Nearly lost Bertha to heat

[ollitos]

She was in the hutch of her pen and because of her pregnancy induced pinched nerve and inability to hop or move, she wasn't coming out to get water or fresh, cool air. When I checked on her, she was obviously in distress. Bad panting, her nose was wet, lethargic.

I put a 2 lt of ice in her area, picked her up and dunked her in the water bucket. I poured water over her ears as best I could, then put her back in the hutch. She just lay there and didn't move at all. I went into overdrive. Took the hose up to the porch (shady with cool concrete floor), grabbed Tums and lavender.

Got her to the porch and tried to feed her the labor inducers without success. Turned the hose on mist and kept hosing her down. Sent my kids into the house for a bowl. Filled it up and used that water to cool her ears over and over and over.

After about 15 minutes, she started perking a little. She hobbled to the water bowl and started drinking! Yay! She was making some strange noises which had me concerned. After a bit longer, I finally got her to eat a little lavender. Then she drank more water.

I had the kids run to the barn and get me an empty nesting box. As wet as she is, I didn't want to put her in a ton of pine shavings.

She's in the living room, in the nesting box at my feet, cleaning herself.

Man that was close and scary.

I have to say... thank you to every single person who has posted about dealing with the heat and inducing labor. The two best things I can do for her is cool her and get these kits out of her. She's due today but I'm afraid with as immobilized as she is, she won't go into the nesting box on her own. Without the advice you've offered over and over to every person who has asked, I wouldn't have known what to do and most likely would have lost her and her unborn kits. Thank you.

Thank you.



She doesn't look so great, but she'll be okay I think

 

[Miss M]

Wow, Sharon, so glad you saved her!!!

I've been grateful myself for all the information that can be quickly had on this forum.

 

[Mary Ann's Rabbitry]

Good for you. I am glad you saved her and the babies. Good call

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Thank goodness you were checking on her! Good save!

I too am so thankful to have found RT- the information here is priceless.

 

[ollitos]

She's doing MUCH better. Back to normal breathing. She's cleaned herself a few times which is good. I put a small, mostly-melted, ice water bottle in with her so she can lick off the condensation. She's dirty from being wet and in a not-completely-clean nesting box, but I think she'll be fine. I felt her belly at one point and did feel movement. I'm hoping all the kits survive the stress.

 

[Secuono]

Can you put her out on grass instead? Last week my SF doe was due in a few days and she almost died of heat stress, too. I wet her ears and left her on the lawn with the ducks until I had her grass pen setup. Moved her in and she was doing a million times better. Still some panting, but no where near the scary stuff before in a hanging cage. She's now under some trees with her kits on the grass and a happy clam.

 

[ollitos]

She just drank a bunch of water and seriously chowed down on some clover. I put at least three sprigs of lavender in with the clover and made sure she ate it all. She has to have these kits tonight! LOL Once she kindles, she should be okay. I'll just have to make sure the kits don't overheat.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Wow... I thought my sciatica was bad in the last stages of pregnancy, but Bertha takes the cake in that department! Poor bun. I hope she can give birth okay again.

 

[ollitos]

Still pregnant

 

[SatinsRule]

She isn't likely out of the woodwork, yet, Ollitos. A heat spell like that can often take days to get past, and her being pregnant probably complicates things.

Alot of it is likely being triggered by the pregnancy, with the heat as a major aggravating factor. Hang in there with her, and she'll most likely pull thru this thing. If it's possible, moving her indoors may be a sensible next step, at least until she (and her litter) are well past this entire phase. A little vitamin/electrolyte fluid mix in her water might not be an entirely bad idea, either. A bottle of gatorade often works for this, as does a stalk veggie like celery.

 

[OneAcreFarm]

Wow... I thought my sciatica was bad in the last stages of pregnancy, but Bertha takes the cake in that department! Poor bun. I hope she can give birth okay again.

And yet again... :twilightzone: yes...I had sciatica with all three of my pregnancies.....we have GOT to be related somehow!

 

[skysthelimit]

Wow... I thought my sciatica was bad in the last stages of pregnancy, but Bertha takes the cake in that department! Poor bun. I hope she can give birth okay again.

And yet again... :twilightzone: yes...I had sciatica with all three of my pregnancies.....we have GOT to be related somehow!

Wow, that sounds painful. I always wonder why women have more than one after experiencing that pain. I always wondered if animals are in pain and just don't show. Flare popped out 8 and I don't even think she was breathing hard. Poor Bertha, she's obviously feeling it.

 

[Miss M]

I always wonder why women have more than one after experiencing that pain.

:lol:
Yeah, with my first, I actually ended up with swelling in my back that made it very hard to walk for weeks.

And yet, I had another, and wouldn't mind more. My second came 11 years ago, though, so that may be it for me. Probably just as well, as I have an occasional benign heart irregularity... not sure how benign it would end up being if I got pregnant again.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

And yet again... :twilightzone: yes...I had sciatica with all three of my pregnancies.....we have GOT to be related somehow!

:shock: *Insert Twilight Zone theme song here* :shock:

Me too- all three!

It felt like my leg was being electrocuted, and it wouldn't support weight, which caused me to spin on one leg in an agonized circle! :x

I can't complain otherwise- no morning sickness or anything else. Just the sciatica in the last month or so.

We might have to have my BIL look into this further... :mrgreen: there must be some connection somewhere!

 

[AnnClaire]

Ollitos,

Have you also given Bertha a tums?

 

[fuzzy9]

Wow, how scary! Great quick thinking!