# Doe bleeding after giving birth.



## Jesse L

A lionhead doe gave birth this morning to 4 kits. I went to pull more fur as the litter was getting cold.

I put her on a solid floor and went to pull fur when i noticed a fair amount of bleeding from the Vagina. 

Is this normal? What do I do?


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## ladysown

jesse ... not sure if this link will help you out at all. Might give you some ideas.

sorry Jesse, just added that link


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## Jesse L

> jesse ... not sure if this link will help you out at all. Might give you some ideas.


What link?


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## MaggieJ

Jesse, I've been trying to find some information for you. It is possible she has not passed the placental tissue yet and that is the cause of the bleeding. Is the blood bright red or dark? Is there a lot of it or just a bit?


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## Truckinguy

There is usually blood after kindling. I usually do a nestbox cleanout right after the doe gives birth because there is usually a bloody area in the nestbox. My red NZ doe Scarlett just gave birth a couple of days ago and there was more blood then usual but she seems ok and cleaned herself up nicely but I had to replace the wood shelf she sits on because it had a lot of blood on it.

Not sure what is normal for a lionhead but I would think there would be some blood on her if she just gave birth.


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## Jesse L

Maggie, there was fair bit, a couple droppes and then a little pool of it after sitting there for only a couple of seconds. It looks more lighter, its not really really dark. It is red though.

Truckinguy, im really hoping that she will clean herself up. I dont want to hand raise kits, although i could throw them in with the Holland Lop doe. 

She dosnt look off but she was bleeding. Im going to give her some pehdyalite(sp?) and a tum...see if that helps.


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## MaggieJ

I don't know if you dry plants for winter use, Jesse, but if you have any Shepherd's Purse you could give her some of that to eat. It's an old herbal remedy that is definitely beneficial in cases of post-partum bleeding.

If you think she has not passed the placental material (the "afterbirth", which looks like a blob of liver) you could try a tiny bit of lavender or sage. Not much, maybe just a good pinch, since it can dry up the milk in any quantity. I wouldn't do this unless it doesn't settle down on its own.

The TUMS and Pedialyte may help. Certainly won't do any harm.


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## Jesse L

No, sadly I dont. This is my first winter with rabbits...im still learning.

You noted the lavender and said it would dry up the milk...i dont really want the milk dryed up do I? She still has 4 kits to feed. Im not really sure how much milk there should be but it dosnt feel like there is much now.

The bleeding has slowed alot! She seems better, and she took a bit of the stuff I gave her. I mixed the tum in with the pehdylite and it seemed to do the trick..she wasnt fighting me as soon as she noticed it didnt taste that bad!

Im thinking she will be better by morning. I think its slowly stopping. Now all I can hope is that is dose, and that she cares for her kits.

Thanks Maggie, TruckinGuy and Ladysown!


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## MaggieJ

If she seems to be doing better, do not give her the lavender or sage. She will likely be fine if it is slowing down. The lavender or sage was intended as "last resort" if you thought she was in danger due to a retained kit or placental material. It sounds as though she will be okay. Fingers crossed for her. Her milk may not have come in yet... takes a certain amount of time after kindling. Rabbit milk is so rich that the quantity produced is small, so you likely wouldn't notice much change in her teats.


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## Jesse L

Well, its been a long night but I think I can safley say everything is ALOT better now! 

I went out at 3:30 and they are still warm, the kits anyway. This litter started off pretty bad, they got pretty cold there but I think they have there heat under control now, wich is good. I thought I would give them another warm water bottle before I go back to bed.

The doe has stopped her bleeding and looks to be doing alot better. From what I assume she is feeding the kits....or just sitting ontop if the warm nest for no aparent reason...one of the two

Thanks again everyone that helped:clap::goodjob:


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## MaggieJ

Long night for you, for sure, Jesse. Hope when you wake up that all is well with your buns.


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## Jesse L

Yes, i am indeed tierd!!

I noticed this morning there is blood in the corner of the cage. Not a hole lot but there is a fair bit. By the looks of it she is still bleeding but not constantly. MaggieJ it is bright red.

There was also, a white or bright yellow sticky liquid....it could just be pee that has gotten cold???


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## MaggieJ

Yeah, it does sound like she is still bleeding a bit. I wish I knew what to suggest, Jesse. Maybe someone more experienced will know. Maybe PM Pat Lamar or Linda Welch, asking if it is normal and if there is something you need to do for the doe?


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## Jesse L

Ok, will do.

Its not like she is bleeding constantly, but I did notice that there was some more blood there this morning. 

Good thing is, shes feeding the kits so...


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## MaggieJ

My problem is, I don't really know if this is normal. I've never noticed more than a drop of two under my does' cages, directly after kindling. But perhaps they just clean themselves up better. :shrug:


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## Jesse L

Ya, shes a first time momma so meaby she didnt really know what to do? Im hoping thats it!


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## dlwelch

I only raise NZ and Californians. Some of my does will have
more bleeding than others. I will sometimes see drops of blood
for a day after kindling. The only time I'm concerned is when
there is enough bleeding for the doe's bottom to become filthy.
If that happens (rare!), the prognosis is not good. 



> or just sitting ontop if the warm nest for no aparent reason


Let's hope she's not doing that! If she continues to sit in the nest,
I would remove the kits and only return them for nursing. Otherwise,
you may check and find them uncovered and too cold to revive.

Good luck with the doe and litter. I hope things go well.

Linda Welch


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