Doe with diarrhea, not eating

[siddsaysgimmie]

I have a doe that just had babies on the 24th. She wasn't eating much before her due date (she did go 2 days over) but after having them, she started eating about 3/4 cup of pellets plus some oats a day. She seemed normal last night but this morning I noticed that she was perched on top of the nest box and didn't run away from me (she is my "nervous nelly"). No food (including oats) touched. I noticed some very soft (not cecals) poo on the cage wire and when I took her out, she was very lethargic with a wet bottom. Wiped her off and gave her a tube of Benebac. Put her back with a water bowl and she was sipping at that a few times.

Unfortunately, right now I'm not able to go out to get anything that I don't have on hand. What should I do? I can syringe her some water as often as I can, but should I add anything to it? Is pure canned pumpkin okay for diarrhea? I don't have it right now, but can get some in a few hours. Very worried. The babies are fine, I have two other nursing does who don't mind taking care of them, just worried about the doe.

 

[MaggieJ]

I suggest removing the pellets and giving her grass hay and kitchen oatmeal. Some people have also had good results giving canned pumpkin, so try to get her some if you can. An electrolyte solution should help her to stay hydrated. I'll see if I can find the recipe for you.

I don't suppose anything is growing yet (we've still got snow on the ground most places) but for future reference, the leaves of blackberry, raspberry and strawberry are all excellent to give for diarrhea and also the leaves of the lawn weeds plantain and shepherd's purse.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantago_major
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capsella_bursa-pastoris

Here's the link for the homemade electrolyte solution.
homemade-electrolytic-solution-t14844.html

 

[Comet007]

Just to add a few things, in case you have any of these on hand:

Lemon Balm: antibacterial and antiviral, good for bloating, gas & diarrhea, supports gastrointestinal health

OACV: digestion & nutrient absorption - 1 T per 1/2 gallon of water

Ginger: good for nausea & diarrhea

Fennel: good for digestive ailments, highly antiseptic and good for milk production

Dill: increase appetite & intestinal health, increases milk production, seeds are stronger

Dandelion: blood cleansing & tonic, feed in small amounts to prevent laxative properties - stimulates all glands, especially milk glands

Fenugreek: fattening in cases of wasting

Blue Cohosh: will help with healing after kits are born (not for pregnant does, just for others reading, as it will dilate the birth canal - just FYI, this is known to help with hard labors)

Nettle: aids in poor appetite, fattener - valuable as a convalescent

 

[Zass]

I just want to mention, large amounts of fresh lemon balm gives my rabbits cecal overproduction and diarrhea.

It's easy to quote what herbs "do", but experience has taught me that they don't always work like they are supposed to!

But in the case of a rabbit refusing feed, it's better to have them eat whatever they will take willingly, even if it's considered risky, since the alternative could be death.
It sounds like you have a pretty good understanding already of what she needs.
So...all I can say is what I would do if she was mine

My favorite herb in this situation is fresh fennel, and I've recently tried dried fennel seeds(from the spice cupboard) as well, and found them to be effective and well tolerated. It smells good; and is often eaten willingly when other foods are refused.
I would offer the canned pumpkin, or dropper feed it if necessary.
and I'd definitely make and feed some of the electrolyte solution.

 

[siddsaysgimmie]

Thanks for the info, everyone. I had some sugar in her water but didn't know about the salt. I'll mix some up. Unfortunately she will not eat anything, so all I can do is give her water and pumpkin. I have syringed her water twice since I posted this... the second time, I found her sleeping with her face in her water bowl. She's not very responsive, so I don't have hope... Very sad.

Anyone know what would have caused this? She went from fine last night to horrible this morning. Would this be caused by the stress of kindling? And perhaps by the fact that she wasn't eating well for a few days before kindling?

 

[MaggieJ]

I don't know what might have caused it, but I do suggest you look at the feed. Have you opened a new bag recently? Does it look and smell okay? I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with the feed, just that it is one thing you can check.

 

[Mary Ann's Rabbitry]

having a wet bottom sounds like enteritis.. .. I think it is to late to save this bunny..

 

[Comet007]

I just want to mention, large amounts of fresh lemon balm gives my rabbits cecal overproduction and diarrhea.

It's easy to quote what herbs "do", but experience has taught me that they don't always work like they are supposed to!

I'm sorry, this just seems unnecessarily rude. I don't quote because it's easy, and didn't source my info from generic sites - I have in my personal rabbit book only information that I was able to verify from multiple sources, from people who were talking specifically about things that have worked with their rabbits. None of these items would be something that you would need (or want) to give large quantities - more like 1/2 to 1 T per day for dried herbs generally. With lemon balm, only the above ground parts should be used.

I listed various things that have qualities that might be useful in this situation, with the hope that maybe they have something that could be of use on hand, since the OP stated they couldn't go get anything. But it sound's like the doe's not eating at all. Personally for diarrhea, I would first go straight for the raspberry leaves (because I have them on hand) - which is what I used when our new buck had slightly soft bunny berries one day after we got him - a little bit of the raspberry one time, and no further problems. Because lemon balm also has calming qualities, we used it daily (1/2 T) for the first week that we brought the buns home, and I used it again yesterday because DH was running the chainsaw near the bunny barn.

It's unfortunate that so many of the animal medical sites out their list treatment options that include vets and expensive testing and treatments - I wish there were more out there that would provide options of what we could do ourselves in the rabbitry, since it's just not practical to include a vet in the treatment.

As we get closer to actually breeding our new rabbits, I've been researching various things that can go wrong for both the doe and the kits. Some possibilities for the doe would be uterine infection or retained afterbirth, leading to infection. From what I've read, both of these could cause lack of appetite, soft stools, etc.

I hope your bun gets better!

 

[siddsaysgimmie]

Unfortunately, I lost her. Very sad... in 5 years, this is only my second loss of anything older than 6 weeks old. Rest in peace, Kree.

Thanks for the info. Where would you usually get raspberry leaves and the other herbs? Are they dried?

Also, I would like to treat for coccidia just to rest my mind. Even if it's not the problem, it won't hurt, right? If not, could someone give me some information on what to use and the dosage? Plus how often to treat? I'm having a hard time finding some consistent advice on that.

Oh, and I know it's not the feed or anything she ate. I go through about 1 bag of feed every 2 weeks and there's only about 1/4 left. The only other thing that she has been eating is the rolled oats. Everyone has been getting this, especially my moms with litters, for about a month and a half now with no issues. She was getting a little bit of that every second day. I think I gave her some BOSS twice in the last week as well, but she has also had that before with no issues.

 

[Comet007]

After many referrals, I bought my herbs from Mountain Rose Herbs in Oregon. Yes, they are dried, though they sell in other forms also, depending on the specific item. I'm not sure about in Canada - hopefully they ship there or you can find something more local.

I'm sure someone who knows will chime in with help on the other item - but I just wanted to say I'm sorry you lost her - I know it's a sad event when we lose a beloved animal.

 

[MaggieJ]

Sidsaysgimme, I'm sorry you lost your rabbit.

The plants I mentioned should be very common in your part of Canada. If you have a lawn, you likely have plantain. Greenbelts or parkland, along railway lines etc. should be able to provide wild raspberry or blackberry leaves. Watch out for the poison ivy though! These plants are all ones that I have often fed to my own rabbits as food, so I know they are safe.

If you want to buy seeds, I recommend Richters Herbs, here in Ontario. They have a huge selection and are a knowledgeable source. They carry both plantain and shepherd's purse seeds and you can grow your own for fresh or dried leaves. Their paper catalogue makes interesting reading.
http://www.richters.com/