Vulva still bright red

[Sabine]

I just checked Ember after her successful mating with Hamish yesterday and I noticed that her genitals still look rather swollen and her vulva is bright red as it was yesterday. I also noticed some tiny abrasions that have scabbed over. Is this normal after mating? Will her vulva turn smaller and pinkish again during the course of the pregnancy? Just wondering if this means anything.

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

This is not a good sign, a swollen and scabbed vulva can be a sign of syphilis (vent disease) in rabbits. This doe should not have been bred, and if this is the case, the buck may now be infected as well.

I think vent disease is usually treated with shots of penicillin, but I would consult a rabbit savvy vet about it. I've never seen it before in my own herd.

One a side note- what you usually want to see in a "willing" doe is a dark purplish vent, when extended. It will appear pale pink, not swollen, and not scabbed normally.

 

[Sabine]

It only looked swollen after the mating. All three rabbits were from the same breeder. I assume it's not safe to treat for syphilis if you suspect she is pregnant?

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

Well, it could be that the male was the one infected and passed it on. But either way, the scabbing that you mentioned is what was especially alarming to me. Usually I see no difference in the vulva after breeding, other than the gradual change from purple back to pale pink.

It may or may not be safe to treat while pregnant, I'm not sure what penicillin will do with that, which is why I suggested a vet. However, vent disease can cause stillbirths and miscarriages anyway, so it is usually best to treat it as soon as it's found and verified (again, by a vet or experienced breeder who can check it out in person).

Vent disease can be transmitted between any rabbits that come together. If the breeder had been to a show recently or brought in new rabbits recently that may have carried it. Some diseases can also sit dormant for awhile before symptoms are ever apparent.

 

[Sabine]

If she had contracted it from the buck would it be likely to show up within a few hours? She certainly didn't look swollen before I bred her. I also must admit I left her to be mated loads of times as I was worried she wouldn't take. In the end she started mounting the buck for more and that's when I took her out.
Would a doe with syphilis be that keen.
The scabbing by the way is tiny. In fact it looks more like a bit of sticky stuff from the scent glands. And the redness only appears when you pull back the outer skin. Will have to look at it again in day light tomorrow.

 

[Sabine]

I checked again and the swelling is gone completely. Her vulva is still rather red but the part with the opening is more purplish red and the tip is more bright red.
What I thought was scabbing may have been secretions from the vent. I am still not too sure on that.
How long should it take for the colour to turn back to pink in a pregnant doe?

 

[BlueGiants]

The doe is mounting the buck for dominance... not because she wants "more". I usually seethe rednessgone in a day or so, but it can take a couple of days for the redness to subside after breeding... especially if he "over did it".

The small "scabs" could be just be from being mated. He may not have been a total gentleman with her... but if you don't oversee the breeding you can't know that. I really never leave the rabbits to breed without watching. I'm not being nosey or perverted... I just want to make sure no one gets hurt, bitten orattacked. My vet had to put down a doe that was left to be bred and in all the running around, she broke her back.(Not one of mine!)I do have does that, as soon as they are bred,attack the buck and I have to get them out of there fast. Why take a chance?

If it takes them a while, do chores around the cages, clean, feed, whatever... just keep an eye on them.