Dog who saved owner from mountain lion dies unexpectedly

A dog who saved her owner from a mountain lion during an attack last month in northern California has unexpectedly died.

Owner Erin Wilson told The Sacramento Bee that 2.5-year-old Eva, a Belgian Malinois, started suffering from seizures over the weekend. Taking her to a veterinarian in Redding, she was told that emergency care was required.

Ms Wilson then rushed Eva to the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine animal hospital, where the pet’s condition worsened to the point where veterinarians tried to put her on a ventilator early on Wednesday.

“She just never woke up,” a tearful Ms Wilson told the paper. She added that she and her fiance, Connor Kenny were taking the body to the home of his parents “to bury her in the yard”.

“She really loved it there,” she added.

Ms Wilson later said in a text message to The Sacramento Bee that “she’s resting in the dirt, looking over the pool she loved to play in”.

“She’s at peace. She won’t ever have to fight again,” Ms Wilson wrote.

The dog’s death was a shock following her 16 May fight with a mountain lion, a story that garnered international attention. An Instagram account created for the dog attracted 20,300 followers.

“Goodbye my beautiful sweet girl,” Ms Wilson posted on the account on Wednesday. “You are my world, my light, my best friend. The world is a much darker place.”

Ms Wilson, 24, told the paper that Eva protected her during a hike along the Trinity River in Northwestern California on 16 May. The dog was off the leash just ahead of Ms Wilson when a mountain lion jumped out of some bushes and scratched Ms Wilson on the shoulder through her jacket as it growled and appeared to prepare for another strike.

Ms Wilson called for her dog and Eva turned around and tackled the animal. The mountain lion bit onto Eva’s head and didn’t let go even as Ms Wilson strangled it, and beat it with her fists and rocks.

Ms Wilson left the trail and ran up to the road and waved down a passing driver and the two of them beat the cat with a PVC pipe, a tire iron, and used pepper spray to try to get the dog free. After the mountain lion finally relented, Ms Wilson took Eva to VCA Asher Animal Hospital in Redding, where the dog stayed for the following three days.

Last month, Ms Wilson told The Sacramento Bee that if Eva “had waited another second or two more” the mountain lion “probably would have either jumped up and bit me in the face, in the head, and the neck”.

A GoFundMe fundraiser was created to gather funds for Eva’s medical bills – 963 people donated a total of $35,153. Ms Wilson said last month that she was going to donate any excess money to charity. While Ms Wilson only suffered minor injuries – scratches and bruises – she required precautionary rabies shots.

DNA samples taken off of Ms Wilson and her dog proved that the attacking animal had been a mountain lion, according to the Department of Fish and Wildlife. If the animal is caught by the authorities, DNA testing will determine if it’s the same animal that attacked Ms Wilson before it’s put down.

Over the last 40 years, there have been around 20 confirmed mountain lion attacks in the state, three of which have been deadly.