she does you need to get on it and head to the vet right away, unless you have your own injectable calcium supplement.

Blue Briar Kennel · Post by **Blue Briar Kennel** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 9:24 pm

My female does not have milk fever. She did a year and a half ago when she was nursing. I took her to the vet and it cost me $370. I am just wondering is there a way to give a nursing female something instead of taking her to the vet?

NorWester · Post by **NorWester** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 8:40 am

$370 ????????........thats unbelieveable!

All your vet would have done is give her a calcium supplement interveneous injection. Thats crazy...... But absolutely, there are supplements you can pick up which do well as preventative. I would say just ask your vet......but not yours! Find another one or check the feed stores, or Super Pet, etc

Vickie · Post by **Vickie** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 10:25 am

I did have my first beagle end up with milk fever. My vet told me to start giving the PetCal tabs about two weeks before she was due and then for a couple weeks after she had pups. I did that and never had any problems with any of my females. I sure was walking on pins and needles for the next couple litters from my old girl after that though!

The first couple of days after the pups were born, I also supplemented her food with cottage cheese also.

I had to take her in in the middle of the night and the vet was amazed that I even caught it. Thank goodness I had her in the house with me or I probably wouldn't have caught it!

Good luck!

Blue Briar Kennel · Post by **Blue Briar Kennel** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 11:22 am

The reason the vet bill was so much is because I had to take her to an emergency vet at night on the weekend. Where can you get the PetCal supplements and how much are they?

Vickie · Post by **Vickie** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 11:32 am

You can get them at most pet or feed stores, but I got mine from Jeffers. Here's the link to them:

http://www.jefferspet.com/ssc/product.a ... K4WLJGC10E

JHough · Post by **JHough** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 12:50 pm

What is milk fever? I have never heard of it. What are the signs/symptoms?

Vickie · Post by **Vickie** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 1:05 pm

Milk fever is also called eclampsia (sp). It is a calcium deficiency. The female gets very weak and can't stand up, falls over, etc. I'm sure there is more to it than just that. In my case I had to help her out to go to the bathroom and then hold her up to go and that's when I knew for sure something was wrong!

My vet's theory was that we make their systems lazy so that they don't produce enough of their own calcium by supplementing them with vitamins. He didn't know it at the time, but I was giving her a Pet Tab every day. It made sense to me! Another vet was furious at me for breeding her the next time after that happening. I explained that my other vet told me it would be find giving the Cal Tabs, or I never would have bred her again. She finally settled down a little bit. Sure does show the difference in vets!

NorWester · Post by **NorWester** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 1:58 pm

I lost a bitch to enclampsia or milk fever. Its just like Vickie wrote except in my case I really dropped the ball so to speak. My bitch was acting funny just before I went to bed but I figured she was about to welp (yes, apparently this can happen before the pups are even born) When I got up in the morning she was all but gone......just laying there twitching and too late to save. Ever since that episode I keep an injectable calcium supplement on hand.

Blue Briar Kennel · Post by **Blue Briar Kennel** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 9:37 pm

Where can you get an infectable calcium supplement?

NorWester · Post by **NorWester** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 7:53 am

My vet supplied mine, it's done intraveneously so be prepared if you can get ahold of some.

Blue Briar Kennel · Post by **Blue Briar Kennel** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 1:07 pm

Thanks for all your help guys and gals. I will hope for the best.

Vickie · Post by **Vickie** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 3:26 pm

Good luck! Let us know how it goes. I'm sure if you use the Pet Cal tabs, you won't have any problems.

Blue Briar Kennel · Post by **Blue Briar Kennel** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 11:15 pm

My female is due in the middle of November. I just want to make sure I have everything I need before it's to late. Thanks again.