Another Tall Tale -- Enzymes

I spent the day playing around with enzymes and using mega amounts to see what substances I could break down. Worked well for DNA/RNA extraction, but that was about the extent of it as there negligible effect on foods or hair.

Which got me to thinking -- if mega amounts ofcommon enzymes given to rabbitsare so ineffective in breaking substances down, how can they be of any help in treating rabbits with GI blockages. Most likely -- they can't. I've seen no positive effects in wasting money on the numerous enzyme products available for rabbits -- and I'm not the only one who has taken note that these artificial enzymes are so ineffective . . .

Pam

Here's a myth buster from the House Rabbit Society . .

MYTH:

"Pineapple juice, papaya and/or enzyme products are helpful in treating hair-balls in the rabbit."

Because the rabbit cannot spit, it ingests a lot of hair when grooming. It is commonly thought that this ingested hair leads to gastric hair-balls ("gastric stasis," see above). For at least three decades rabbit owners have treated this problem with a host of digestive enzyme products including pineapple juice, papaya, or papaya tablets (all of which contain the digestive enzyme papain), or a number of pharmaceutical enzyme products including Prozyme, Viokase and many more. Several well performed scientific studies have shown that these products neither correct nor prevent the accumulation of hair, nor will they dissolve the accumulation of food and hair that forms in the stomach of the rabbit. We have found, however, that pineapple juice may have some positive effect in the rehydration and return of normal stomach acid levels in the stomach contents of rabbits with gastric stasis.

for whatever reason i always thought papaya/pineapple were to help keep everything going and as i've recently found out, too much can *really* get their systems going:shock:

So I take it as :

Rather than spend a huge amountof money on Prescription medicationsto treat G I Stasis its just aseasy and cost effective touse Plain old from thePineapple Juice ? is thisthe right assumption ?

gypsy wrote:

So Itake itas :

Rather than spenda huge amount ofmoney onPrescriptionmedications to treat G I Stasisits just aseasy andcosteffective tousePlainold from thePineappleJuice ? isthistherightassumption ?

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The enzymes in the pineapple juice don't appear to have any effect in treating GI stasis, however any low/no sugar juice is good to use to rehydrate the rabbit.

Good old fiber, "nature's scrub brush" is key in keeping the GI tract healthy. Enzymes do not appear to be effective in preventing or treatment of GI blockages.

Pam

I had read that papaya and pineapple help to break down the mucous that can form around/in the hairball and thats what makes it pass easier b/c of the reduction in size...

Question Doc.

Then what would've caused Tucker's chin to become bald when I was treating him for GI Stasis with fresh pineapple juice?

There was nothing else that I was giving him at the time that 'ran over' onto his fur when I was syringe feeding him.

Respectfully submitted,
-Carolyn

FreddysMom wrote:

I had read that papaya and pineapple help to break down the mucous that can form around/in the hairball and thats what makes it pass easier b/c of the reduction in size...

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It doesn't appear to actually have any effect at all.Research has shown the enzymes are very "job" specific -- while our digestive enzymes do their work in breaking down food, enzymes we add from other sources appear to have no effect.

"Preventive measures such as lubricants and enzymes have not been clinically proven to be effective . . ." JosieThompson, DVM



"there is no evidence that bromelain or papain can degrade hair; a hairball incubated in vitro with bromelain showed no outward changes after several days. We conducted an experiment to determine whether any of these treatments were truly effective. Equal amounts of rabbit hair were incubated at 100 F (38C) (the rabbit�s approximate body temperature) in papaya, Viokase-V, and pineapple juice solutions. As a control, normal physiological saline was used for an additional sample. All were adjusted to a pH of 2.0 with 6M Hcl to simulate the acid content of the rabbit�s stomach and incubated for 24, 48, and 72 hours. When the hair was washed and dried after the treatment periods, there was no significant difference between any of the treatments and the control for any of the time periods. Although none of these treatments exhibited any ability to dissolve hair, it is possible that they may aid in the breakdown of trichobezoars by dissolving the proteinaceous matrix that binds them together."

It is advisable to add fresh vegetables to the diet of a rabbit suffering from wool block.. . "http://members.aol.com/bcwooly/hairballs.html







Pam

Carolyn wrote:

Question Doc.

Then what would've caused Tucker's chin to become bald when I was treating him for GI Stasis with fresh pineapple juice?

There was nothing else that I was giving him at the time that 'ran over' onto his fur when I was syringe feeding him.

Respectfully submitted,
-Carolyn

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Anysticky substance syringe fed to a rabbit will result in hair loss around the mouth. (In fact,even water keeping the skin moist can result in hair loss).

Cut off some rabbit hair and soak it in pineapple juice for a day --you'll find the enzymes to have absolutely no effect. Hair does not degrade easily, nor does it digest (as you can tell by the fur present in droppings during a molt). The only common household substance I've found that will dissolve hair is full strength bleach -- and you can't feed that to a rabbit.

Pam

heh...this might be a good topic for my independent study at school...im a biotech major and we have to eventually run our own study...id have everything under the sun to try and break down the hair with...and certainly plenty of bunny hair most likely something along the lines that would break down keratin and sulfide .... who knows maybe something will come out of it!

FreddysMom wrote:

heh...this might be a good topic for my independent study at school...im a biotech major and we have to eventually run our own study...id have everything under the sun to try and break down the hair with...and certainly plenty of bunny hair most likely something along the lines that would break down keratin and sulfide.... who knows maybe something will come out of it!

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Hope you get started on it soon! We'll look forward to seeing the results posted!

Pam

Okay, excluding the fresh pineapple juice as helpful in Tucks recovering from his severe case of GI Stasis, what do you think it was that got him over it?

The canned pumpkin for the fiber he wasn't getting, and/or the NutriCal - with all of its values?


-Carolyn

I've never really put any stock in that thought with any of my animals. I've had lots of chemistry and had kind of come to the same conclusion, but I've not had any real proof, so I never said anything. My rabbits won't drink pineapple juice anyway. They get lots of fiber in their pellets, hay and canned pumpkin.

Jen

Carolyn wrote:

Okay, excluding the fresh pineapple juice as helpful in Tucks recovering from his severe case of GI Stasis, what do you think it was that got him over it?

The canned pumpkin for the fiber he wasn't getting, and/or the NutriCal - with all of its values?

-Carolyn

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I've had rabbitsrecover from serious blockages using every method in the bookfrom doing absolutely nothing to doing absolutely everything. Nutri Cal, enzymes, pineapple juice, gator aid, vinegar (to alter ph), hay, greens, etc. etc. So far, there is no single method that is considered to be the "magic cure" for GI stasis.

I've had rabbits that went downhill so far that I'd never thought they'd recover - yet miraculously didand lost others that did not appear to be as ill.

Studies indicate that none of the common enzymes we give to rabbits are effective in breaking down blockages in any way nor do they appear to have any effect in aiding digestion.

Pam

Thank you, Pam. urplepansy:

This information helps me a lot.



-Carolyn

If only I would have seen this a few hours ago... today at the store I just stocked up on Pineapple juice and canned pumpkin... being a shedding season and all :?. This is good info to know though... still curious to see if anyone finds anything really proven to help... GI stasis seems to be such a problem in rabbits... I hope something helpful gets discovered

~ Jamie

I'm so glad that I read this, as I am having problems with a 3 wk old doe. I've tried everything I have on hand, and was about to make a trip to get some pineapple. I'm giving her an ORT solution, hay, and oats, not that she's eating just yet, but she is still drinking. I just wish I knew what I was doing wrong. It seems to only be effecting our does.

I'm copying this and putting it into my binder for permanent reference.

There is always so much confusion in these issues. If and when Sebastian gets sick, I want to have a hardcopy that I can refer toina time that I know I will be emotionally distraught and more apt to make less informed decisions.

Thanks Pam!

Raspberry

Information from Mayo clinic also stated that there is no proven evidence that digestive enzymes are effective in aiding digestion in humans, and that in some cases, mega doses of these enzymes may be harmful.

There is evidence however, that these enzymes may have anti-inflammatory properties.



Pam

pamnock wrote:

There is evidence however, that these enzymes may have anti-inflammatory properties.



Pam

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Now I find this VERY interesting! A few years ago when I was struggling with my Lupus so much, I had terrible joint pain. A family friend suggested that I drink grapefruit juice several times a day. She said it was an "old fashioned" way of dealing with arthritis.

My doctors were having no luck with medication and I was nearly out of my mind in pain. I ended up trying it and within 2-3 weeks felt much better! When I told my doctor about it, she said it was probably the power of suggestion or that perhaps my Lupus had cycled back through to a more manageable pain level for me.

I kept drinking the juice for a while but eventually quit because I hated the way it tasted.

Maybe I will go look at those studies again. I have two daughters with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis, I have Lupus and I have a sister with Rheumatoid Arthritis. The more natural approach is very appealing to me!

Raspberry

TO: Pam Nock

Dear Friend,

I have to tell you, Pam, ever since I read this post, I've been on edge.

As you know, Tucker is prone to GI Stasis. I'm having more than a houseful at my place the night before the Boathouse Party. I thought of the heavy traffic being scary for Tucks, but I figured that I had a remedy should he get upset and go into GI Stasis.

Having read this new information about pineapple juice, it made me question everything.

By some miracle, Tucker came out of GI Stasis with the formula I was giving him. I don't know what it was that eventually got his system going again, but somewhere in that mix, something worked.

I can't quote you verbatim, but you said something along the lines to me once that, "You gather all the information you can, you put it together, and figure out what works for your rabbit."

Some things work for some rabbits, and some things don't. Not sure I'm willing to completely discount the findings on the pineapple juice, as it's the mucus that breaks down - which you know, not the fur. Perhaps it was the anti-inflammatory aspect of the juice that helped? I don't know. All I know is that my rabbit is still alive.

I'll follow this study with great interest.

-Carolyn