Dehydrated kits

[Icarus]

My Angora doe is producing a very small amount of milk, I've been hand nursing the kits off her, then supplementing with the recommended formula. My problem is that the kits are dehydrated. Is there any way I can help this?

I'm still checking around for anyone with lactating does. I called one lady whom I THINK might have a few that are nursing, but she doesn't get off work for a while yet.

 

[mistyjr]

My lionhead doe didnt have much milk for few weeks after they were born. They are know almost a month old and they are getting so big. Just keep the babies with momma.. How old are the babies?

 

[Icarus]

mistyjr wrote:

My lionhead doe didnt have much milk for few weeks after they were born. They are know almost a month old and they are getting so big. Just keep the babies with momma.. How old are the babies?

Five days old. She had a long, rough birth and on top of that is underweight. She's just barely producing. Enough to keep them 'kinda' okay.
I'm hand nursing because otherwise she wouldn't do it herself.

I have her on a high protein/high fiber diet, in a quite room with minimal stress. I'm thinking her weight loss is either stress, or that her wool block is getting worse again.

I'm hoping to find someone with a doe I could borrow while mine rehabs.

 

[TinysMom]

Here is a link to a formula recipe and instructions on amounts to feed, etc.

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=57630&forum_id=8

 

[Icarus]

TinysMom wrote:

Here is a link to a formula recipe and instructions on amounts to feed, etc.

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=57630&forum_id=8

Thats what I'm using but their still dehydrated hoping that they'll perk up a bit now with some of momma's milk in them. They're warm and sleeping now, I'll wake them in an hour or so and feed them again.

Crossing my fingers that someone has a normally lactating foster doe!

 

[aurora369]

You can give them some unflavoured pedialyte (drink for dehydrated children found at a pharmacy). Syringe them a little bit on top of the milk supplement. This will help get them hydrated.

Hydrating them is very important because a dehydrated baby will not be able to properly suckle or digest its food.

If you can keep them alive until they start eating solid food, you should find that they start filling out. I had a foster with not very much milk, but enough to keep the babies alive until they started eating pellets and hay. Once they started eating solids they really filled out and stopped being so skinny.

-Dawn

 

[mistyjr]

Where ya from?