Dog who saved woman from mountain lion dies

(KRON) — A dog that came to its owner’s aid when she was attacked by a mountain lion last month has died as a result of injuries she sustained in the encounter with the cat. Erin Wilson, 24, had been hiking at the White Bar Picnic Area on May 16 when she was attacked by a mountain lion.

“It swiped at me, scratching my left shoulder,” Wilson wrote on a GoFundMe page she set up to pay for the dog’s treatment for her injuries. Wilson called out to her dog, a Belgian Malinois named Eva, and the dog circled back and engaged the mountain lion.

The animals fought one another until the mountain lion clamped down on Eva’s head. Wilson and a passerby were eventually able to get the cat to release the dog, using a PVC pipe and pepper spray.

Wilson rushed her dog to a vet and during the hour-long journey, Eva experienced seizures and convulsing. Eventually, the two-year-old canine was treated for two skull fractures, a punctured sinus cavity and a severely injured eye.

For a time, the prognosis for Eva appeared positive with Wilson writing that “the vet is optimistic” on her GoFundMe page. However, things appeared to take a turn for the worse on Monday.

“Yesterday morning around 9am, Eva began panting and shaking,” Wilson wrote on the dog’s Instagram page. “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.”

After taking Eva to the vet, her condition worsened and she suffered three grand mal seizures. Wilson took the dog to UC Davis. After initial improvements when she was able to “walk/run, wag her tail” and “give everyone her usual love and affection,” the dog deteriorated. According to subsequent social posts, she became comatose and ultimately succumbed to her injuries.

“We said goodbye. We love you Eva. You’re my whole world,” wrote Wilson in an update on Eva’s GoFundMe page.