Pregnant Rabbit - short breathing & bloody pee

HANSON301 · Dec 20, 2013

My CAl doe is 18 days pregnant and since conception she has been breathing very fast and short.
The last 2 days she isn't drinking and only eats the special food (BOS & Alfalfa) but quit eating her pellets.

Then tonight she had red pee. (blood)not dark pee, blood it was frozen to the catch pan.

also her eyes look almost blue not red.

i am thinking pneumonia,
is there any help besides culling?

ladysown · Dec 20, 2013

you could try medicating her, but if she's no longer eating well you have a problem...

skysthelimit · Dec 21, 2013

I*t's very possible it's ketosis, which is a liver toxicity in pregnant rabbits. This would be the right time frame for it. She can be saved, though chances are not good for the litter. I saved a doe by syringing fluids, electrolytes.

But, after that, she had very small litters for her breed, and I had a hard time breeding her back.

HANSON301 · Dec 21, 2013

thanks for your reply s,
i couldn't watch her suffer anymore.
so i culled her this morning. Her lungs were very bad.
one was light pink with black spots and the other was enlarged and full of pus.
to make we feel worse she had 10 kits inside. she only still born a single kit last time.

MamaSheepdog · Dec 21, 2013

Oh, Hanson, I am so sorry.

I can't imagine culling a pregnant doe- that must have been very hard, and shows that you are a very strong person.

If I was a rabbit, I would hope to be in such responsible and caring hands.

I am very sorry for your loss.