Vent Bruising After Kindling

[Bad Habit]

Well, Hannah had babies just over a week ago. Since she was so young, I've been a little worried about her health. I've been checking her vent fairly regularly, as I was worried about discharge, bleeding, or infection from tearing.

Initially, after she gave birth, she was swollen and bruised up, which I thought was to be expected. However... she's still really bruised. Most of it is external, towards the base of her genital area, with some bruising visible when I expose her parts. The internal bruising has gone down quite a bit(almost back to normal) however the external bruising seems to be getting worse.

I don't know if this is bruising migrating from internal to external, or if this is something I should be concerned about. I feel that the bruising should be vastly improved, or completely gone at this point, as it is 10 days passed kindling. Is this something I should be concerned about, or something I simply never noticed with Lily. Will this affect her breeding possibilities in the future, or should I simply continue with my plan(breeding again in January). She was very young when first bred, and was not fed the proper diet for a pregnant doe. I am really at a loss as to what to do or think. Anyone with any experience about this kind of stuff?

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Is the bruised area between her vent and anus, or could it be that she is showing a color change because she is ready to be bred again?

As long as she is not having any foul smelling discharge, I wouldn't be worried about it. If you have any Arnica gel you could apply that to help with the bruising. Witch hazel is also very soothing for bruised or swollen vaginal tissue. Moisten a cotton ball or gauze pad and apply it as a compress.

 

[Bad Habit]

No, the bruising is internal(only visible when I expose her genitals) and at the front of her genital mound. I'll try to get a photo, but I usually need two hands to check.

No unusual discharge, no foul smell, nothing out of the norm except the bruising. I'm worried that because she was so young, there was some genital trauma and she might have scarring that would prevent her from properly kindling in the future. I don't want to breed her and have her die trying to deliver because she was bred too early, but I don't want to write her off as a breeding doe without knowing for sure.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Bruising probably wont cause any lasting damage. If her uterine muscles were ruptured that would likely cause scarring that could rupture again when pregnant, but I think that type of damage would be more common in an aged doe since the uterus loses elasticity as part of the aging process.

I don't believe that being very young causes problems with pregnancy and delivery. If she was not developed enough she wouldn't cycle. Damage could be caused by abnormally large kits, but a normal litter shouldn't cause any issues.

You mentioned that she was not fed properly for a pregnant doe as another concern. That would likely result in smaller kits, and a loss of overall condition in the doe. If you think that is the case, supplementing her with Tums while she is nursing will help if she has lost any bone density while pregnant.

 

[Bad Habit]

I've been giving her a mix of boss, rolled oats and wheat groats each morning since she kindled, but she doesn't seem too thin, or weak. I like overfeeding a bit when a female is pregnant, since I want her to be as healthy as possible. It just bothers me that I wasn't told she was covered(I did get the former owner to finally admit that "she spent the last week with my friends, and they have that bunny you sold them..." I guess the SCF hit, though, because the bunny she's talking about was sold as a doe.) I fed her like an open doe... And then cut back on feeding pellets because I thought she was getting fat !!

The babies were a little small than I'm used to see, she didn't lose much condition, and she is well fed now that I know she's supporting three growing bugs. I will offer her a couple tums, though, see if she's interested, and keep an eye on the bruising. I just can't get over this awful feeling that the situation has completely ruined this poor sweet doe. I know it's not directly my fault, and that I'm doing everything in my power to make this easier on her, but still. The bruising has me scared.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

The bruising has me scared.

Give her foods rich in iron to build her blood back up. Spinach, pumpkin flesh and seeds, sweet potatoes, and turnip greens all contain lots of iron. Vitamin C aids in iron absorption, so sweet potatoes and spinach are both especially good choices because they contain high levels of Vitamin C. Broccoli and cabbage also contain lots of iron and C, but they can be gassy, so would be best fed in small amounts.

Vitamin C aids in healing, so you might want to give her a chewable vitamin C tablet and see if she eats it.

 

[MaggieJ]

When I have a doe that needs a boost, I mix a teaspoonful of blackstrap molasses in a bit of warm water, add a spoonful good quality oil (sunflower is good) and stir it into a big bowl of the grain mix. Makes a sort of homemade sweet feed. You don't want the grain to be wet or it will mould. If it seems too damp, add some more grain. Blackstrap molasses is very nutritious in small quantities and most rabbits love it.

As far as the bruising goes, there is a lot of time before January to make the decision about rebreeding. I'm guessing that she will be well long before then.