Balancing critical care and normal food

[ohbonobogirl]

So Bandit is battling some health issues that have resulted in his being prescribed critical care as well as cisapride and a pain medication, along with sub-q fluids.  He’s begun eating a bit on his own, but is still mostly turning up his nose at “proper” bunny food.  He did spend a few hours outside today and occasionally munched on grass, and this evening was willing to eat about .5 cups of spring mix as well as treats like apple and banana.  Bandit had just a few pellets this morning and has not had much hay, though he was willing to sample the botanical hay I picked up today.  He remains pretty interested in oats.  Yesterday, he ate very little at all, except for some treats, so today’s a pretty big improvement.  When I try to feed him critical care, he pretty much flat-out refuses, even when it’s mixed with mashed banana or a little apple juice.  The syringe feeding hasn’t gone so well so far, with Bandit mostly spitting it back out and getting it smeared all over his face and chin. Bandit’s poops have been itty-bitty, much more so than normal, but he’s had a couple of large-ish piles of them today.  He was really stressed by the trip to the vet on Friday, so I think it’s residual stress and hopefully not a beginning of stasis.   

My question is: how do you balance the critical care feedings with making sure he has tummy space to eat greens and hay if he were so inclined?  I don’t want to force the critical care to the exclusion of fresh greens and hay, but I really want to make sure he’s getting enough to eat.  I’m going to call the vet tomorrow to let them know about the tiny poops and see if they have any additional recommendations, and we have a follow-up appointment on Saturday morning.   

[drwil]

Vet told us 30 c of critical care for a rabbit that weighs a bit less than 2 kg. It is really meant to give them dense nutrition to jump start the digestive system.

Once they start eating on their own they will be fine….unless this is a longer disease than gi stasis, something like an infection or tooth abscess that requires prolonged treatment. In that case keep giving critical care… We make it thick and fill up bunny’s cheek pouches.

[ohbonobogirl]

Thanks! I’m going to ask the vet this morning when I call for his morning check in. Bandit has started to eat normal food, but still isn’t eating his typical amounts and is eating much less hay than he should. I’ve figured out how to get him to take the critical care, though, which was one of my biggest struggles, so I’m glad. He got about 50 ml yesterday of pretty thick stuff mixed with pumpkin and water and I think it really gave him the energy to perk up and start eating. Thanks again!

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