GRAPHIC PHOTOS: Annie asked me to post there here for help

[dayna]

Rabbit died yesterday. Doe, 21 weeks old, New Zealand mix. Was taking great care of her first litter of 9 babies 18 days old today.

Kits are SMALL, underweight and dehydrated. We put them in with my two good mommas and are being fed.

She has been slightly off feed for a couple days. Didn't eat at all 9/12/13. Annie removed her to another cage, poor muscle tone (like she was already dead but not dead). Died in the cage shortly after.

There was a lot of undigested food in her stomach, a LOT. Very small poops. Very few poops. I could not see any obstruction. She had one mammory gland that was hard and green I cut open the gland and the tissue looked normal, the green appeared to be swelling from another area not the breast itself. But the inside of that gland on the internal organ side was green flesh, and very very rancid smelling. Another nipple that looked very healthy had a white pimple on it (if it was a goat I'd say staff).

The smell coming out of the cavity was horrid. Rotting from the inside is about all I can describe.

Here are the photos. Be warned, graphic.

Any suggestions on what this could be or how to prevent it?

 

[ladysown]

my guess....entropathic illness of some sort. Rabbits that I've opened up that were suffering the same fate (and known to be an entropathic illness) looked quite similiar. and yes, they stink something horrid.

 

[dayna]

Is it normal for a liver to be that big on a 7 pound rabbit? I thought that was HUGE!!

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Whoa. :shock:

I have NO IDEA about the green matter in the mammary glands.

The lungs look like advanced pneumonia possibly... I can't believe the rabbit could breathe at all.

The liver looks similar to the pics of Rabbit hemorrhagic disease.

Look at this thread for pics of the above mentioned diseases:

various-rabbit-diseases-graphic-t14782.html

I'm sorry you lost the doe, Annie. Poor thing. I hope the kits will be okay.

 

[dayna]

My does have all 21 kits taken care of. lol They took right to them, nursing them and snuggling up to them. I think that if the kits get some good momma milk meals they should be fine.

 

[OneAcreFarm]

She may have gotten a staph infection and it went systemic....poor thing. How long had she been dead when these pictures were taken? Lungs and liver look horrid....I hope the kits don't pass anything to your does.... <br /><br />__________ Fri Sep 13, 2013 5:16 pm __________<br /><br />

Whoa. :shock:

I have NO IDEA about the green matter in the mammary glands.

The lungs look like advanced pneumonia possibly... I can't believe the rabbit could breathe at all.

The liver looks similar to the pics of Rabbit hemorrhagic disease.

Look at this thread for pics of the above mentioned diseases:

various-rabbit-diseases-graphic-t14782.html

I'm sorry you lost the doe, Annie. Poor thing. I hope the kits will be okay.

Yep, RHD was my first thought too....

 

[dayna]

She died last night, I did the necropsy today.

If it's Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease we're all screwed.

I let the babies in there because almost all of our rabbits have been around, mated to each other, come from the same place, etc etc. So if its Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease, well...

 

[OneAcreFarm]

She died last night, I did the necropsy today.

If it's Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease we're all screwed.

I let the babies in there because almost all of our rabbits have been around, mated to each other, come from the same place, etc etc. So if its Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease, well...

In that case, some of what you are seeing is likely just normal changes after being dead so long. BUT, it does look like some kind of infection in her teat. I know that when a doe has mastitis, you can pass it to the foster doe from the nursing kits if you foster them so just watch very carefully....

 

[dayna]

The infection was very much internal. I think the internal infection was pushing out on the teat making it green and bulgy, the green was inside the body, when I cut into the breast tissue it looked normal.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

She died last night, I did the necropsy today.

In that case, some of what you are seeing is likely just normal changes after being dead so long.

That wouldn't account for the grossly enlarged liver or the pale hue and reticular pattern. The bile duct is enormous as well.

 

[dayna]

I have a friend who is a vet, I just facebooked her for some advice.

__________ Fri Sep 13, 2013 1:31 pm __________

Actually, I have two friends who are vets. 1 is a dog and cat vet and the other is an avian vet. So I facebooked both.<br /><br />__________ Fri Sep 13, 2013 1:51 pm __________<br /><br />I also anonymously contacted the AG department for infectious disease. If another one dies in a similar fashion I will bring it to them for testing to confirm or deny Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease. I do not however want them coming to my farm!

 

[OneAcreFarm]

She died last night, I did the necropsy today.

In that case, some of what you are seeing is likely just normal changes after being dead so long.

That wouldn't account for the grossly enlarged liver or the pale hue and reticular pattern. The bile duct is enormous as well.

I have seen large gallbladders before, but the liver is concerning. As is the nasty lungs and enlarged heart.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I have seen large gallbladders before, but the liver is concerning.

Me too. And little shriveled ones. But never one that huge.

It makes me wonder if the size disparities are due to where the rabbit is in the digestive process at time of butcher? :?

 

[Miss M]

Wow, poor bun, she was really, really sick!

It does certainly look like a systemic infection. I wonder if the green stuff could be contents from a perforation in the digestive tract?

I had one rabbit with enlarged kidneys, and they were nowhere near that size! The liver, even the heart is just huge!

 

[dayna]

Everything was huge. And smelled so bad. I am wondering what to do next!<br /><br />__________ Fri Sep 13, 2013 6:50 pm __________<br /><br />My vet friends are looking at the photos. Any other suggestions?

 

[Miss M]

Well, as you said, everybunny has been with everybunny, so it's really just a waiting game at this point, I think.

 

[dayna]

My vet friend looked over the photos and felt I was on the right track with that disease. Sadly.

She said really it is a waiting game and if we have another death similar to this one we should probably contact the state for them to do further testing.

 

[Secuono]

It looks a lot like Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease, half way down this page.
various-rabbit-diseases-graphic-t14782.html

 

[MamaSheepdog]

My vet friend looked over the photos and felt I was on the right track with that disease. Sadly.

Oh no!

I haven't researched RHD. Is there any treatment?

 

[dayna]

I think there is a vaccination in europe. However all of our stock would be dead before it even got here. Though if all our stock dies from it, I might consider ordering the vaccine and then vaccinating new stock against it.