Hello all, I'm new to the forum but pleased to find such a vast amount of info regarding care for my bun! Recently I have been researching my dog's food (first time dog owner) because I was curious about what I was really feeding her. I came across the dog food project website which helped open my eyes and make better choices regarding her nutrition. I felt terrible when I learned about all the dangerous chemicals used in pet food today and that got me thinking to check all my other pet's food as well. Much to my dismay, I discovered myBear's beloved Oxbow BBT containsMenadione Sodium Bisulfate, a synthetic vitamin K that is linked to many serious health issues!:cry1:I've been trying to find a good replacement, Oxbow recently released an Organic Rabbit food that seems clear of these harmful chemicals. I also found ZuPreem carriesa rabbit food that seems safe. I used to feed her Kaytee Timothy Hay and was a big fan of the company until I saw that my parakeet's Kaytee FortiDiet seed had Ethoxyquin in it, which was originally used as a stabilizer for rubber!?! (Needless to say she'll be one ZuPreem Avain soon) I feel that if these companies feel safe about putting these chemicals into some foods they sell, whose to say they haven't tampered with other products like their hays? As you all can see I'm very much on the fence about this. I just want what's best for my furry babies. It's very upsetting that there isn't a vast variety of safer foods out there for Rabbits as it's becoming for dogs and cats. Any input is appreciated!
Pellet Concerns!!
- Thread starter Rosie07
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AngelnSnuffy
Well-Known Member
Welcome to the forum!
You've got me a bit worried.
:shock: I've not heard this and I feed Oxbow pellets! Or Zupreem for that matter.
What else do you know, anything about these particular foods?Such a shame so many chemicals need to be used.:disgust:
You've got me a bit worried.
:shock: I've not heard this and I feed Oxbow pellets! Or Zupreem for that matter.
What else do you know, anything about these particular foods?Such a shame so many chemicals need to be used.:disgust:
hartleybun
Well-Known Member
hi rosie07 - im a dognbun mum toowho has the same problems here in the uk. im lucky in that i have a very rabbit savvy vet whowas able to give me great advice on feeding - particular what went into the commercial brands. i get the impression that the petfood manufacturers deliberately baffle us with science - how many people really know what the words mean, and have the skills to researchthe side effects:?
same with the dog food - especially the tins of 'meat' one brand i looked at had 82.5% moisture listed as an ingredient:rollseyesas well as the usual chemicals and ash.
have to say tho' that the buns are easier to grow food for myself than the dogs - they have to compete with the other omnivores in the house
same with the dog food - especially the tins of 'meat' one brand i looked at had 82.5% moisture listed as an ingredient:rollseyesas well as the usual chemicals and ash.
have to say tho' that the buns are easier to grow food for myself than the dogs - they have to compete with the other omnivores in the house
Hi AngelnSnuffy, it came to a shock to me too about the Oxbow because my vet was the one who suggested it, even sells it at his clinic! Bear had been fed some generic lab diet food before I adopted her and I of course wanted the best so I decided to go with it. I've never tried ZuPreem, they seem mostly an avian based company and they came suggested after I frantically searched to change my poor parakeet's food when I saw they sell Rabbit and I believe Guinea Pig products as well. Here's the website in case you're interested- http://www.zupreem.com/ I'm going to try and compare ingredients to Oxbow and see if anything else catches my eye, I'll keep you posted.
And hartleybun, I agree with you completely! We had a huge dog food recall here in 2007, dogs were getting sick left and right, but not having any of my own at the time it wasn't a top priority for me to check it out. I knew of BHA and BHT, other bad chemicals to avoid, so when I didn't see them on the label I thought we're good to go. I probably would have noticed alot sooner if she hadn't received so many healthy treats aside from her food- canned pumpkin, carrots, apple slices. My vet said my pup was fine at her checkup, but I'm sure if she had been pn straight dry kibble I would have noticed alot sooner. These companies do baffle us with their mumbo jumbo and lead us astray with false lies. Here's the dog food project website (http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=main), previously I didn't know where to begin as when I searched for reviews of a certain product online it's always mixed, not everyone loves it, not everyone hates it....so should I buy it?!? I only wish one existed for Rabbits, if there is I have yet to uncover it. What angers me is how high the price of Oxbow is, it's the leading brand that many a one of us use, I'm sure they can put some of this money aside and start using a natural form of vitamin K as many dog food brands have begun doing!:? So now I'm at a crossroads- switch to ZuPreem and keep buying Oxbow Timothy hay, switch to Oxbow organic and keep buying Oxbow Timothy hay, or just switch to ZuPreem all together...
And hartleybun, I agree with you completely! We had a huge dog food recall here in 2007, dogs were getting sick left and right, but not having any of my own at the time it wasn't a top priority for me to check it out. I knew of BHA and BHT, other bad chemicals to avoid, so when I didn't see them on the label I thought we're good to go. I probably would have noticed alot sooner if she hadn't received so many healthy treats aside from her food- canned pumpkin, carrots, apple slices. My vet said my pup was fine at her checkup, but I'm sure if she had been pn straight dry kibble I would have noticed alot sooner. These companies do baffle us with their mumbo jumbo and lead us astray with false lies. Here's the dog food project website (http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=main), previously I didn't know where to begin as when I searched for reviews of a certain product online it's always mixed, not everyone loves it, not everyone hates it....so should I buy it?!? I only wish one existed for Rabbits, if there is I have yet to uncover it. What angers me is how high the price of Oxbow is, it's the leading brand that many a one of us use, I'm sure they can put some of this money aside and start using a natural form of vitamin K as many dog food brands have begun doing!:? So now I'm at a crossroads- switch to ZuPreem and keep buying Oxbow Timothy hay, switch to Oxbow organic and keep buying Oxbow Timothy hay, or just switch to ZuPreem all together...
hartleybun
Well-Known Member
have checked out the dog food link - very informative. would it hurt to put the information on labelsin plain english? although the closet conspiracy believer in me probably wouldnt trust it anyway - given our governments track record with public health information. now that's given everyone the wrong impression of me h34r2:biggrin2:
seriously tho' if i didnt have such a good vet i would have probably ended up feeding my bunnies an unsuitable pellet food.
h34r2:biggrin2: seriously tho' if i didnt have such a good vet i would have probably ended up feeding my bunnies an unsuitable pellet food.
it's true, even plain english is just a bunch of words that can always have a hidden meaning! I admit I was way too trusting of my brands, it's all about reading labels now a days... and background checks! When did it become so difficult to feed your pets?! hartleybun, what did your vet suggest? I get the feeling mine may not see any real concern with Oxbow since he sells it at his clinic...:nerves1
hartleybun
Well-Known Member
dont know where you live but i feed the bunnies Science Selective pellets. they have timothy hay and 'ordinary' hay always available. they are free range bunnies with their own lawn to nibble - i fence off a bit to keep the dogs from fouling it. we are looking into growing some herbs and salads for the bunnies to supplement their carrots and what the veggies i buy. luckily my vet doesnt push the food they sell - another brand of pellets. he's no fan of the 'museli' mixes that most supermarkets sell either. both bunnies have a health check twice a year and are very healthy. nice to know im doing something right for my little darlings
we're very happy with our vets - a modern practice with specialists on hand, such as our bunny vet. same with the dogs - the one they see has had dogs all his life. it certainly makes my life easier to know that im getting the right advice and am not just seen as a means to make money:biggrin2:
we're very happy with our vets - a modern practice with specialists on hand, such as our bunny vet. same with the dogs - the one they see has had dogs all his life. it certainly makes my life easier to know that im getting the right advice and am not just seen as a means to make money:biggrin2:
OakRidgeRabbits
Well-Known Member
Calm down, guys!
All processed foods (human or pet) contain things that, on their own, aren't exactly desirable. But that doesn't mean that they are dangerous or unhealthy. Thousands of people feed Oxbow and this is the first I've ever heard of a "problem"...and this is hypothetical, at best.
I say- choose a feed that keeps good condition on your buns and otherwise don't worry about it!
All processed foods (human or pet) contain things that, on their own, aren't exactly desirable. But that doesn't mean that they are dangerous or unhealthy. Thousands of people feed Oxbow and this is the first I've ever heard of a "problem"...and this is hypothetical, at best.
I say- choose a feed that keeps good condition on your buns and otherwise don't worry about it!
Flick
Well-Known Member
This is a good thread!!!!! I was researching pellets a while back and came across this site. It's aimed at horses, but I think the information is valuable for rabbits as well.
http://www.tribeequus.com/label.html
Pixel, Skyler, and Parker all like Zupreem (Pixel hated Oxbow) and all have done well on it.
http://www.tribeequus.com/label.html
Pixel, Skyler, and Parker all like Zupreem (Pixel hated Oxbow) and all have done well on it.
pamnock
Well-Known Member
OakRidgeRabbits wrote:
:yeahthat:
I agree that there should be no reason to panic. If you are concerned about the amount of some of the ingredients in the feed, you can cut back on the pelletsandsupplement fresh, non-processed foods.
Pam
Calm down, guys!
All processed foods (human or pet) contain things that, on their own, aren't exactly desirable. But that doesn't mean that they are dangerous or unhealthy. Thousands of people feed Oxbow and this is the first I've ever heard of a "problem"...and this is hypothetical, at best.
I say- choose a feed that keeps good condition on your buns and otherwise don't worry about it!
:yeahthat:
I agree that there should be no reason to panic. If you are concerned about the amount of some of the ingredients in the feed, you can cut back on the pelletsandsupplement fresh, non-processed foods.
Pam
pamnock
Well-Known Member
Rosie07 wrote:
Many of the ZuPreem animal feeds contain menadione including this rabbit feed http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3076399. I wouldn't be overly concerned about this ingredient unless your rabbit has blood problems that would deem this product unsafe for them to eat, or if your rabbit is eating excessive amounts of the pellets.
Pam
Many of the ZuPreem animal feeds contain menadione including this rabbit feed http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3076399. I wouldn't be overly concerned about this ingredient unless your rabbit has blood problems that would deem this product unsafe for them to eat, or if your rabbit is eating excessive amounts of the pellets.
Pam
tonyshuman
Well-Known Member
What is the data that ways menandione is linked to health issues?
Mrs. PBJ
Well-Known Member
I personal know a lot of people that feed ox bow with no problem I feed zupreem but mainly because My friend that owns the pet shop out here got that for me and storm loves it never really tried ox bow but I do use there hay.
I feed zupreem pellets and ox bow hay dont have a problem with either. I would feed zupreem or ox bow but storm does so good on zupreem. The good old saying if nothings wrong don't fix it.
I feed zupreem pellets and ox bow hay dont have a problem with either. I would feed zupreem or ox bow but storm does so good on zupreem. The good old saying if nothings wrong don't fix it.
