No milk...or nipples??

AmberLops

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Hi everyone!
This is so strange and I just want to see if anyone else has ever had this problem...
I have 2 Lionhead does who are mother and daughter.
Last month the younger doe (daughter) had a litter of stuck kits and I rebred her, and about 2 weeks ago she had another litter and she did better..she had 4 kits, 2 dead and 2 alive.
She kept them alive for the first 2 days and the 3rd day I checked on them and they were both dead...obviously starving.
I was waiting to see if after 3 days her milk might come in but when I checked her, she had none.
After doing some research on does not producing milk I read about this woman who had a doe give birth and she watched her feed her kits many times but they all died of starvation within 3 days...and when she checked her doe, she had NO nipples! So I immediately went out to check my doe...and she is missing all her nipples except for one!
And that doe's mother (obviously a proven doe!) just had a litter 2 days ago and her kits were starving also, so I put her kits in my Angora's nestbox so she could raise them...and when I checked this doe, she was also missing all nipples except for 2. And those 2 nipples did have milk but the kits couldn't all eat!
It's obviously genetic so i'm not keeping the does after this.
It's just so weird! Oh well...I definitely made sure to check all the young does i'm keeping for nipples!
Have any of you ever seen this?? :eek:
 

AmberLops

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I know!
I've never heard of it either and I was really surprised!
It seems so strange and the fact that it's genetic is a real bummer...I love those rabbits but I obviously can't keep them! Of course, the younger doe was already rebred when I found out about it so i'll keep her and give her kits to my other (holland lop) doe who's due around the same time....but after that I guess I have to rehome both nipple-less does to pet homes :(
 

Mini Horses

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Wow. Not heard of that but, oddities happen. Yep, PET ONLY for them. Sorry you didn't see before the kits were lost. I know, never a consideration.:idunno Be happy you didn't get a buck from them...if he's passing this, an entire litter would be "only meat". I hope you told the person from whom you purchased -- in case.

With goats we check for nipples, generally to be sure they are not fantail or too many.
 

Sheepshape

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How strange and sad. Babies who die from a lack of milk is just a horrid thing to happen.

As Secuono says, extra,and usually non-functioning, nipples are way more common. There are some weird old pics on the web of folk with extra nipples/breasts etc., and sheep often have 2 extra nipples. Rams, like men, have two non-functioning ones.

Mastitis can destroy nipples or prevent the milk ducts from draining to the nipple.

Sorry to hear the does are not functional ladies. Somebody will be delighted to have them as pets.
 

AmberLops

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I wouldn't have thought to look if I hadn't been for that article!
I did tell the person I got them from, but with the way she is I think might have known something was up.
They are both really sweet rabbits. It's such a bummer because they're gorgeous show line rabbits!
I'm sure someone will love to have them as pets :)
@B&B Happy goats ...have you ever seen this in your rabbits?!
 
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