sick baby

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reverie

reverie

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I've got a 4 1/2 wk old rex kit that is experiencing weight loss and blood on rear end. Noticed fri pm, separated from rest of litter and brought inside. stool is a bit soft and wet but formed Can not tell if blood is from rectum or urethra. no coccidia or other parasites seen in stool sample at vet. Albon started Saturday. Is eating some, seems more alert, less blood but still producing. 1 other in litter seemed like possibly slightly weak sat so brought that one in as well and started on albon. no blood noted on this one, stool normal. Rest of litter is doing great. Litter of 6, all normal size, good mom, housed in suspended wire, clean cage, no contact with ground or other rabbits. Any suggestions please, want to save this little one and also want to problem solve for future knowledge and prevention.
Thank you!
 
Are you sure its blood and not dark urine? Or loose stool? Some times when very ill it looks that bad.

Some times they just fad away. They do good and then start to taper off, turn to bones and pass. IS he/she pot bellied? Drinking or eating on own? Do they smell bad? Are you giving probiotics as well? Any change or differences in diet, surroundings, care routine a few days prior to?
 
Isolate sick or looking "punky" bunnies ASAP

If it is not blood, but diarrhea:
administer Probiotics directly in mouth... remove pellet food... .timothy hay only....
electrolytes in the water...
Sprinkle Bene-bac (or some kinda probiotic powder) on food and electrolytes in the water of the unaffected bunch.

I've seen this go through a litter and kill them all..... I'm not sure what it is....
Even with these steps, it sometimes doesn't help.

A. add more details as requested by RebelRose.... more suggestions will come in.
B. I have been told to reduce the protein of my feed at 4-6 weeks....
 
I'm sure it is blood, I did isolate as soon as saw it was 'not right', was on 16% commercial feed and orchard grass hay free choice, not weaned, no changes to food/hay/environment, no prebiotics, not pot bellied, maybe odor- my sniffer doesn't work well, was eating and drinking some on own however bony and weight loss, all other kits appear normal. Condition has deteriorated greatly since this am, I unfortunately I think this guy will check out tonight.
 
Do the kits have access to moms poops? If the probiotics are helping, then it is an issue with the gut bacteria that all rabbits need to develop prior to weaning so they can digest and retain nutrients from their feed.

As with most herbivores, the babies are not born with a full compliment of the gut bacteria. Cows, horses, sheep, goats and many other ruminants gain these gut bacteria by ingesting mothers poop.
 
That much blood, suggests to me internal injury not disease/illness UNLESS there is a severe problem with the GI tract that's leading to sores/agitation of the lining itself. In this case, rather than treat...I'd term cull to try to keep the others from catching it if it is illness. Some thing like that is not some thing to fool around with, I'd also deep clean any thing the kit came into contact with (dishes, cages, the works) with both bleach and ammonia (not at the same time of course!). I would also set things out to air dry and in the sun for as long as possible.

I'm sorry that's not more help. It worries me that its actual blood w/o any apparent injury.
 
I'm with RebelRose on this one.... clean the space really well.... the little bunnies lick EVERYTHING....

I might still give electrolytes in the water for the remaining group... gives them a little boost to help them if they are fighting something... (the feed store usually has something for horses that seems to work well for me)

The little guy may have just had a pre-existing flaw that finally gave way? (Hernia? thin lining in intestines?) I have also seen rabbits get "spooked" and brain themselves, but it is usually an obvious head trauma... a similar situation may have happened and binkies got out of hand and an intestinal twist??

If the rest of the litter is ok ... and continues to be ok.... That's what I would chalk it up to.
 
Thanks for the input, most appreciated. He did pass overnight, rest of the litter remains apparently healthy and all have good body condition. the way this has shaped up so far, I'm really thinking gi pre existing issue. New cage, new nest box, disinfected food/water crocks, no issues in rest of litter or rest of rabbitry. He had same access to mom poops as rest of litter- I house all of my rabbits same way, no previous issues. Possible to be injury related with a crazy jump/land on next box but would think his condition would have degenerated quicker. Well, chalk that one up to couldn't save it, good news is I don't have to worry about culling at a later date. As long as everyone else stays healthy I will go with developmental issue...and worry about the genetics of that...hmm.
 
So sorry to hear it passed <3

Internal issues are hard to diagnose and even harder when we can't save them!

One more item for your consideration would be to add torching to your cleaning regimen ... You can pick up the nozzle and hand held cannisters at a local hardware store.

I had an infestation of chicken coccidia (intestinal rather than hepatic) that killed 14 out of 21 kits in a 5 day period last year and I am finally clear of that. I could clear the kits and adults, but they would get reinfested because the disinfectants I used on the cages were not enough to kill all the coccidia eggs. Thanks to Rabbit Talk I knew to get the propane torch and torch the cages, feeders, water tins, and the wooden nest boxes. I now do this 2x per year and have not lost any more kits!

There is nothing worse than to dread going out in the morning to find out how many more had died overnight. I was able to save the ones I did by also direct dosing (syringe Corrid @ 1/10th ml by mouth) daily and then gathered moms poops for them to reestablish their gut bacteria.
 

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