What could this be ?

[Fernie]

We have lost two of our 8 week old kits this week. The only thing that we have noticed is a blue grey tint around the mouth and nose. Then the kit suddenly has what looks to me like a seizure and is dead within seconds. From the time we see the blue grey tint to the seizure is a matter of maybe a minute. I am not even sure it is that long.

Not enough time to do anything to help and I can't even figure out what the problem is. Anybody have any idea what could be the cause of this?

 

[Dood]

I 'd guess Pneumonia

The blue colour sounds like a lack of oxygen in the blood.

Have you done a necropsy to see what the lungs look like?

 

[Fernie]

No Necropsy was done for either. I leave those up to Bob.

At first I thought it was due to the deep freeze, but when the second one happened the same we started to wonder.

 

[concreteblonde]

We have lost two of our 8 week old kits this week. The only thing that we have noticed is a blue grey tint around the mouth and nose. Then the kit suddenly has what looks to me like a seizure and is dead within seconds. From the time we see the blue grey tint to the seizure is a matter of maybe a minute. I am not even sure it is that long.

Not enough time to do anything to help and I can't even figure out what the problem is. Anybody have any idea what could be the cause of this?

I don't know where you are located or what your temps are. Heat prostration could cause it too if you are trying to compensate for the cold they could be getting overly warm?

Or, if you are moving them in and out of the house the temperature change could make them get ill.

 

[akane]

Do you feed any hay that might be carrying poisonous weeds? It doesn't take much for something as small as a rabbit. That's why I never used the hay cut from my mom's land for the horses. A 1000lb animal running in to a few of the poisonous golden flowers that grow there isn't an issue but a 5lb animal eating a whole one is. I tried and tried for years to get them to plant and cut the hay properly but all I get is that the horses are doing fine so why spend more money.

 

[dayna]

spoiled hay, small amount of mold in pellets, weaning enteritis, pneumonia, without cutting one open the list is endless.

 

[akane]

I have had moldy hay kill an adult guinea pig in 48hrs with barely any symptoms. If we hadn't noticed the lethargy because they were in our computer room and rushed him to an exotics vet he probably would have been dead a lot sooner. We immediately started getting food and pedialyte in him and the vet took xrays. Thought he might have a bladder issue and we put him in to surgery but it turned out the large shape she saw was a ballooned intestine instead of the bladder. His whole intestinal tract was necrotic, swollen, and full of gas. He never woke up from the anesthesia. Probably a good thing.