Retained Kits

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Shaded Night Rabbitry

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Olympia, Washington, USA
My good friend that's breeding dutch and ND's is having a problem.

Her sister, while she was gone, stuck a cali buck that she was taking as a meat rabbit to fair, in with a dutch doe.

This doe was not proven, and is a year old today. She never made a nest.

This, according to my friend, is a great doe. She would love to salvage the doe as a brood doe. She never really planned on breeding her, but once she was pregnant, made plans to breed her to her sire. (Owned by someone else.)

She couldn't find any information on retained kits, and if it's going to kill her or not. I know there's always a chance, but I figure I'd post on here and ask. It's day 38, so it looks like chances of a litter being delivered is slim.

What do y'all suggest?
 
The first, and most critical point that you didn't mention in your post: Is the doe actually pregnant?

Palpating is one of the best ways to determine pregnancy. Retained kits can be easily palpated around the does due date, but I have found that they start to soften and are harder to palpate as time goes by.

Retained kits mummify in some cases, in other cases, they putrefy causing lethal infection. Sometimes, they are expelled much later.

We had one kit removed by the vet (C section)10 days after her due date.

A sonogram done at the vet's could help to determine if there are retained kits in the uterus.


 

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