Anyone ever seen cleft pallet in a rabbit?

[PSFAngoras]

I'll get pics for you as soon as I can find a way to downsize them on my phone, but I'm pretty sure I have a kit with a cleft pallet. It has a deformed head with bulging eyes, and its nose looks off and it has no front teeth. It can find the nipple, but can't get enough pressure on it to express any milk.

Kinda bummed about it as I was hoping this kit would be fine as its a solid fawn. Was hoping to find something with Rufus in it to breed to and try to get a red, but looks like it won't be happening.

So, does anyone have experience with this? If it's still here when I get home from work I'll cull it, but I don't like doing the little ones if I can help it. Is this genetic and I can expect to see ore from the pair or is it a random defect? Sorry the post is choppy, just tryin to get it out there before I have to run off to work!

Thanks everyone in advance<br /><br />__________ Wed Oct 02, 2013 7:27 am __________<br /><br />Correction, no front teeth on top, sorry

 

[DogCatMom]

Can't answer re. rabbits, but cleft palate does occur occasionally in Bernese Mtn. Dog puppies. Formerly, they were routinely culled; now there are a few plastic surgeons who can repair this deformity in dogs (Classique, Keepsake). The pups are tube-fed because they can't form a seal and suckle successfully.

It's not thought to be genetic in Berners but rather an in-utero developmental glitch most likely due to environmental or other factors. Canine sires and dams who've had a cleft-palate puppy have been used subsequently and had completely normal litters, either with each other or with other "partners."

I'm sorry you're having to deal with this, esp. in a color you were looking for.

 

[PSFAngoras]

The little guy was still kicking when I got home from work, but he looked like a skeleton.

If I have to say one thing about having to euth a kit that young with the pillowcase method...

I hope that I will never have to do that again. Ever.

I was trying to open his mouth what I could, and the whole front of his face where the upper jaw and front teeth should have been was very soft and squishy. I'm not so much sure that he had a cleft pallet as that maybe the front of his facial structure failed to develop properly.

I hope you're right that it's not genetic DCM, I like the colors that resulted from this cross, but if I get another litter with another one like this guy in it, I'll never breed those two together again. I don't mind culling the older buns, but I really won't be pleased if I have to go through this again.

 

[MaggieJ]

Sorry you had to deal with that.

On the rare occasion that I have had to euthanize a kit, I've placed it on a hard surface and struck one good blow with a hammer. Not pretty, but it is quick and sure. Just used the same method on a half-dead mouse that I nearly stepped on while dishing up dinner. Didn't do great things for my appetite, I can tell you.

 

[DogCatMom]

I'm soooo sorry you had to go through that. Not something to look forward to, coming home from work.

He looks like there was something developmentally that just didn't "switch" on. All the...ah...parts were there but they didn't develop completely. Extrapolating from Berners, give this pair another try. If something goes wrong again (heaven forbid...), then I'd say there are some recessives from "way back" in the ancestries that occasionally just don't work together.

How many kits did the doe have? All the others are OK and nursing on their own? ::fingers crossed::

 

[PSFAngoras]

The doe had 8 total, one DOA, but she's a small doe, and being as it's her first time and the kits were fairly big I think she's doing a great job. That's how I noticed something was up with the kit, I pulled all the siblings out to make sure she was feeding them and all the others looked like they were going to pop except for that one kit. I'll probably give the pair another go, but I'm not keen on finding another kit like that. I know having to cull some kits is a part of breeding, but i guess you always hope that you'll luck out.

Maggie, thanks for the advice, but I think I'll stick with my pillowcase. I was worried that I wouldn't it hard enough, so I gave it way more oomph than it needed, and I'm pretty stout for my 5'3". The sound of that whack is what got me, I think, and I wasn't expecting to see fluid from it either. I'm not squeamish, but it irks me when something is that young, to see the kit smushed would be that much harder. I'll just stock up on some goodwill $1 pillowcases just in case. I can just feel that its gone and throw the whole assembly away since the snake/other critters won't eat them.

As it was I still cried and went and snuggled on momma bunny. I'll get over it quick enough, it's just crappy for now.

Thanks for the support guys. Its nice to know there's people out there that understand.

__________ Wed Oct 02, 2013 9:14 pm __________

Oh, and another reason not to use a hammer...

My aim is pretty scary. Splitting kindling for fire starting is a success if I can finish a whole container with out mangling my hand with the hatchet.

Give me a bow... I'm Robin Hood

Give me a hammer/hatchet... You might want to run for cover.

 

[OneAcreFarm]

Sorry hon...the first time I had to euth a kit was very difficult for me. It took a lot of time just to get my nerve up to do it. I have barn cats that will take it right away as soon as I dispatch it so I don't really have to worry about looking at it afterwards except to make sure it is dead.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I'll just stock up on some goodwill $1 pillowcases just in case. I can just feel that its gone and throw the whole assembly away since the snake/other critters won't eat them.

I usually use a brown paper lunch bag.

 

[MaggieJ]

I guess I am weird... I'd rather see and be sure. My aim is not the best either, but at a hammer-length it is pretty hard to miss. But we all do what works best for us... and that's as it should be.

 

[PSFAngoras]

I understand the seeing to be sure part. I did peek, but not up close. And he was still when I felt for him in the pillowcase. I swung it as hard as I could, so there was no way he was alive after that. A little over exerted, but I didn't want to risk the chance of botching it and putting him in any unecessary pain.

MSD, the paper bag idea is not bad either, I might have to see what the price is for the small lunch size bags is at the grocery store. No one around here has those for free or as an option when you buy things, but I bet the cost for a pack of 50-100 is pretty minimal anyway. My biggest concern would be that I wouldn't get a good enough grip on it or that the pressure from the hit might blow the bottom of the bag out and not get the job done properly, but like I said, I used way more force than I needed to and probably will if I ever have to do it again to make sure there's not accidents.