HELP! Babies sick and dying TT_TT (RIP)

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polishgurl47

polishgurl47

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Feb 12, 2010
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Location
Brodhead, Wisconsin, USA
plz help! my babies were well fed and plump when they were born but ive noticed that their health hasbeen slowly getting worse. the mom isnt eating as much and the babies are becoming bony. One just died today at 3 weeks of age. the bunnies have their eyes open but are closing again and again due to sleepers and crust on their eyes



any suggestions?
 
Hi,

I moved your thread to the Rabbitry since we are discussing young, still nursing babies. Hopefully experienced breeders will see this and be able to give you some advice.

Are the babies eating solids yet? Do they have access to some hay and pellets? Are they drinking water?

Is mom still drinking lots of water?

Have you checked mom's nipples? Are any of the dark red/purple and hard? She may have an infected milk gland which can poison the babies and be very painful for her.

-Dawn
 
i have not seen the babies eat any solids or water, but i had pellets next the box i decided to move them indoors so i can monitor them more closely.

the mom is drinking water. i fill her bowl up every 1 or 2 days.

Also i checked all her nipples and they are all soft and pink
 
Can you post some pictures of the babies and the crusts on the eyes?

The only thing I can think of is that all of them have eye infections or that they have syphilis. Rabbit syphilis can lie dorment in the mother but be passed to the babies during birth. It can cause sores on the face (nose, mouth, eyes) as well as the genitals. Can you check the genitals of the babies and see if any look swollen, red or have sores.

I would also try supplementing the babies with some pedialyte to make sure they are staying hydrated.

Is mom feeding them still?

-Dawn
 
They could have a pasturella infection or syphilis. With very young babies, it's best to get them to the vet ASAP because they can go downhill very quickly.

You can apply a warm, wet cottonball or cloth to the eyes to clean the crustiness off.

Are they eating/suckling? Pooping? Is the poop normal?

Make sure they are kept warm and hydrated. You may have to sryinge feed pedialyte like Dawn said, or a milk replacer. I don't know what the best one is currently, but I'm sure a breeder on here will know about which one to use.
 
i have had to clean off their butts because of a build up of poo. it not exactly diarrea, but its sticking to their hair. I just got some kitten milk replacer and fed the lil brown one. the black one is really active now since i got them inside, and was lappin up the milk that spilt when we were feedin brownie.

i dont see her feeding them, but this i know is normal. ive seen her go into the box, but they arnt feeding off her. The brown one is the one im worried about. u can see from my avatar that the black one is looking pretty healthy, besides loss of some weight. ill post a pic of the brown.

butt has some kind of mucus on it, but it could just be feces idk [both have this]

0212102059.jpg


eye of brownie [he looks tired or something but hes been like this for 3 days]

0212102059a.jpg


0212102059b.jpg

 
I think the brown one needs some serious attention. You say he's acting tired, which means that he's fading. Rehydration is really really important for this. Syringe feed him some pedialyte if he'll take it. If he won't take any oral liquids, he needs sub-cutaneous fluids, which either you have to know how to do or take to a vet.

Tired=lethargic, which can mean toxins are taking over his body, or not enough water or sugar to survive.

The diarrhea is also a bad sign. Bunnies at this age have really unstable gut bacteria and when they get out of balance, they get diarrhea. Diarrhea is bad for 2 reasons: it's caused by overgrowth of bad bacteria in the intestines, and these bacteria release toxins into the body that can kill a bunny. Diarrhea is also very dehydrating.

If it's truly diarrhea, that combined with the lethargy makes me think he needs to go to the vet ASAP. If that's not possible, pedialyte, hay, and KMR are all he should be getting--no pellets or other sugary stuff. Lots of pedialyte should be given, like 20mL or more.
 
Mucus-coated feces is a sign of mucoid enteritis, which is that infection I was talking about. In babies it can literally kill in 12 hours or less. If there truly is mucus, and if it's not clear-colored, I'd take him to a vet because they can give antibiotics and stuff that will absorb the bacterial toxins.
 
im giving them milk supplement now. im pretty sure the vets arent open tomorrow :(. the black one has it too but he is really hyper and jumping around normally. he is also drinking and eating solids. If it is dehydration will milk do the trick? thats what im guessing
 
It can help but I think some water would be good too, in addition. Since the milk has sugar and electrolytes in it you probably don't need pedialyte, but I think some water would be good. Keep him warm, get some water into him, that should help with the tiredness.
 
I'd give him the milk, and then as much water as he'll take. 5ccs would be good.
 
Although your rabbits still have their mama, I highly recommend you read The Care & Feeding of Orphaned Bunnies by Dana Krempels, who is very respected in the rabbit world.

She recommends a formula made up of goats milk, KMR, and colostrum. I've been using it with my flemish litter to supplement them and I feel it has done quite well.

Here is what she says about feeding babies this age:

[*] Three to six weeks: 13-15 cc/ml each feeding (two feedings) As always, quantity may be LESS depending on the size of the rabbit.
  • NOTE: At the age of about three weeks, babies will begin to experiment with solid food. Not only is it important to continue enriching the formula with colostrum, but at this stage it is time to inoculate them with normal rabbit bacterial flora from a healthy, parasite-free adult rabbit. Start to scout for a potential cecotrope donor when you first take the babies into your care. When they're about 2.5 - 3 weeks old, obtain a fresh cecotrope and mix it into a small quantity of formula. You will probably have to feed this as if it were medicine, as most babies do NOT enjoy this "special" formula. But it will help to establish their normal flora at a time when the stomach pH is likely not to interfere with proper colonization of healthy bacterial flora farther down the intestinal tract. Inoculation for 2-3 days in a row seems to be sufficient for establishment of normal flora.
[line]
Weaning [align=JUSTIFY]A domestic rabbit feeds her babies for about 8 weeks, gradually decreasing the frequency of feedings until they lose interest. Your baby bunnies will start to nibble on pellets and solid food at about the age of two to three weeks, but this does NOT mean they are ready to be weaned. In fact, it's even more important that you continue feeding colostrum-enhanced formula to help control the growth of potentially harmful pathogens as the babies introduce new bacteria into their systems. [/align] [align=JUSTIFY]If the babies still beg for nursing by the age of six - eight weeks, you can begin to dilute the formula with clean drinking water. Start with 25% water to 75% formula, and gradually decrease the percentage of milk until the babies lose interest. It's less traumatic for you and the babies to gradually wean them this way. (And it's a great little trick taught to me by my own pediatrician father, Geza J. Krempels, M.D.)[/align]​
 
They both survived the night and i fed them again this morning. the brownie is lookin better and is hoppin around a lil more. he was also lappin up milk i had in a bowl for blackie.



When i was cleanin his bottom and eyes, i noticed some mucus. i tried to pull it out and realized it was a string! its rounded so i suspect roundworms. the vet is open today but they are booked tight. Im thinking of going to the rabbit specialist in Rockford, IL
 
That may be a good idea. Too bad I didn't come on earlier--my vet here in Madison is great, cheap-ish, and open from 8-12 on Saturday, and I could have recommended them to you. In the future, they're Healthy Pet Veterinary Clinic, and an office visit is about $34, they're extremely knowledgeable about all kinds of animals, and very good with bunnies too. It's about an hour from Brodhead, if you're willing to travel.
http://healthypetvetclinic.com/

You could also get some panacur (fenbendazole) from the farm store and give that to the babies, but I'd want to double check the dosage for babies with a rabbitry expert, like Peg who posted earlier. If you get it, get the smallest tube you can find, and it's best to squirt it all out of the tube into a cup and mix it up well before administering. Sometimes the medicine isn't evenly distributed throughout the tube, especially with the ones where you're supposed to give the entire tube at one time to a larger animal, like a horse. Ivermectin may be ok too, but some bunnies have a bad reaction to that.

Glad they're doing ok. There's also a good emergency vet here in Madison that is pricey but I would recommend it if an emergency happens. It's called Exceptional Care for Animals. The exam fee starts at $66, which is a bit much, but they're very compassionate and know what they're talking about. I took a hamster to them just this week, at about 2:30 in the morning.
http://www.emergencyclinicforanimals.com/
 
I've never used fenbndazole with a baby...too nervous to try it. Same with ivermectin.
 
brown one looks a little worse today, but is better than before. ive been giving him 2 1/2 ml evey time i feed him, 3 times yesterday and once today. His eyes were slowly closing over this morning, but my mom says its just tiredness (i really doubt that, shes Not rabbit person or is experienced at all, no offense to her lol) i just fed him and his eyes opened a little.

What is fenbndazole and what does it do?
 
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