Pinneapple: Yay or Nay?

[wishingstar]

Three times now Astro has had difficulties with what I've been assuming is a blockage of some sort, and each time I've given him a little bit of pineapple juice. Within a few minutes, his pooping returned to normal, and he started eating his hay again. I'm currently trying to switch him to a healthier brand of pellets, and I've been slowly introducing him to different types of veggies, such as kale, parsley, and spinach. Normally, he eats a small dish of romaine lettuce twice day.

My third scare with him started last night, and lasted until this evening. The pineapple juice seemed to help him each time I gave it to him. He seems 100% himself now, munching on some fresh hay that I bought for him a couple of hours ago, even though he hasn't finished the other bag, yet.

I'm hesitant to use the "pineapple juice method" in the future, though, because of a thread I found about it, claiming that pineapple juice could have the opposite effect and should NOT be given to a rabbit. I'm curious as to what your opinions are?

 

[woahlookitsme]

I haven't heard of it doing the opposite but what mainly helps is the enzyme in the pineapple. The same enzyme is used in some meat tenderizers and it is the main science behind using it. The enzymes basically break down protein and are thought to break down the protein in the hair. Some people say it doesn't work but others swear by it. I havent ever heard or seen it to be Harmful.

 

[ladysown]

if what you are doing works, why mess with it?

you could also try regularly feeding him papaya.

 

[squidpop]

I think I read the same paper that said enzymes in pineapple will not dissolve hair so I don't do that. For blockages I believe in hydration, hydration and more hydration! When mine had the same problem, stopped eating and had a blockage, probably fur, I did a lot of research. One of the papers I read was by a person (I think it was phd Dana Krempels) who had done necropsies on rabbits and found that the blockages where usually a very "dry" mass of pellets and fur and the intestines where around the blockage were dehydrated. So, they proposed hydration therapy, to hydrate the intestines and blockage so it can move through. So, when it happens to my rabbits I syringe electrolyte solution every two hours and this has worked for me several times, my rabbit was fine by morning. I also continue to encourage extra water drinking for the following couple of days by pureeing some fruit, apple, bananna, berries into water to keep them drinking lots of fluids. Also, some extra fresh grass, or greens to keep fibre moving through their system.

 

[Aki]

I also read a lot of contradictory articles about pinneapple. My vet is supposedly one of the two best rabbit vets in France so I asked him. He replied that pineapple had enzymes which could in theory help with breaking hairball but that it was unlikely (if you put pineapple juice in a tube with hair, it won't disolve them). The good thing with pineapple is that it will encourage the rabbit to drink more, which is good, and the acid apparently helps the stomach to become acid again (rabbit's stomach are very acidic). BUT the acid can hurt the rabbit's mouth mucus membrane and it is unlikely to resolve the problem on its own. The conclusion was that pineapple is a "why not, can't hurt" if you give a small quantity of organic pineapple juice with water when the rabbit has a diagnosed blockage, to go with the treatment prescribed by a vet but that it was a bad idea to give it often as a hairball prevention remedy and that it would never resolve the problem by itself.
That's all I could find and I think it sounds sensible enough...

 

[squidpop]

Also, just realised there is another post on here that covers the whole GI stasis and wool block issue
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/showthread.php?t=23808

 

[Blue eyes]

This isn't on the pineapple topic, but you mentioned kale, parsley and spinach. I believe that all three of those are high in calcium and therefore it is recommended that those not be fed on a daily basis. A couple or 3x per week may be ok. The thought is that the calcium could build up in their system if they eat too much.
Other greens, like basil, mint, green or red leaf lettuce, and cilantro, do not have those issues and can be fed on a daily basis.

 

[JBun]

I don't believe pineapple works to dissolve fur, though it would work to tenderize meat protein. Hair/fur are tough to break up, hence why we have to use caustic chemicals to clear drains. If pineapple does have any health benefits in the case of GI stasis, then I believe it is more for the hydration aspect, the acidifying of the stomach that Aki mentioned, or it may also possibly help dissolve any mucous that may be contributing to the blockage. Though giving too much will also pose a risk of the sugars contributing to the overgrowth of harmful pathogens. So as long as it's not overdone with too much given, even though it won't dissolve any fur in a blockage, it still may possess some helpful benefits.
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/showthread.php?t=7199
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/showthread.php?t=74006

 

[wishingstar]

Thank you, everyone, for your feedback!!!