Oxbow Critical Care for herbivores

Product Information

It contains all the essential nutrients for a complete diet (obviously a healthy rabbit should not consume it! Add a bit of water into the barrel too, put the plunger on the back to block the water from coming out, point the syringe tip up and the air pocket will go up too – this gives you the chance to push the plunger in and only lose air! Therefore, it is important that when providing critical care nutrition, the chosen diet is provided in sufficient quantities. The 1ml syringes work really well but whenever I try to use a bigger one it all just dribbles out of his mouth.

You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. It is important with any syringe feeding that the correct syringes are used, especially for the Oxbow Critical Care, as adding warm water can make the fibre swell, so it is useful to remember to use the syringes provided with the product. You’ll want to pull the lip on the side of the rabbit that is closest to you so you can see the front teeth.

So if your pets are ever under the weather, know that Oxbow’s Critical Care products are there to help with a fast and safe recovery. Critical Care is used after surgery or medical diagnosis to get your rabbit’s digestion moving again. As mentioned before, our Critical Care products are most commonly used to provide complete nutrition for your sick, geriatric, and/or convalescing friends.

These caecotrophs contain vitamins and amino acids produced by microbial activity, and are directly consumed from the anus ( Pollock and Irlbeck, 2011). The correct method of syringe feeding should always be employed to reduce the risk of further complications that could be detrimental to the rabbit's health. For example, carbonic anhydrase is absent from the thick ascending limb of the renal tubule of rabbits, whereas in other species carbonic anhydrase is present in large amounts in the ascending tubule epithelial cells. If it is too thin, we will lose the fibre content, if it is too thick the bunny will have trouble swallowing it. The full method of placement is outside the scope of this article, however, complications can include placement in the trachea, epistaxis, damage to the mucosa, tube blockage, reflux, aspiration and nasal discharge ( Brown, 2010).Critical Care is to be used in animals that are not eating voluntarily and are under a veterinarian’s care. A baby’s bib around the rabbit’s neck may be more tolerable to the rabbit than a paper towel, and it helps minimise the mess and wetness that can be caused by assisted feeding. As a pet parent, you’re no doubt familiar with everyday nutrition in the form of hays, fortified foods, and healthy treats. Syringe feeding is a short-term solution, and as soon as the rabbit is eating by itself, then their normal diet should be gradually reintroduced.

Providing the correct nutrition is key to helping to maintain a healthy digestive system as well a healthy gut microflora. How many feeds needed will depend on how much your bunny will take and their overall health condition. We and selected third parties use cookies or similar technologies for technical purposes and, with your consent, also for other purposes as specified in the cookie policy. Providing any critical care nutrition depends on the disease process and/or the patient's specific requirements. And warn her that dandelion can result in very red/orange pee – perfectly normal but can look scary.Assisted feeding can often stimulate the rabbit’s appetite, so be sure to offer some fresh, tasty food in the enclosure directly after feeding. If the rabbit is refusing to swallow at all, then the feeding should be stopped and the patient re-assessed to avoid the risk of aspiration and choking.