Is it good to feed calf manna to a senior bunny who's lost weight?

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JBG

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My 11+ yr old bunny lost .5 lbs over the past year. I was told I could feed him a small amount of calf manna. He's stomach did not tolerate Oxbow's alfalfa and timothy pellets.

Is calf manna good for senior bunnies?

All advice is appreciated.

Thanks.
 
No at all - the excessive protein can cause dire harm to elderly rabbits.

Try: oats w/ a little corn oil on them, black oil sunflower seeds, Nutri Cal, a little senior feed for horses. Try to get something into your rabbit that is very easy to metabolize and requires little chewing.
 
I'm glad I asked. How much Nutri Cal do you give to the bunny? Thanks.
 
you want to make sure the bunny is loosing weight just because of age and not something serious as well
 
fuzz16 wrote:
you want to make sure the bunny is loosing weight just because of age and not something serious as well
GOOD point! I had my bunny checked by a vet. All seems OK, e.g. heart, lungs, full body x-ray, blood work. Even though he lost .5 lbs over the past year, I'm going to stop the calf manna,as recommended. Since my little guys sore hocks are healing, he's so much happier. It's GREAT to see that!!!

So many people have different opinions. It's so confusing.
 
I agree that the cause of the weight loss should be investigated. In many cases, older animals may simply not be able to metabolize their food well. Also, in many cases of older animals, there is an underlying health issue that has developed.

I'd give about 1/2 inch ribbon of Nutri Cal. The senior Nutri Cal has glucosamine, which is helpful in treating joint problems.
 
Thanks for the recommendation.

I read the ingredients of the Nutri Cal Senior. Since it's made for dogs, are all the ingredients good for rabbits? If so, I know that the glucosamine would be great for my little guy's arthritis.
 
I've used it for years and it's worked miracles in a number of cases. It certainly doesn't hurt to try!
 

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