Unknown Cause Of Pregnancy Death

[WingNut]

TW:// DEATH, MENTIONS OF BLOOD, SEIZURE

Hi, this is a really dark post. I understand this isn’t a professional vet group, but I’m hoping to talk to someone who is either in contact with a vet or has been through similar experiences to shed some light.

My Holland lop rabbit, Chesnutt (Chessy) just passed away while delivering kits. She was about 2-4 years old and perfectly healthy before the incident. She gave birth to two kits, but then suddenly had what I believe to be a seizure (kicking, rolling, jerking) and died. Im pretty sure I saw some kicking still in her abdomen after what happened, but they died with her. There was blood on her hind legs and the placenta never made it out. We have the two kits and will be taking care of them, so any advice on newborn orphaned kits is appreciated.

What could have happened? I, unfortunately, have a video of the incident for further inspection if anyone needs it. If it matters, we are rabbit owners who take care of them as pets. We don’t breed our rabbits- our un-neutered male just accidentally.

Pictures are of Chessy as a baby and adult. Rest In Peace sweet angel, we’ll all miss you.

 

[Blue eyes]

Was this her first pregnancy?

 

[WingNut]

Was this her first pregnancy?

Yes

 

[JBun]

I'm very sorry for the loss of your rabbit. For her to have died that suddenly with no other signs leading up to it, it most likely points to cardiac arrest. I would suspect she may have had a preexisting heart condition aggravated by the stress of giving birth, and she had a heart attack. What looks like seizures can actually be a reaction to the heart stopping. It's what I've seen with most of my rabbits when they've died from various causes(illness, old age, etc), in their final few minutes.

I don't know your plans on caring for the new kits, but presuming you'll be trying hand feeding, I'll just mention to feed slowly and cautiously. Aspiration pneumonia is a huge risk for hand feeding baby rabbits, and if it occurs it's usually fatal. So it would be good to read up on it and maybe watch a few youtube videos to see how to best go about it. I've read mentioned that using a makeup sponge instead of a syringe, can help minimize the aspiration risks. But it's not something I've ever tried.

The babies need to be checked multiple times a day, that they're doing well and staying warm, stimulated to pee. I like the formula and feeding instructions in this link below, though the part on introducing greens, it's something I would suggest waiting on until they're at least 12 weeks.

https://jaimielistens.com/how-to-feed-orphaned-baby-rabbits/

 

[cwebster]

Am so sorry for the loss of your mother rabbit. I lost a female guinea pig once during the birth process because one baby was too large for the mom to deliver. She had tetany, and the vet tried to remove the baby after oxytocin, but we lost mom. Her other babies could not come out because of the overly large one. Hope your little ones who survived do well.