Doe death, during deliver

[Dragongreg]

Well the education continues!!!

We breed one of our 8.5 month old does (a big girl as well) to our creme buck and Sunday was day 29. I had put the box in the evening of the 28th day and the next evening she started pulling hair and making her nest.

All seemed well and I expect some little one pretty soon. I checked on her at around midnight and she was sitting up in her box and looked to be actively in labor. I slipped out to not disturb her and figured I would see the wiggling little ones in the morning. Unfortunately, I found her dead in the cage, still plump and no little ones.

I could feel the baby's in her belly (naturally not moving) and just had to try and figure out what the heck happend. Upon opening her up, I found two small size kits, eight normal size kits and one monster size kit that was first in line. It literally was twice the size of the normal size kits and I figured that the large kit possibly got stuck, never even got it's head out of the canal and things went bad from there.

I check her card and she was breed twice while we had her with the buck. He's an eager beaver and is always good for a second go if we give him a couple of minutes to get his legs back under him. At first I thought that I may of goofed up and breeder twice, but at least the records don't suggest it. Honestly, my wife keeps up with it and is always taking the notes while I'll jockey the girls around on breeding days.

I did notice that the underside of her skin looked bruised, but I'm not sure how long she had been dead.. Liver, lungs and guts all looked normal..

We are pretty bummed, as she was a sweet thing and was a dream to handle.

Any thoughts on the jumbo kit? Wondering if any of you have experienced this?

As always, thanks for the help!!!

 

[skysthelimit]

It happens sometimes. I have had does pass large kits, die after delivering kits, but not die before she delivered them.

Very sorry about the loss of your doe.

 

[KKRabbitry]

This happened to one of my does just recently. Just a very large stuck kit.
I don't think being bred twice would cause to much trouble as long is was within 24-48 hours or so. What breed was your doe?
Sorry to hear

 

[Miss M]

I recently almost lost a doe to a large stuck kit. She was 10 days overdue. I had decided that she had missed, but hadn't taken out the nestbox. Next thing, she's delivered 7 kits, 5 dead, one of those really big and elongated from being stuck. One of the two that survived the ordeal died at 13 days.

I am sure I would have found her dead pretty soon after that, if she hadn't finally delivered. Then I would have found exactly what you did.

So sorry for the loss of your sweet doe!

 

[ZRabbits]

So sorry to hear about the loss of your doe. I've read about big kits like that. I think the term used was "hippo". Just a kit that grows too large. Nothing that you, your doe or your buck did. And as you can see, from others who posted, they have experienced it too. Sad, but it happens.

Again, truly sorry for your loss.

Karen

 

[Dragongreg]

She was a NZ Cali cross. From the feedback it seems that this could happen and there wasnt really much we could of done differntly. We kept two other does from the same litter and they are due in the next few days. I greatly appreciate the help from everybody as well learn and improve our little rabbitry. While we are sad for the loss, we are really enjoying the whole adventure. Today is process day as we make room for the upcoming little ones. 10 rabbits and 5 sheep - Yikes we;ve got a lot to do today!! Thanks again to all.

 

[mystang89]

sorry about that. really sucks to have a good momma go like that

 

[OneAcreFarm]

So sorry to hear about the loss of your doe. I've read about big kits like that. I think the term used was "hippo". Just a kit that grows too large. Nothing that you, your doe or your buck did. And as you can see, from others who posted, they have experienced it too. Sad, but it happens.

Again, truly sorry for your loss.

Karen

"Hippo" babies actually have deformities...they are not just oversize, and it usually refers to dwarf breeds. Here is some info on common issues with dwarf breeds....

Peanuts: Sooner or later, every Dwarf breeder will find peanuts in the nest box - extremely tiny kits that have inherited a set of two dwarfing genes. Double dwarfism is always fatal. When you see a peanut, it proves that both parents are true dwarfs, which have 1 copy of the dwarf gene and 1 copy of the normal size gene.

Some breeders allow the peanut to die on its own; and some remove it from the box and euthanize it, as death is inevitable. If the nest holds only a few kits, it might help the living kits maintain their heat to leave the peanut with its littermates until it dies. Check the nest frequently, so it doesn’t remain longer than necessary and begin rotting and drawing flies.

Max Factor: This is a recessive defect named after "Max," a famous buck known to sire kits with this defect. The babies are born with deformed hind legs and their eyes are open at birth, as though their eyelids were nonfunctional. They may have other defects of varying severity.

Max Factors frequently die within days, however some do live. If they live, their eyes remain unprotected and could be severely damaged in the nest box. They have mobility problems due to their deformities. Euthanasia is recommended. If allowed to live, the kits typically struggle through life with physical defects and weak immune systems.

Hippo Babies This is a genetic defect in Dwarf rabbits that is thought to be either related to the dwarf gene, or it is ossibly another expression of excessive dwarfism. Hippo kits are usually born dead. They are small, short, and stubby, albeit very wide for their length. They have only a nub for a tail.

Faders: This is a defect thought to be associated either with the dwarf gene or perhaps with a digestive syndrome such as enterotoxemia. Faders seem to not adjust to solid food. Instead, they don’t eat or drink; they hunch in a corner and grind their teeth. Death ensues quickly. Onset of fading, also called wasting, is around 4 weeks, but could also be as late as 6-12 weeks. Some Dwarf breeders believe there is at least a component of inheritance associated with faders.

Link to site where info was found.... http://www.raising-rabbits.com/netherla ... abbit.html

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Sorry for your loss of the doe and litter.

I would keep a careful eye on her sisters when they start labor. Be sure to offer them Tums a day or two before they are due. They will eat it if and when they need it.

When I gave birth to my first son, my labor lasted 22 hours. Somewhere at around 20 hours or so (my memory of time is rather hazy- I was focused on other things at the time, lol), my midwife had my husband give me a spoonful or two of honey to boost my energy.

You might consider putting an extra crock of water with a little molasses in the doe's cages just in case their labors are extended as well. Even a slice of apple or other sweet treat like a chunk of carrot might do the trick. Hopefully neither one will have any issues, but it is an option if they need it.

Kudos to you for doing the necropsy. We have another member, Ladysown I believe, that was able to save a litter (of Gpigs, I think) by acting swiftly. If, heaven forbid, one of the other does dies in labor as well, you may be able to save the litter and foster it over to the other doe.

I hope all goes well with your other two does and you don't have to use any of my suggestions. :clover:

Please keep us posted! Good luck!

 

[Kyle@theWintertime]

Sorry for the loss of the doe, but it is just one of those things that happens sometimes.