Last month I was faced with an unusual emergency – a young rabbit that was about to give birth had presented with a prolapse of its lower reproductive tract.

This is an extremely rare condition where the tissues of the womb become exteriorised and swollen. Unfortunately, by the time the rabbit was presented, the tissue was already devitalised and the rabbit was rapidly deteriorating.

With a little assistance we managed to deliver three healthy kits (bunnies), but without surgery the rabbit would die in a matter of hours. She was rushed to surgery where I was able to remove her womb and all the prolapsed tissue that had become necrotic.

Rabbit anaesthetics can be high risk

Rabbit anaesthetics can be higher risk than with other small animals, especially when they are already unwell. Fortunately, we managed to nurse the rabbit through the surgery and anaesthetic, and with supportive medical treatment she made a surprisingly strong recovery.

Despite her life-saving surgery and rapid response to treatment, she showed very little interest in her newborn young and was aggressive to them when they were left alone. Young bunnies are very immature compared to some other newborns, so the decision was made to start hand-rearing them. Now several weeks later, mum and bunnies are doing well.

Prevent accidental pregnancies

Early neutering of rabbits will prevent accidental pregnancies and potentially serious complications. Male rabbits can be neutered from as young as 12 weeks and females from 16 weeks, but they should be kept apart from 10-12 weeks to prevent unwanted pregnancies!