SAS
Well-Known Member
Lissa wrote:
I don't think its that bad, it should be used with caution,under vet supervision (and isn't necessary if the rabbit is eating on its own), and it should not taken regularly. The jury's still out re: its use in GI slowdown. (Its great for anorexic,oldand otherwise seriously underweight buns). Here's an excerpt from the Etherbun Yahoo Group from somebody I trust there.
(You have to join, so I'll reprint some key bits here). She brings up a good point about suddenly switching to Nutrical, which actually makes me wonder about Pedialyte and pumpkin(which worked wonders whenmy bunny stopped eating from what turned out to be molar spurs) or anything else.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/etherbun/
The thing about nutrical is that here we are talking about the importance of gradually switching from one pellet brand to another when our rabbits are *healthy* to avoid shocking their systems, etc.
But the difference between Brand A and Brand B of pellets pales to nothing at all in comparison to the potential shock that suddenly switching to Nutrical would be.
For those who aren't familiar with this product, it was invented to provide omnivores (astronauts) with a high density nutritional source. It is now marketed for dogs and, to a lesser extent, for cats. It is *not* formulated with herbivores (rabbits) in mind,
although it can be used for them in a pinch.
The contents are:
Corn Syrup, Soybean Oil, Malt Syrup, Cod Liver Oil, Cane Molasses,Methylcellulose, Water, Peptones, dl-Alpha tocopheryl Acetate (Vit.E), Sodium Benzoate (Preservative), Manganese Sulphate, Iron
Peptonate, Thiamine HCl, Nicotinamide, Calcium Pantothenate (source of Calcium and Pantothenic Acid), Magnesium Sulphate, Pyridoxine HCl,Vitamin A Palmitate, Potassium Iodide (Source of Iodine and
Potassium), Riboflavin 5' Phosphate Sodium (Source of Vit. B2 and Phosphorus), Vitamin A Palmitate & D3 Concentrate, Folic Acid and Cyanocobalamin (Vit. B12)
Susan
And there was a brilliant exchange with her and Pam Nock last month: Here's a bit ofit:
On Dec 14, 2005, at 5:02 AM, Pamela Nock wrote:
;There are many different causes of GI stasis, including megacolor, agenetic predisposition. Weight,diet and even stress can also play arole...Some rabbits simply get "slubbish" and pick at their food, whileothersmay develop a full blown"pseudo" blockage or bloat.
And for that very reason, there is no single "best" treatment for GI slowdown--not lactulose, not nutrical,and not any of the other treatments that might be used or suggested on this list. The "best
treatment" is the one that works for the specific rabbit in question and addresses the underlying cause of the GI slowdown being addressed.
Susan
There was some good things aboutLactulose on this thread too,I think. Being a busy group, searching is a bit of a pain, but its worth it.
SAS
I don't think its that bad, it should be used with caution,under vet supervision (and isn't necessary if the rabbit is eating on its own), and it should not taken regularly. The jury's still out re: its use in GI slowdown. (Its great for anorexic,oldand otherwise seriously underweight buns). Here's an excerpt from the Etherbun Yahoo Group from somebody I trust there.
(You have to join, so I'll reprint some key bits here). She brings up a good point about suddenly switching to Nutrical, which actually makes me wonder about Pedialyte and pumpkin(which worked wonders whenmy bunny stopped eating from what turned out to be molar spurs) or anything else.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/etherbun/
The thing about nutrical is that here we are talking about the importance of gradually switching from one pellet brand to another when our rabbits are *healthy* to avoid shocking their systems, etc.
But the difference between Brand A and Brand B of pellets pales to nothing at all in comparison to the potential shock that suddenly switching to Nutrical would be.
For those who aren't familiar with this product, it was invented to provide omnivores (astronauts) with a high density nutritional source. It is now marketed for dogs and, to a lesser extent, for cats. It is *not* formulated with herbivores (rabbits) in mind,
although it can be used for them in a pinch.
The contents are:
Corn Syrup, Soybean Oil, Malt Syrup, Cod Liver Oil, Cane Molasses,Methylcellulose, Water, Peptones, dl-Alpha tocopheryl Acetate (Vit.E), Sodium Benzoate (Preservative), Manganese Sulphate, Iron
Peptonate, Thiamine HCl, Nicotinamide, Calcium Pantothenate (source of Calcium and Pantothenic Acid), Magnesium Sulphate, Pyridoxine HCl,Vitamin A Palmitate, Potassium Iodide (Source of Iodine and
Potassium), Riboflavin 5' Phosphate Sodium (Source of Vit. B2 and Phosphorus), Vitamin A Palmitate & D3 Concentrate, Folic Acid and Cyanocobalamin (Vit. B12)
Susan
And there was a brilliant exchange with her and Pam Nock last month: Here's a bit ofit:
On Dec 14, 2005, at 5:02 AM, Pamela Nock wrote:
;There are many different causes of GI stasis, including megacolor, agenetic predisposition. Weight,diet and even stress can also play arole...Some rabbits simply get "slubbish" and pick at their food, whileothersmay develop a full blown"pseudo" blockage or bloat.
And for that very reason, there is no single "best" treatment for GI slowdown--not lactulose, not nutrical,and not any of the other treatments that might be used or suggested on this list. The "best
treatment" is the one that works for the specific rabbit in question and addresses the underlying cause of the GI slowdown being addressed.
Susan
There was some good things aboutLactulose on this thread too,I think. Being a busy group, searching is a bit of a pain, but its worth it.
SAS
Angie
