'Hero' CA Dog Dies After Saving Owner From Mountain Lion Attack

BIG BAR, CA — A dog that was seriously hurt fending off a mountain lion last month that attacked her northern California owner in Big Bar has died.

As California Patch previously reported, Erin Wilson, 24, was at the Whites Bar Picnic Area in Big Bar on May 18 when she and her Belgian Malinois, Eva, encountered a mountain lion. The park is along the Trinity River, about 45 miles west of Redding.

"It swiped at me, scratching my left shoulder," she said in a GoFundMe post at the time. "I yelled out for help from my dog Eva. She was only a few yards ahead of me and attacked the lion."

The 2-year-old dog and lion battled, but at just 55 pounds, Eva was no match for the big cat. She cried out in pain as the cat took her by the head. Wilson bashed the lion with rocks, sticks and fists, and tried to choke the lion with her arms and gouge its eyes. When the cat refused to let go, she ran to her vehicle, grabbed a tire iron and, with the help of a stranger, continued beating the cat.

Eva was badly wounded in the fight. She convulsed for several minutes during the hour-long trip to the veterinarian and suffered two skull fractures, a punctured sinus cavity and severe swelling around her left eye, hindering her vision.

The veterinarian was optimistic about her condition, and eventually Eva was released. Days after the attack, she appeared to be recovering well. She rested a lot, but Wilson noted on Instagram she had a big appetite and was returning to her old self.

But her recovery took a turn for the worse this week. On Monday, Wilson said in an Instagram post that Eva panted and shook.

"Over the next half hour we watched as she began to show several concerning symptoms. Her overall appearance reminded me of the initial onset of seizures," Wilson wrote.

They brought Eva back to an animal hospital, where she stayed overnight as a precaution. She suffered three grand mal seizures overnight and into the morning.

According to Chief Veterinary Officer Dr. Jerry Klein of the American Kennel Club, a grand mal seizure is a whole-body seizure that causes a dog’s entire body to convulse. The dog loses consciousness during the seizure, which can last a few minutes.

Wilson brought Eva to UC Davis, where she ran, walked and wagged her tail, but still appeared wobbly. She suffered more seizures overnight and her mentation deteriorated, which can happen after a dog suffers severe head trauma. A dog with abnormal mentation typically has tissue damage and, potentially, edema, hemorrhage, ischemia, and elevated intracranial pressure, which can be life-threatening.

"Eva went for CT before MRI, and it has been found that her skull fracture was pretty severe and her brain tissue is inflamed," Wilson wrote in an update on her GoFundMe account. "Her brain is now pushing through the openings in the skull. They think they can bring down inflammation and operate Thursday to clean up the wounds and tend her fractures. She's still in critical condition but it seems like there's a way she can be treated. She has to remain on a ventilator for now. She did try to wake up during the CT, even under anesthesia."

Eva continued to fight. But on Wednesday, she became comatose.

"There is no neurological response to pain or stimuli. We are getting an MRI done to see if there could be a lesion, hematoma, or something else that is causing this. Her prognosis is not good. There is a chance she could pass at anytime. I don’t know what else to say right now," Wilson wrote on Instagram.

On Wednesday morning, Wilson told Eva goodbye for the last time.

"There were no changes to her condition overnight. Goodbye my beautiful sweet girl. You are my world, my light, my best friend. The world is a much darker place," she wrote.

Heartbroken, Wilson wrote Thursday morning the "world is not fair."

"It is cruel. This wasn’t supposed to happen," she said. "Our baby is gone and now we have no one come and be held with us. We don’t have our kisses. I don’t have my girls incredibly soft fur. She was so delicate. So dainty. She would carefully pick her way to the pillows and flop onto me to get love from both of us."

Wilson told Patch in an Instagram message Eva was gorgeous, her "beautiful perfect baby."

Wilson previously launched a GoFundMe account to help raise money to cover Eva's medical bills. The account, with a goal of $7,500, raised more than $35,000 by Thursday.

GoFundMe is a Patch promotional partner.