New here and with retained litter issues. UPDATE

[bananarabbit]

Hello, was hoping someone could help me out with something.
I have a doe with a retained litter, I can feel the bones and shape of the kits, they are not plyable. She was bred months ago, kits never showed, but she was pregnant, something just kept them in! I could feel them early on in the pregnancy and then near her due date and every other time I've checked since then.
They felt normal at first, then a little stiffer, eventually they felt hard, but turned into larger blobs. So I started her on Duramycin, as that's all I had on hand, and the blobs shrank, resulting in the skelletons I feel now.
She's also lost weight, before the drug, maybe 2wks after the due date. She has a healthy coat, bright eyed, lazy, but always happy to see dinner come around. She is pooping normally now, before, when the kits were infected, she did stop eating for a bit. But once the drugs started, her appitite returned. Her weight could be seen from afar, round belly of the retained kits, but everything else bone thin. She's now gaining weight back and it's less noticable that she has an issue.
She's always been very nice and calm, since she's still acting calm, I don't want to have to euthinize her if there's any way to attempt to get her to pass the litter.
Vets around here are viciously pet only, one does rabbits and other critters, but took offence when it was mentioned she is a dinner rabbit. None of the vets want to give me anything to help her without The Works, and for a rabbit, that will be far too expensive than I can even imagine!

Has anyone dealt with this before?
Would breeding her help, since in 30 days, hormones will tell her body to concract and expel kits? [she is medium pink and receptive to a buck]
Is there any drug to ask for specificlly? Any vet that would be willing to sell me some without a visit?
Is there any human OTC drugs that might work?
Or will another anti-infection drug work better at helping somehow with what is going on in there?

I've had similar issues with rabbits from this particular breeder, haven't really heard of anyone else having these troubles except one lady on the other side of the State. She had gotten three, unrelated does from him and all had different states of retained litters...Is it possible it's genetic? I do have other does I've bought from him, they haven't had any kits yet. One was recently bred and I am hoping everything goes well.

Help!

 

[OneAcreFarm]

You can try fresh or dried lavender to help her expel the retained kits, or maybe another breeder nearby has some oxytocin and they will administer some for you?

 

[Cattle Cait]

Depending on how valuable she is to you, I would recommend a vet visit. I had similar symptoms in a Checkered doe. I took her in at 7 weeks after the due date and he administered oxytocin and fluids. She expelled the kits on the way home but died two days later.

 

[AmysMacdog]

Welcome to RT Bananarabbit! I'm so sorry you are having a hard time with your doe. That sounds terrible for you and for her and I'm so sorry you are going through this. Its a terrible thing the vets in the area have not been helpful. I hope your doe feels better soon. Best wishes! :clover:

 

[bananarabbit]

Depending on how valuable she is to you, I would recommend a vet visit. I had similar symptoms in a Checkered doe. I took her in at 7 weeks after the due date and he administered oxytocin and fluids. She expelled the kits on the way home but died two days later.

Do you know why she died? Drug side effect, blood loss or she tore something internally while the kits were being passed?

 

[Cattle Cait]

Depending on how valuable she is to you, I would recommend a vet visit. I had similar symptoms in a Checkered doe. I took her in at 7 weeks after the due date and he administered oxytocin and fluids. She expelled the kits on the way home but died two days later.

Do you know why she died? Drug side effect, blood loss or she tore something internally while the kits were being passed?

I believe she died of an infection that could have been prevented had I taken her to the vet when she began having symptoms a week after her due date. She began losing weight, went off her feed, and became tired and listless.

Also it was incredibly difficult to give her the pills the vet prescribed because by the time we got her to the vet, she was very, very sick and refused anything, including the yogurt that I was mixing her ground up pills into.

 

[Dood]

I am confused by this statement -

she is a dinner rabbit

Why don't you cull her? It is unlikely she will successfully have more litters.

If she is in fact a pet then the best option is to spay her.

 

[Mary Ann's Rabbitry]

the only thing you can do is give a dose of oxytocin or cull her..

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Sorry to hear about your doe, Bananarabbit.

I don't think she is a good candidate for breeding, even if you can get her to abort the kits.

I took her in at 7 weeks after the due date and he administered oxytocin and fluids.

It is my understanding that oxytocin needs to be administered during labor. :? If the rabbit's cervix is closed and you give oxytocin to stimulate contractions, wouldn't it rupture the cervix and cause bleeding and death?

I think it would be safer to approach this herbally. However, the closed cervix is still a concern. If she were my rabbit, I would cull her rather than take the chance of causing her suffering.

Here is a thread with a link to emmenagogues:

herbs-that-cause-contractions-t14843.html

I would try the medium and strong ones. Make sure to cross reference them against the Safe Plants list.

safe-plants-for-rabbits-list-t55.html

 

[bananarabbit]

How much oxytocin do you give a 9 pound rabbit? I found someone who is willing to give me a dose, but need to know how much.

 

[OneAcreFarm]

1.5 USP units

From this site: http://www.morfz.com/rx/drugcalc.html

 

[PSFAngoras]

I'd agree with MSD on this one, giving her an injection now could be dangerous. Best to cull her.

 

[OneAcreFarm]

From the Merck Vet Manual:
The gestation period is ∼31–33 days. Does with a small litter (usually ≤ 4) seem to have a longer gestation period than does that produce larger litters. If a doe has not kindled by day 32 of gestation, oxytocin (1–2 IU) should be given to induce parturition; otherwise, a dead litter is almost always delivered sometime after day 34. Occasionally, pregnant does abort or resorb the fetuses due to nutritional deficiencies or disease.

Some links for you:
http://www.merckmanuals.com/vet/exotic_ ... cin&alt=sh
http://www.thenaturetrail.com/rabbit-br ... indle-may/

 

[MamaSheepdog]

More info for you- copied from link below:

ACTIONS:

Oxytocin acts directly on the smooth musculature of the uterus in all species to induce rhythmic contractions, although in some species the uterine cervix does not respond to oxytocin. The responsiveness of the uterine musculature to oxytocin varies greatly with the stage of the reproductive cycle. During the early phases of pregnancy the uterus is relatively insensitive to the effects of oxytocin, while in the late phases the sensitivity is markedly increased. Most authorities attribute this varying response to the varying levels of estrogen and progesterone during the course of pregnancy.

Precautions
Oxytocin is a potent preparation, accordingly, it should be administered with due caution. For prepartum usage full dilation of the cervix should be accomplished either naturally or through the administration of estrogen prior to oxytocin therapy.

http://www.drugs.com/vet/oxytocin-injection.html

 

[OneAcreFarm]

The only other two options would be 1) dispatch or 2) vet trip for a c/section. I think *personally* (if it were me, not telling you what you should or should not do)I would try the oxytocin, if the lavender/sage doesn't work, before dispatching or a hefty vet bill.

 

[bananarabbit]

Precautions
Oxytocin is a potent preparation, accordingly, it should be administered with due caution. For prepartum usage full dilation of the cervix should be accomplished either naturally or through the administration of estrogen prior to oxytocin therapy.

http://www.drugs.com/vet/oxytocin-injection.html

How/what can be used to do that?<br /><br />__________ Thu Oct 03, 2013 5:52 pm __________<br /><br />I don't like the idea of culling her, she's a happy and calm rabbit, likes to be loved on and doesn't object or get stiff about being palpated and the such.
If things seem to be going horribly wrong after the oxy or with the estrogen stuff, if I can find it, then I'll put her down right away.
I might try the breeding idea first and if that doesn't work to get her to expel them, I'll rethink the oxy.

 

[MaggieJ]

I'd try the lavender buds first. Less likely to cause problems and considered effective. Worth a shot. I keep lavender in my flower bed for this purpose, but this means, of course, that I never have occasion to use it.

 

[bananarabbit]

update put her down, didn't open her up.

 

[AmysMacdog]

Awww I'm so sorry about your doe. I know it was a hard thing to do but sounded like the best thing and you did all you could have done for her. Bless your heart!

 

[PatS]

So sorry for your loss.