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GypsyG
Loving the herd life
I stayed up with her most of the night. Around 2am she started showing marked improvement. By 3am she was making her displeasure at being indoors in a box very clear - digging in the corner and thumping loudly. This morning she seems almost normal.Theo had five babies, and I had decided they needed more space, so was going to move them to a bigger cage. When I picked Theo up, she was wide-eyed, shaking, breathing fast; it was only when I put her down that I saw the loss of coordination. I'd never heard or read anything about hypocalcemia in rabbits, but I had heard of it in dogs, cows, etc, and what I was seeing seemed pretty similar, so I played a hunch with what I had on hand (the only vet I knew that would see rabbits had previously told me, "you know more about rabbits than I do."). I had no idea about the dose size, but I hoped that giving it to her by mouth, she'd be unlikely to absorb enough to overdose. The first time, I gave it to her with a syringe, but at some point I started giving her the mixture in a little dish and she ate it on her own. This was several years ago, and I can't remember just how long it took before I saw results nor how many days I continued to dose her, but I'm pretty sure she started improving by the next day (I was only giving it to her once or twice a day). Since too much calcium can also be a problem, I stopped giving her extra when she no longer seemed wobbly (I figured, since she was no longer nursing, she should be able to get back to normal just eating her usual food).
Five is a lot for a Dwarf (as I recall, a couple weren't hers), but these babies were all fat and lively. Thinking back, the other does that I had lost while lactating had had large litters that were doing very well, and I think that was the key - the does were putting more minerals into the milk than they were taking in. After that, if I had a doe that I thought seemed particularly at risk, I either gave her a few banana mixture doses or put a tablet in her water bottle for a few days (not terribly scientific, I know, but what can I say?)
I hope your girl pulls through!
Everything you have said has been right on point. Munchkin is 1/4 French Angora, 1/4 Jersey Wooly, 1/2 mini lop. She usually only has two or three kits plus adoptees, but this time she had five plus two adoptees.
Thank you so much! You're much more knowledgeable about rabbits than any of the vets around here. We are so blessed here to have your experience!
I really wish that I had posted this thread in the rabbit section rather than emergency so that others might find it easier and it can be helpful to anyone else who finds themself in this situation.
What became of your doe? Did any of her offspring ever have problems, is there any indication that there is a hereditary disposition for this? Did you retire her from breeding after her incident?
I think it's a matter of knowing what you are dealing with. Basic rabbit diets are intended for feeding a wide variety of animals, from growing youngsters to sedentary pets, and can usually work for a couple of litters per year, but animals in intensive breeding programs have extra nutritional needs, and there are feeds meant to be used that way.
That absolutely made my day!
