my dying rabbits

[currycomb]

sat down and listed all the things these rabbits had in common. 1) feed. changed that no improvement 2) water, they all drink the same, why only does with 2-3 week old kits going off feed, bloating and dying? what?? all does with kits? could it possibly be wool block or hairballs?? gave one a dose of cod liver oil, symeticone, and pineapple juice last night. today she has loose stools, but she is eating and drinking tonight. will give bene-bac tomorrow and we shall see

 

[JoieDeViveRabbitry]

Does with kits only, hmmmm....

Are you feeding a brand with corn in it? Perhaps as the does start eating more to accomidate their milk supply it is making them bloat.

Unless you are raising a woolly breed, I would not think it was wool blockage but it does happen...

 

[JoieDeViveRabbitry]

Are these does all related by any chance?

 

[chinbunny1]

Read the labels on the feed bag and make sure it doesn't have any corn in it.

at this point you may have to get a neocropsy done to see what is making them sick. Have a vet or a lab do it.

Make sure you are offering them all the hay they can eat for now. First cutting alfalfa if you can get it. It will help clean out their digestive systems.

Feed the bloated rabbits the poop(cecetropes) from a healthy doeThese are tear shaped, soft stools. this method worked on mine last year then they got sick and started dying from bloat. You may have to force feed. it will be nasty. But it will help get their digestive system going. feed it to them a couple of times a day until they start to eat on their own.

Also start adding pro bios to their water. Like acid pak 4h way. You can order it from benes farms rabbitry, or bunnyrabbit.com

If you are dealing with opportunistic e coli you may end up running a round of terramyacin through your herd. You can get it just about anywhere. treat by the strength of the medication. bunnyrabbit.com should have a chart you can use for the water soluable stuff. You can also mix the pellets terramycin into their feed too, if you use the powdered stuff. Just a handful at a time. Try the poop method and acid pak first, then try the terramycin.


There was toxins in the corn last year. So you are probably dealing with a feed toxin. I put mine on the new purina show formula and haven't had a problem since.

 

[currycomb]

interesting ideas. i did contact cargill, makers of the feed we use, they don't have any other reports of problems, but i will ask about the corn content. had planned to necropsy the next one, but they seem to die when i can't get to the lab, it is hour or so away and fresh is better than frozen, right? keep up with the ideas, right now trial and error. thinking wool block because of all the fur they pull, must be injesting some. i am pulling fresh grass 2x a day now that it is growing. they had hay all winter (orchard grass/clover, grown here so no pesticides) also fed alfalfa hay cubes to break up their boreing days, they played with them when done knawing

 

[chinbunny1]

interesting ideas. i did contact cargill, makers of the feed we use, they don't have any other reports of problems, but i will ask about the corn content. had planned to necropsy the next one, but they seem to die when i can't get to the lab, it is hour or so away and fresh is better than frozen, right? keep up with the ideas, right now trial and error. thinking wool block because of all the fur they pull, must be injesting some. i am pulling fresh grass 2x a day now that it is growing. they had hay all winter (orchard grass/clover, grown here so no pesticides) also fed alfalfa hay cubes to break up their boreing days, they played with them when done knawing

The bodies are good for 24 hours as long as they refridgerated. Don't freeze them. the labs will not take them if they are frozen. you can pack the body and mail it ups to the lab if you have to. Just call the lab ahead of time and make sure they know its on its way. I think it cost me. When shipped you can pack them in ice packs.

I highly doubt wool block is causing this. that would only effect a few animals, not a whole bunch of them. And of course the feed company is going to deny there is a problem.

For now give them all the alfalfa they can eat, and add acid pak to their water until you can get to the bottom of the problem.

I lost 30 rabbits to bloat last year because there was black mold poisoning in the corn in the feed.