Doe with engorged teats ??

[MamaMandy]

My Netherland doe, Icon, only had 1 remaining kit, and I gave it to a friend at church last night. The baby was 8 and a half weeks and so I figured it wasn't nursing much by now. I just went out to check on the bunnies and realized that Icon has 2 teats that are quite full and engorged. Will they go down on their own or is there something I should do? Being a nursing mama myself, I have a lot of sympathy for her...it looks painful.

 

[MaggieJ]

If you can, give her a big handful of mint and/or sage for the next few days - provided that she is not pregnant. It may help her to dry up. You could also put her on grass hay only for a few days. Fewer calories, less milk, I would think.

You may have to express some of the milk to reduce the pressure and prevent mastitis, but I'll let someone else advise you about that since I have no first-hand experience.

 

[skysthelimit]

I would express the milk from the teats. I had a doe get sick and stop eating because an engorged teat, I caught before it became mastitis.

 

[MamaMandy]

Ok, so I was able to express some milk, and she looks much more comfortable. I didn't express too much because I didn't want her body to get the signal to make more. I'm sure their bodies work just like human mothers...supply and demand. By the way, rabbit milk is quite thick and creamy! I was surprised at how thick it was...almost Elmer's glue consistency! LOL

Thanks for the help ladies!

 

[ZRabbits]

Glad to hear your Icon is feeling more comfortable. Hoping she drys up and there are no problems with mastitis.

Thick rich creamy milk, makes baby bunnies grow. I haven't seen rabbit milk but I would think it would be exactly as you described. Making baby bunnies grow like weeds.

Karen

 

[OneAcreFarm]

By the way, rabbit milk is quite thick and creamy! I was surprised at how thick it was...almost Elmer's glue consistency! LOL

Normal rabbit milk is not that thick, she was starting to get caked mammaries, which is a precursor to mastitis...I would completely strip the milk from the teats and feed her mint/sage.

 

[Mary Ann's Rabbitry]

Elmer's glue consistency

That is a warning sign.

 

[skysthelimit]

Yep, normal milk is not that thick. That's how I knew my doe was in trouble, I was expressing chunky milk.

 

[MamaMandy]

It definitely wasn't chunky, thank goodness. I've been keeping a real close eye on her and I expressed some milk a couple more times. It seems to be drying up. She's acting normal and I hardly feel any milk in there now. Just out of curiosity...what is the treatment for mastitis in a rabbit?

 

[ZRabbits]

It definitely wasn't chunky, thank goodness. I've been keeping a real close eye on her and I expressed some milk a couple more times. It seems to be drying up. She's acting normal and I hardly feel any milk in there now. Just out of curiosity...what is the treatment for mastitis in a rabbit?

Looks like antibiotics are needed,

http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index ... 171320.htm

Glad to hear your rabbit is acting normal and starting to dry up.

Karen

 

[MamaMandy]

Interesting...she was on PenG for vent disease. Wonder if that helped?

 

[OneAcreFarm]

It definitely wasn't chunky, thank goodness. I've been keeping a real close eye on her and I expressed some milk a couple more times. It seems to be drying up. She's acting normal and I hardly feel any milk in there now. Just out of curiosity...what is the treatment for mastitis in a rabbit?

Looks like antibiotics are needed,

http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index ... 171320.htm

Glad to hear your rabbit is acting normal and starting to dry up.

Karen

Mastitis and caked mammaries are two different things...if the doe had mastitis, her teats would have been swollen, red and hot to the touch or even blue-ish, if the infection is advanced. Caked mammaries happens when the milk is not emptied and starts to thicken...it CAN turn into mastitis if not taken care of ASAP. Sounds to me like MamaMandy caught it early enough to head off mastitis. I am sure the PenG likely helped to keep any infection at bay, though.