Week old kits with severe bloating/over fed

[Netsirk]

Hi everyone,

I plan on going to the vet tomorrow however I'm hoping someone with more experience than me may be able to assist.

My doe had 5 kits a week ago today. Two were peanuts and died 2 and 3 days ago.

Today, one of the seemingly healthy kits died. Looking at the two left, their abdomens are huge. Can anyone suggest what I should do? I was giving the doe some parsley to increase her milk supply in case that was the problem with the two peanuts but haven't given her any in 24 hours.

Any help is appreciated.

Kristen

 

[Dood]

If they don't fully digest the milk between meals, usually from over eating, the older milk can go rancid in their stomach and cause death

I would pull out the nest box and only bring the kits to the mother once a day to nurse

 

[Netsirk]

Thank you! I've separated them and will see how they go overnight. If they aren't looking 100%, I'll take them to the vet.

 

[Miss M]

Make sure to keep them warm. Maybe a heated water bottle inside a sock, or put their nest box halfway on a heating pad turned on low. If they don't stay warm enough, they can have trouble digesting.

At the same time, I've had kits that fat that have been fine.

Are they active? Not still wobbling much? Do they have runny poop?

Their fur looks good, and so does the one leg I can see. The only kits I've had that had a problem with overfeeding were formula fed. After a few days of normal development, they suddenly reversed -- the fur started looking ratty, the legs thinned out, the kits started wobbling again, they were shaped like toads -- wide, pear-shaped body with flat stomachs, and they had soft, yellow poop.

 

[TF3]

I had two litters with this issue from my (now gone!) Holland doe.
I lost the singleton the first time (I euthanized him) because he got splayed out and couldn't move.
The second pair I saved. I removed them from mom and gave them a 24 hour break... once their tummies subsided a bit, I let them go to mom for a couple minutes and pulled them out.
I put them on a base with traction (old towel) so they could move more easily, and several times a day, I took them out and encouraged them to move on a non-slip surface to try and burn off some of the milk and use their muscles.
It took about 4-5 days to get them looking normal, and I continued to limit their access to mom, only letting them feed until their bellies were healthy full.
Once they were moving freely and active (about 3.5 weeks or so, I put them backin.
I also let mom foster feed a number of other kits, with her owna nd otherwise, since she obviously had the milk!

 

[Netsirk]

Thank you everyone for your advice. They are looking a lot better today, thank goodness. I've also taken them out for some exercise to help burn off those bellies. I've put the doe back with them for tonight and I will see how they are in the morning. If they are huge again then I'll separate them tomorrow again. I'm just not sure how long it will take for the doe's milk supply to adjust.