Hi. Our rabbit, Dori, has six three-week-old babies that she has been nursing and I can feel a lump underneath her right where one of her nipples is and I am wondering if it is just a swollen milk gland or something and if it\'s normal. She will be a year old in October, so she\'s still pretty young and this is her first littler, just in case that has to do with anything. Please let me know if you guys have felt something like this before because I am worried now. Thanks. :-)
Maybe someone else has some tried home remedies but here\'s what I found.
HTH
It\'s from the book Rabbits for Dummies by Audrey Pavia
Mammary Gland disorders:
Nursing mother rabbits are prone to a number of problems that affect the mammary glands, or breast tissue. Each requires help from a veterinarian. Rabbits have four pairs of mammary glands, making eight nipples available to the babies. Disease can strike one or more of these glands.
The mammary glands may become swollen and painful and the doe will refuse to nurse the kits. If the glands appear to be a normal color and normal in temperature with no nipple discharge, then she\'s likely suffering from an overabundance of milk. she should still be eating and acting otherwise normal. In this case, apply a warm compress to her abdomen and reduce the amount of food you feed her for 24-48 hours.
If the swollen glands are discolored (red or blue), hot to the touch, or if there is any discharge from the nipples, then your doe is suffering from a more serious condition called mastitis. Mastitis is an inflammation or infection of the breast tissue and can be caused by trauma due to abrasive bedding or rough edges on the nest box opening. It can also be caused by bacteria entering the breast tissue from a dirty cage.
Mastitis is a serious and potentially fatal condition and your doe should be seen by a veterinarian as soon as possible. In addition, the kits may become ill if they nurse from infected mammary glands. Remove them and hand feed until the situation is resolved.
Does with mastitis are put on antibiotics. The kits aren\'t allowed to nurse while she is being medicated because some medications may be dangerous for the kits to ingest. In addition, mastitis is a painful condition and nursing only adds to the discomfort. Warm compresses can be used to soothe the inflamed tissue. If the condition is advanced, surgical removal of the affected breast tissue may be the only treatment that can save the doe.
Thank you! It sounds like just an over abundance of milk in one of the glands. Cuz it feels normal otherwise and she is definately eating and cruisin\' the house and being herself. :-)