Day old kit cool to touch...

Shan_non · Jul 6, 2017

NZW doe gave birth to 10 babies. One has had a large poop stuck to him hours after birth and again this morning.
He is cool to the touch and skinny/wrinkly. When I removed poop this morning, he had a large amount of waste pour out shortly after.
He seems to be holding his head high. Any tips on how to help him? I tried supplemental feeding. Not sure how much -if any- he actually got.

MaggieJ · Jul 6, 2017

There's a few things you can try, but it doesn't sound like his chances are very good. Euthanasia to prevent suffering is an option in a case like this.

It's unusual for one kit to be cold when it is in with that many littermates. Cold kits cannot digest milk or formula.

The way he is holding his head high may indicate a respiratory/circulatory problem. He probably can't eat and breathe very well at the same time. Poor circulation would also tie in with him being chilled.

When you say "a large amount of waste poured out" do you mean runny poop or just pee?

Quite honestly, if I had a kit that seemed to have all those problems, I'd put the little guy out of his misery. I doubt very much that he would survive in any case.

Wait for a few more answers, in case someone has a more optimistic take on the situation. I'm just saying how it looks to me and I could be wrong.

Shan_non · Jul 6, 2017

Thanks MaggieJ, I believe it was just pee. However, it could've been very watery poop. We will wait it out a bit longer before making that decision.

MaggieJ · Jul 7, 2017

Okay, it sounds as though the piece of poop was blocking the bladder from emptying. You did the right thing removing it; it must have been extremely uncomfortable and potentially dangerous to the kit.

I hope some of our more knowledgeable members will chime in on this soon. Hang in there. -- Fri Jul 07, 2017 1:19 am -- Bumping this up, in the hope that someone else will reply.

Sagebrush · Jul 7, 2017

Hello Shan_non. I read your post earlier, and took some time to go over notes and to really think about your issue with the Kit. Since it is just the one kit out of an entire litter, cold to the touch with head pulled back as far as it can take it. The two things that have come to mind for me are: 1) He is in respiratory distress. Something has gotten down into his lungs, or not all the birth fluids came out. 2) His heart is affected due to whatever is going on with his lungs. Not enough oxygen is getting to his bloodstream and therefore not enough is getting to the rest of his little body. Causing his heart to work far to hard.
Something else to consider as well is that baby rabbits can easily aspirate food into their lungs when we try to feed them. In my personal opinion, I would end his suffering.

Shan_non · Jul 7, 2017

Thank you for responding. Here is my dilemma: He ate from mom last night and has a full belly this morning. He is warmer today. Although, he is clearly still different from the rest. Much more pink and pushes his head high sometimes. He does seem to have some respiratory problems as he will open his mouth every so often. No poop build up today but definitely a bit runny. I actually had him "on the block" and then changed my mind because of his full belly. Would him eating be a sufficient reason to give him longer? I am just trying to make the right decision. I would hate to end him if he was going to pull through.

Along with him, we have 2 runts (1 most likely a peanut). The smaller is clearly not eating and very still. We will try and get him to eat today, but probably will say our goodbyes. Nature can be so brutal! The rest are fat, healthy, furry babies. -- Fri Jul 07, 2017 9:50 am -- UPDATE: After I posted last, I went to check on him and he gave me all of the signs he was ready to go. I could never butcher! I am such a softy. At least he is no longer suffering.

Sagebrush · Jul 7, 2017

I am so sorry you had to go through this Shan_non, I will truthfully say that it never gets easier to do, though it does get a little easier to handle when you know it is the right decision.