Critical Care treats?

[Bunnisox]

Trying to feed my rabbits Critical Care has been a nightmare. It doesn’t matter how much water I put into it, if I leave it out for them to eat on their own, or if I try to syringe feed it, it’s a horrible experience for them and they absolutely seem to hate the taste of it.

I’ve tried mixing in pumpkin and other types of fruit or baby food like banana, I’ve tried mixing it with apple juice, nothing works.

The only thing I found (by accident!) Is that if I leave the critical care out and it dries to a crunchy state, they seem to think it’s a treat and they’ll eat it right up.

I did some research online and see that some people use critical care and they’re homemade bunny treats, but it looks like they’re baking them in. Is this baking out any of the nutrients or healthy things inside the critical care? Wouldn’t it be just as effective to just let the mixture dry? Upon researching further, I found an article that indicated “Critical Care left out for more than 24 hours is toxic and should not be used”.

Does anybody else have any knowledge on this?

Note: it should be mentioned, I suppose, that I’m not actually using Oxbow Critical Care. I’m using Sherwood brand recovery formula, which I thought they would like better than Oxbow Critical Care. But it seems they don’t like either… Of course, unless they’re dried out.

Any information would be absolutely appreciated! ♡

[DanaNM]

Hi there,

If you feed it in treat form, you’ll need to bake it. The reason is that when it sits out and dries slowly, it allows mold to start growing and can become toxic (even if you don’t see mold). The baking process kills the mold so that doesn’t happen.

Same thing would happen with pelleted food, or any other brand.

The fiber and minerals in the CC (or whatever you are using) should be fine with some baking.

One thing to keep in mind is that syringe feeding is also very good for hydrating the bunny! So, if you go to CC cookie route, be sure to get some extra water into your bun! 

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[Bunnisox]

Thank you so much for the info DanaNM! I’ll be sure to bake them, and ensure they are intaking enough water. I appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions!!

[headpeon]

You could let them dry out just the way you have been, since you know that’s working for your rabbits. Just allow it to dry out on a plate in the fridge, so it doesn’t get moldy. 

One thing I finally figured out after four bouts of GI stasis is that if I mix the critical care with green juice, my bun will eat it. I use half Naked’s Green Machine juice and half water when I mix the critical care, and I use Oxbow’s apple banana flavored version. If you have a juicer, you could make spinach/carrot juice to mix with the critical care. That works on my bun, too, though it’s much easier to just buy the Naked Green Machine than it is to do your own juicing.  

When my bun is just starting into GI stasis, she’ll eat the critical care off a spoon. If she’s in full blown stasis, she won’t eat anything, so I have to feed her via syringe. 

Good luck!

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