A Broken Heart

Yesterday, our Himilayan Netherland Dwarf gave birth to three baby kits. The baby kits didn't survive because they were born outside the nesting box. Although we have delt with the loss of new born kits before (that comes with raising and selling rabbits), we have never had to deal with the death of the mother.

Himi, the mother, passed away this morning at 7:00. Himi just didn't look right after giving birth yesterday, and I told Jensen that she may die. He gave her some fresh hay and plenty of water, and dad put the heat lamp by her and we left her alone to rest.

This morning, Jensen came in and told me that Himi was still breathing, but not moving. I told him to bring her in the nesting box and I would try to get her to eat to gain some strength. When I saw the rabbit, my heart went out to her, here she had lost her babies, and was holding on to her own life. As I picked her up I noticed how limp she was and I tried to syringe feed her, she took a couple of swallows and then lay limp again. I laid her in a towel and petted her, after a while, I tried again to feed her. As I laid her down, I noticed that she opened up her mouth and her eyes, and she was gone. I told Jensen that I thought she had just died. He burst into tears and ran out of the house.

I then was remimded how fragile life is. How it comes and goes. I have never seen death come before, and it was an amazing experience. It brought back memories of bringing my own children into the world. I realized how much a mother loves a child that she would give up her own life to bring another into the world. If it wouldn't have been for the good doctors that knew what to do, I would have lost my own life as well.

I tried my best to console Jensen, but a child's love for an animal runs deep. We talked about her and reflected upon her life. Netherland Dwarf rabbits have a history of not making the best mothers, and we talked about what a good mother she had been and how her legacy lives on. We talked about the passing away of Grandma Great Anderson and how her legacy lives on in each of us. Some way or another she left a piece of her in our hearts and I told him that the he will have a place in his heart for Himi as well.
I tried to find some pictures of Himi, but I only had pictures of her kits over the summer.
This is Jensen with one of Himi's babies when it was two weeks old.
Another picture of Himi's babies that were born in May.