Supplement to boost appetite!!

[chinmom]

I make a supplement that I give to my chinchillas every night, and Georgie gets it a few times a week. I will guarantee you that your bunny will eat this! I've had several sick animals, and when nothing else has worked to help their appetite, this always has. Another chin owner wrote to me a few weeks ago, telling me that one of her little ones was sick and wouldn't eat anything, and would absolutely refuse critical care. Well, she sprinkled a little bit of the supplement on top of his food, he ran (bear in mind this was a lethargic chinchilla) to the food bowl, at all the supplement and a few pellets, then took a few laps on his wheel.

I completely guarantee that this will work for your bunny or any other small animal. Everything in this supplement is 100% organic, and is mixed by me. All of the herbs are bunny safe--I researched for several weeks before giving it to my chins or to Georgie. The following is a basic list of the ingredients:

Rolled Oats
Un-hulled Oats
Flax Seed
Pearled Barley
Teensy bit of unsalted sunflower seeds
Chamomile
Lavender
Clover
Calendula
Peppermint
Dandelion Leaf
Raspberry Leaf
Sage
Colts Foot
Calf Manna (helps with appetite as well as fur quality)

Because of the expensive ingredients, this supplement sells for $2.50 an ounce, $20 for half a pound, or $35 for a full pound. I can ship this in flat-rate priority envelopes, which is $4.60 to anywhere in the US, or $11 to the UK. For anywhere else in the world, I will need your country and location and can give you a shipping quote. The money received for this supplement goes straight back to making another batch, and if there happen to be any funds left over, it goes straight into the rescue account.

I'm not sure why my PMs aren't working, so if you are interested, either post her, oremail me at [email protected] and I will reply as soon as I get it!!

Thanks all!!

*Annie*

 

[chinmom]

My PMs are back up, so you can reply to me there now, if you'd like!! I also have a picture of the supplement that I forgot to post! It's quite pretty if you ask me!!

And Georgie enjoying his last night...once he smells it, this is the furthest into the cage I'm allowed to put the bowl:

 

[chinmom]

Just a slight bump!

 

[ellissian]

Do you know if all the ingredients are safe for guinea pigs to eat too?

I've always had problems getting them to take Critical Care.

 

[Aliena]

I don't suppose you can tell me how many ounces are in a kilo? And I imagine this would be pretty expensive to send all the way to NZ?

 

[chinmom]

Ellissian: Yup! It's safe for all small animals, so you can give it to your guinea pigs.

Aliena: There are 35 ounces in a kilo, and it looks like it will stillbe $11 to ship to you!

 

[ellissian]

How long does it keep fresh for?

 

[chinmom]

If you keep it in an airtight container, it will stay fresh for 6-8 weeks. You can also freeze it for up to 6 months.

 

[ellissian]

Ok thanks

 

[Aliena]

Have worked out that would cost me $60 NZD for just under 1/2 a kg (one pound), sorry but I can't afford that, is a shame cause I would have loved some for my sick lil bunny.

 

[Pipp]

I'd like to hear from some of our people versed in rabbit nutrition for some feedback on this -- the benefits for rabbits and a cost assessment. (I've never bought those ingredients).

This is a borderline case under our allowable rules.

We may actually be establishing a 'For Sale' section on the forum, though, so stay tooned!!



sas

 

[chinmom]

I'm sorry Pipp...I didn't realize I was doing anything wrong. Would it help if I posted lists and places where I got my information?

I forgot to post before...I had my vet look over my list of ingredients for safety. She specializes in small animals and exotics, and has done several surgeries on chinchilla rescues, as well as rabbits.

 

[Pipp]

I'd like to hear from our own crew... Pam, Randy, Angela and our other knowledgeable types... if they would like to comment.

For my own opinion,I think I'd have to caution the caregiver to be completelysure why their bun 'needs' this.

If you have a skinny, picky eater, it could help. But if you have abunny whohas stopped eating for unknown reasons, that's not good enough.

If the bunnyhas diarrhea or any number of other things, this could bedetrimental. It's a very high carb mix, and if the bunny's problem is a gut imbalance and/or cecal dysbiosis,I would think thisis throwing fat on the fire.

The contentsare nothing likeCritical Care,which is heavy in hayfibre and vitamins.

And just like with any other food, unless thebunny is used to eating supplement ingredients, it has to be introduced slowly.

So knowingwhen and why tofeedit is NB.

sas :?

 

[chinmom]

Okay, that's fine!

 

[ra7751]

Hi Guys,

Thought I would give my "two cents" on this one. I don't see anything harmful in this supplement. But like everything else with rabbits, it should be offered in very limited quantities. I suspect the "boost" in appetite would be mainly from some of the herbs that could be offered more safely and in a better form. What really concerns me with this treat food is the Colt's Foot (which parts are toxic) and the Calf Manna which is extremely high in protein...so much that offering this product in excess will result in some major Gi issues.Calf Manna is used by livestock breeders to "fatten up" their stock for sale. It is a really high octane (protein) food.And with the ingredients in this, I fear that the "increase" in appetite would be at the expense of a really healthy grass diet.

A really huge concern of mine when someone is using some of these type supplements is when the rabbit is sick and the vet has prescribed drugs. In many situations some of the ingredients in these supplements can alter the effectiveness of a drug. While I am not saying that supplements are bad...my overall point is to make sure that if you give your buns supplements or use holistic type treatments that you alert your vet to that fact if drugs are prescribed to prevent negative interactions between the supplements and the drugs.

And I also wanted to respond to a post on this threadabout Critical Care being difficult to feed. It doesn't have to be force fed with a syringe. Think "outside the box" and come up with creative ways to offer it. One of my methods is something I call a "burrito". I use it a lot to feed buns with head tilt. I mix the CC and spread it in a piece of lettuce. I roll it up like a burrito and hand feed it. Several things there....the animal gets the nutrition of the CC, it gets some greens, I move the lettuce roll around and make the rabbit follow it to help with orientation and it gives some all so special and helpful one on one TLC. We have fed CC in many different ways. Think about it and be creative.

Randy

 

[ellissian]

I have never had to feed Milly Critical Care yet (thankfully).

My experience is from feeding guinea pigs, who have completely refused to eat anything at all. My only options have been to force feed Critical Care, as they had refused to eat hay, veg and pellets. I have hadpigs who completely refused to swallow the Critical Care and subsequetly died.

I would be happy to try anythingto get my animalsto eat again, providing it wassafe for them.

 

[chinmom]

Thanks for the input Randy!!I don't mean this to contend with the knowledge of members here, but Iwanted to post several sites that Ifound extremely helpful in developing the supplement. I haven't found anything that suggests that coltsfoot isn't safe...

http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/rwf/articles/safefoods.htm

Galen's Garden has it listed as safe...here is their website, which is a wonderful directory of safe herbs and their health benefits in rabbits, guinea pigs, chinchillas, etc.:
http://www.galensgarden.co.uk/herbs/index.php


Here is a report done by Harvard Medical School, which details herb/drug interactions in humans.
http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WS/8513/31402.html

One more that details herb/drug interactions in pets, and is overall a great site:
http://altvetmed.org/articles/herbs.html

One more and then I'm done, I swear!! If you find an herb on this list, click it and then click "animal studies" and it shows articles in which it was discussed:
http://www.herbmed.org/herblist.asp?varName=Common&varLetter=


I forgot--I was told that Calf Manna would begood for situations where achinchilla or bunny isn't eating...do you think I should take theCM out?

 

[naturestee]

IMO this appears more treat-like than proper nutrition for a sick animal. Rolled oats are an appropriate way to get some rabbits to eat, especially if they are just picky eaters and you mix a smidge into their pellets. I use them to test how truly bad my rabbits are feeling. If they won't eat oats willingly they definately need help, as opposed to just being fussy which Mocha often does. I do the same with canned pumpkin.

I agree with Randy about the Calf Manna- it's very high in protein and energy and could upset a rabbit's stomach. I know it's a popular supplement for young Flemish there's a difference between giving a small amount daily and introducing some to an already ill rabbit. It's likely to cause problems with rabbits who are sensitive to higher protein levels, which many adult rabbits are to some extent. Some, like my Fey and Sprite, might even become seriously ill from it because they are so very sensitive. It's not something I'd recommend feeding unless you know how your rabbit tolerates foods like this.

The high carbs are also a concern and can throw the bacteria populations in the intestines out of whack.

Many of the herbs are good but IMO would be better off fed separate from the high carb/high protein stuff. They could also be used in a different way, such as cold tea mixed into a second bowl of water or syringe-fed. Another idea was recommended by my vet- finely chop a bit of herbs like parsley or mint and mix them into the pellet mush/Critical Care. They help flavor it

BTW, for those that have trouble getting animals to eat Critical Care try making a mush out of your own pellets. They might appreciate the taste more.

Also remember that if an animal is not eating there is usually an underlying cause that needs to be treated. If that isn't treated they're not likely to get better and they probably won't eat either.

In my opinion this isn't something I would use. I have looked at purchasing somewhat similar mixes as a treat- they contain dried herbs only and are sold as treats to mix into hay or pellets.

 

[chinmom]

Should I take this thread down?

 

[polly]

We usually mix our CC with mushed up pellets or over food or in a bowl of water as it says you can do that. If they are not eating at all