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ladysown

ladysown

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Jade
Brood size polish doe.
litter of kits born April 11.

has been active alert and curious. Everything you want.
She's been digging in her food bowl lately so I was thinking of doing an early breed back.

Last night at 1000 she was very alert - everything had been cleared up, gave an additional ration of pellets.

Came out this morning to do chores and I find her half laying in the half turned nestbox (which I had turned on it's side two days ago for the kits). This is a normal thing that she is well used to. The box was not moved from it's location.

When I pulled her out she was .. the word I want to use is thin but that would convey the wrong impression... she felt thin but technically she wasn't thin.. not boney, not underweight, just not the .. oh.. not sure the word to use.. the thinness that animals in shock often have about them.... That's the best I can come up with.

She was shaking, unable to walk, eyes clear, nose clear, poop and pee under the cage appeared perfectly normal.

Her Ration of pellets was gone.
Her grass and hay had been cleared up.
Normal water usage.

I culled her as she was clearly suffering. If I had time today to do an autopsy I would but I don't and I don't expect it would show anything that my untrained eyes could properly detect.

Thoughts?
 
The only possibility that comes to mind is that she ingested something toxic... and I can't see how that can be, given your set-up and high level of care.

Was the thinness similar to an animal with dehydration?

I'm so sorry you had to put her down, but you couldn't let her continue to suffer. Will the kits be okay?
 
Hard to say, really. Sometimes rabbits suffer things like respiratory and circulatory failures and you never see it coming.
 
I rationed the kits out among the four other litters I have. I expect they will be fine.

It bugs me because it was totally unexpected and ALL other signs were as expected, just a normal course of actions for this doe. Just this morning she was so much NOT okay.

The way she felt when I picked up her was ... oh man.. something is dreadfully wrong here. AND I had just picked her up yesterday to see how she was doing.. you know the normal thing where you pick up a nursing doe to assess her condition and she was FINE.

.... just a bothersome death.
 
It sounds to me like she was in shock for some reason---There may have been some sort of traumatic event over the night that triggered the collapse. With the way some of these little rabbits are 'built', I would not rule out the increased possibility of a 'stroke' or other type of 'cerebral accident.'
 
person on the meatrabbits board wonders about calcium deficiency. Fits the symptoms...

Now in the process of shooting myself if this was easily fixable.....

When you have a doe, especially a nursing doe, that has fine muscle tremors
throughout (ear waving is a biggie too), who is weak, unable to move, and
yet all else appears fine, try administering calcium orally or by injection
in the form of calcium gluconate before euthanizing.
Click to expand...

ALL THAT describes this doe....

Shooting myself I know is not the answer.. learning lessons a difficult way is not a bad thing, just not an easy thing.....
 
That does rather sound like the problem, Ladysown. No shooting though... You know A LOT about rabbits but no one can know everything. Thanks for posting the information about the symptoms and cure so we can all learn from it.
 
Don't blame yourself, ladysown... you saw a suffering animal and did the kindest thing for her. Now we all know to be alert for calcium deficiency in nursing does, and can even possibly prevent it by offering a calcium source as a preventative measure- especially to those does that lactate heavily.

Sorry for your loss. :(
 
Don't know about rabbits, but it is common in dairy cows as well especially right after they freshen. We usually try to treat when the cows seem wobbly but don't always catch it. It's somewhat amazing to see a cow that can't get up be fine in an hour after an IV bottle of calcium.

I'm sorry for the loss of the doe. You did the best you knew to do at the time, and second guessing will only make you crazy. Been there, done that. But at least this gives you something to file away in your bag of tricks, and maybe it will save another doe down the road.
 
It's happens in dogs too. Usually we feed the dogs ice cream during and while feeding large litters. I even had a co worker who was hospitalized, so it happens in people too.

Sorry for you loss and thank you for sharing something that will help us all improve the care we give our does.
 
thanks all.

I talked it over with my hubby and he said the chances of me having been able to save her weren't high anyways, so kicking myself is rather pointless.

it rather freaked me this morning since she was so "ODD" I'd never had a rabbit like the way she was.. all shaky and "in shock" is what it seemed to me. Having seen how shocky cattle can get with a calcium issue I should have remembered that but bunnies are just so much smaller.

but on a positive note: the next time he does an order from bulkfoods.com he's going to order me up some calcium gluconate. :)
 
that would work Miss M if you can get the doe to eat...this doe was totally beyond it at the time.

But causes me to consider offering tums to my nursing does. it certainly won't hurt them. :)
 
I have been offering a fruity Tums to does a day or two before kindling and offered one 3 days after but neither doe ate the second one. Went out to find both does with haystaches this morning so I offered tums ... one doe ate hers the other had tossed it out on the ground, so I put it back and will check to see if she ate it in the morning ... if I can find it after the overnight rains we are having tonight :D And check for kits too :lol:
 
That was calcium deficiency and we just lost a doe to it. The biggest clues are the fact she is nursing; and eating everything in sight.. animals with calcium/phosphorous deficiency develop a pica and eat everything. This is a serious condition and does lead to coma and death if left untreated. Dandelions, parsley, bananas etc. are good to give as well as the tums. This must be given after kindling and are separate from calcium/potassium issues during labour. If too much is given in the period before they kindle the severe drop in levels AFTER they start nursing may trigger it. In nursing animals its commonly called "milk fever" In young animals its known as "rickets"

In our case the doe was apparently a very very heavy milker. This is very hard to see in animals like a rabbit and is known more in dairy cattle and goats. There is a protocol for dairy animals that *may* be transferable to heavily-milking does. Those in dairy farming may be able to shed more light on that?
 
I almost lost a doe to calcium deficiency (and did lose her whole litter). We weren't sure at the time what was wrong with her. All we knew is that she was like ladysown described. On a hunch, I force-fed her one of my calcium tablets (for humans), and she began improving very quickly. I went to the feed store and found a liquid calcium drench that is labeled for goats. Ever since, I've given a tsp or two of that in my nursing does' water bottles each day.
 

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