Rabbit had a miscarriage... *update 1/29 - graphic images*

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Teddy2511

Teddy2511

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My Holland lop doe delivered her kits today on day 27 of her pregnancy, but the kits were nothing more than bloody corpses about 2/3 the size of a usual newborn Holland kit. The doe, who is usually high strung and resists any touch, will allow me to touch and pick her up without struggle, so I'm assuming that that is probably not a good sign.
When I checked her bottom, I found it a little bloody, and when I palpated her I found what felt like a small semi-hard lump a little lower than where I usually feel kits.

I have been gone over the weekend, and I was planning to put the nest box in tonight when I got home, but when I went to check on the rabbits I found the bloody kits on a small mound of fur in the does's cage. (It looks like this happened within the last hour or so, as the blood is still shiny and somewhat fresh on the kits, though the blood on her is pretty dry.)

Is the lump that I found possibly an unborn kit? If so, what should I do for her? And I suppose in any case, what can I do for her? I gave her a nest box just in case, and now I have just left her alone in her cage to rest.
I really don't want the doe to die or be in pain, but I suppose this was the proof I was looking for to help me know if her breeding days were over... Last time she ate the head off of one of the kits, and this time she gave birth to 3 premature bloody babies. I guess now I have my answer as to whether or not to retire her, but I feel bad for the doe; she loves being a mother and does a very good job of it (usually).

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I also forgot to mention that she hasn't eaten much if anything other than hay and a little bit of oats and BOSS since Friday morning.

I should also point out that I just weaned her from her last little of two kits on Friday, and though I hadn't seen those kits nurse in quite awhile, her nipples are full of milk for this litter. Should I do anything about this as well?
 
I would take her to the vet but I do not believe that, at her age and the fact that I had already been considering culling her, she would be worth the price that I would have to pay to make sure that she is alright.

Don't take me wrong. I love my bunnies very much, but for this doe I would like to find a way to help her get well from this miscarriage, and then retire her to a good pet home. Her breeding days are over, but I would love to help her get well if I can.
 
Culling is an alternative to the vet that is a personal decision. You can rest assured I will advice the vet first and allow you to make whatever decision you think is best for you, your business, and your bunns. That said, I'm sorry to read about your near future loss.
 
I would also advise going to a vet first, but as I do not have a small fortune to spend, I would like to find a cheaper home remedy, antibiotic, or some other thing I can do for her.
 
I am so sorry she lost the babies! :(

The lump could also be her uterus, not completely gone down yet from the birth.

I understand about culling rather than vet... it is so expensive. Even our pet rabbit I treated myself rather than take him to a vet. Thankfully, he got better. If he hadn't, I'd have had to cull him. Just could not afford a vet.

There are some herbs that you can give to stimulate contractions. I know they're on here. I'll go look.
 
In all fairness, I've put down PETS that I couldn't afford to treat. The decision is an understandable one. The fact remains, If she's having these kinds of problems due to age, they'll crop up again if she gets pregnant again, which means being "fixed" or being manually removed from her mortal coil. It's sad, but it's a fact.
 
Parsley and lavender buds are supposed to stimulate contractions. Sage is supposed to, too, and it's supposed to help dry up milk.<br /><br />__________ Sun Jan 27, 2013 8:43 pm __________<br /><br />Ah, that looks like a good list. :)
 
Miss M":q2fcb04b said:
The lump could also be her uterus, not completely gone down yet from the birth.
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I had considered this as well, so I am going to check her again in about 1/2 an hour to see how she's doing.

Thank you for the idea, and I'm glad I'm not the only to try home remedies first. :)


I have dried parsley and sage so I may try those... How much would I give her? Does it just get sprinkled on top of her pellets?
 
her milk should dry up without intervention but otherwise mint works well.

I would give her overnight to just settle.
 
ladysown":2tr8kald said:
I would give her overnight to just settle.
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Well, I think I'll keep an eye on her overnight then, but before I go to bed tonight I'll palpate her again and give her some rolled oats and fresh pellets. I'll also sprinkle a little of the dried sage on top, and then see how she's doing in the morning.

Thank you for all the ideas!
 
I agree with Miss M about the lump being her uterus. I've felt that in more than a couple does right after delivery. Sometimes I have even wondered if its another baby but it usually lacks definition if its the uterus. Best of luck to you and your doe!
 
I went to check on her this morning, and I found her still resting in the same corner of her cage that she was last night with the food untouched; and usually rolled oats are irresistible to her.
I palpated her again, and found (I think) two, small, semi-hard lumps about the same size as the miscarried kits that I found yesterday.

So the summary is, she hasn't eaten anything in about three days, she hasn't drank much if any in the last day, and it looks/feels like she has two retained but dead, premature kits still inside her. She is also still very placid and unresponsive, which is highly unusual for her.

What can I do for her?! :(
 
Could it be that she conceived in both horns and will deliver full term babies in a few days? Of course, that doesn't explain her lack of appetite and lethargy. I'm so sorry you're going through this.
 
MamaMandy":2x77h800 said:
Could it be that she conceived in both horns and will deliver full term babies in a few days? Of course, that doesn't explain her lack of appetite and lethargy. I'm so sorry you're going through this.
Click to expand...
She was put in with the buck 3 times over a period of 8 hours... I don't if that would mean that she could have conceived in both horns, but either way I can feel that the two "lumps" still inside are not moving and seem pretty solid.


I am thinking that I'll go to the store and get some fruity tums and I may try giving her a shot of pen g (how much?). I would like to induce labor, if possible, and see if I can at least get things moving.
She has drank at least a little water since I filled her water bottle about 36 hrs ago, and I am thinking that I'll try adding some pedialyte to water for added electrolytes. What ratio should I use?

The other thing I was wondering about is the use of oxytocin... I have heard little about it, but should I even consider it an option?

Also, from palpating, I can tell that the kits are too far down to be in the birth canal.
And another question; is there any way to force feed or convince her to eat any herbs that I may be able to feed to induce contractions?

I really hate to lose her, and as I don't have a couple hundred dollars to spend on a vet's c-section, so I'm trying to do anything I can to help her on my own.
If things don't improve soon, I may be putting her down. I would like to exhaust all other options first though.
 

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