doe with... growth????

[SterlingSatin]

i have a doe that is raising 9 kits right now. i went out today and she had snubbed all her feed so i took her out to have a look. I found a LARGE growth to the right of her anal and urethra openings. It was firm, larger than a buck's testicle, and round. it had about the diameter of a golfball. It was not warm, just regular body temperature. It is very very firm, much like a tumor. I don't think it could be an abcess because it is not warm and it is much to far away from the nipples to be mastitis. however, i can not afford to lose this litter and i don't have does to foster too. it was also firm on the left side and slightly raised but not to the same extent. she was obviously tender on both sides when i touched. she shook and grunted and tried to flip. she's still drinking and allowing her kits to nurse. they are 3 weeks old so if she stops nursing now i don't think they'll make it. i could take her to the vet if neccesary, but i really don't want too as i am trying to run a commercial operation and even if they determined it was a tumor or something like that, i doubt they could remove it and have her back nursing in less than 3 days.

 

[OneAcreFarm]

There is no reason why three week old kits cannot survive without mom...start giving them kitchen oatmeal, dry, and an open container of water that they can reach to drink from...

It *almost* sounds like those glands on either side of vent area are inflamed. Can you express anything from them? If you pierce it with a sterile needle, does anything drain?

 

[SterlingSatin]

that sounds like it'll be fun. how deep should i pierce with the needle?

 

[OneAcreFarm]

that sounds like it'll be fun. how deep should i pierce with the needle?

Yeah, you will likely need someone to help. I would say just deep enough to pierce the skin completely. And you will want to use a fairly large needle, say an 18g hypodermic needle. You can get them from TSC...they go in a little easier than a sewing needle would. But if a sewing needle is your only option, then use a large, sharp one. Soak it in alcohol for a few minutes. Wipe the area with alcohol before you do it. If you pierce the skin easily, withdraw and then see if anything comes out, either by itself or by gently pressing on the sides of the lump. If it is solid, it will be more difficult to pierce. I really think it sounds like those glands are maybe clogged, with it being both sides...

Now this may sound completely strange, and maybe someone else knows, but can rabbits ever have BOTH sets of reproductive organs...ovaries AND testes? Long shot, I know...

 

[MamaSheepdog]

It *almost* sounds like those glands on either side of vent area are inflamed. Can you express anything from them? If you pierce it with a sterile needle, does anything drain?

I was going to ask if Rabbits have anal glands like dogs do. I'll ask anyway... do they? And just what are those little glands/pockets next to their hoochies?

I would suggest a hot compress to the swollen area before trying to express anything. If you are eating, you might want to skip this part...

In dogs, the normal anal gland secretion looks like soy sauce, but I have seen it get so pasty it has the color and consistency of almond butter. Warming that up to improve viscosity would probably be helpful.

SAFE (er)

SS, since there is no heat I agree it is likely not an abscess. She could have a systemic infection in which case the 'swellings' would be her inguinal lymph glands. I would hesitate to aspirate the 'lumps', mostly because if it is cancer, sticking a needle into a tumor seems to piss the cancer cells off and they migrate to other areas and speed the disease process. "Howard! The neighbors were skewered in their sleep, and the Johnson's were sucked into a hypodermic vortex! We're moving!"

Usually hard masses are cancer- benign tumors are usually kind of squishy.

I agree with O.A.F. that your kits should be okay on their own if the worst happens. We'll hope and pray for a positive outcome for you!

 

[OneAcreFarm]

I have been doing some looking for you...it could be her anal glands. Try to clean them out and see if that is what it is....is she especially stinky in that area? I really don't think it is a tumor, since it is both sides...could be lymph nodes.....

 

[fuzzy9]

Hoping you can get it figured out for her! Poor little girl!

 

[SterlingSatin]

going to do a hot compress and lance it this morning. we'll see what happens. the kits are already eating pellets and drinking out of the bottle (just water). if i do use a milk replacement, what do you suggest?

 

[MaggieJ]

It's good that the kits are eating pellets, but they would really benefit from grass hay and kitchen oatmeal if they are going to have to have an abrupt weaning. :clover:

 

[fuzzy9]

When I had an orphan litter recently, I just gave a couple handfuls of oatmeal morning, and night, as well as making sure they had water/hay/pellets 24/7, and they are 10 weeks old now, they grew really well on that. If they are eating pellets already, they are doing ok, but that is JMHO. Good luck!!

 

[OneAcreFarm]

going to do a hot compress and lance it this morning. we'll see what happens. the kits are already eating pellets and drinking out of the bottle (just water). if i do use a milk replacement, what do you suggest?

If they are eating pellets, hay, dry oatmeal and drinking water, they don't need a milk replacer. I would take Maggie's advice and put out more hay/oatmeal for them than pellets...don't want to start a round of weaning enteritis from too much pelleted feed...

 

[arachyd]

If you do end up having to separate the doe from the kits you should move the doe and let the kits remain in the cage they've been in. It is less of a strain on their system than moving to a new cage with different smells and different germs they aren't used to. At their age you want everything to go as smoothly as possible and minimize stress.

 

[currituckbun]

Poor mama. Hope she is okay soon.

 

[Jana15]

In dogs, the normal anal gland secretion looks like soy sauce, but I have seen it get so pasty it has the color and consistency of almond butter. Warming that up to improve viscosity would probably be helpful

I'm never eating soy sauce again. HA!

I really hope for the best for your doe and babies!

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Jana, I'll take the soy sauce over almond butter on toast.