Ideas on administering FibrePlex

[bunbun00]

So, following my last thread on Onix’s poopy butt. I decided to take him to a vet just to be sure.

The vet checked his teeth, weight and we discussed that I currently feed him on hay only. She said this is fine as he’s a good hay eater but encouraged me to buy some new pellets that were for indoor buns (contain vitamin D but not sure they will help, think they’re selective brand) So, I’m going to give him a tiny amount to start with and feed him some of the fibreplex (2ml, 3times a day)

But… it is so so pasty and when I feed it to him in the pre packaged syringe, it pastes like wet sand into his fur it’s so messy and I’m not sure how much he’s actually eating. Has anyone had similar problems? Can I give it to him in water? Or put it on the pellets? I think it just aids with digestion and have been reading reviews on this product but I’m still anxious about giving it to him.

Sorry for the anxious rambling!

[Bam]

I have used Fibreplex. It has a difficult consistency, I agree. It’s kind of “stiff” and non-compliant. I mixed it with a little CC and water. It doesn’t readily mix, but it was the best I could do. I mixed it in a shot glass with a bamboo skewer (you’ll figure out what tools work best for you), then pulled it up into a 1 ml feeding syringe. It has brewer’s yeast (live), and that’s a microorganism that occurs naturally in the healthy bunny gut.

I’d suggest you use the Fibreplex as best you can until it’s finished. Then, if his problems persist, switch to a probiotic pellet that’s made by the same company as the Fibreplex. The pellets also contain brewer’s yeast and they appear to be very tasty. I had a bun that was prone to poopy butt and when he passed away in August I still had half a jar of those those pellets, I use them as treats for the bun I have now. Probiotics can’t readily be overdosed, the bun just poops out the surplus.

Selective pellets are good quality pellets.

[bunbun00]

Ah, thank you so much for the advice. It seemed to have worked! Not sure what CC is but I mixed the FibrePlex with water and managed to syringe feed it to him whilst he was in a bunny burrito. He’s definitely feeling sorry for himself

I’m going to buy some of the pro biotic pellets, just trying to be hopeful that this will work as I don’t know what else I can do is this fails…

What precise diet do you think is appropriate at this stage? I’m feeling awful just making him eat hay.

[Bam]

Don’t feel awful for making him eat “just” hay! Grass has the optimum nutritional profile for buns, its skinny so they can eat a lot of it often, and that’s how buns (and horses) naturally eat. If you give him a good variety of grass hats (or mixes, most European hay is sold as “meadow hay” and that’s mixed grasses), he will want for nothing. You can of course give him a few of the new pellets -start slowly- perhaps handled as treats when you have cuddle time. Sometimes pellets are too rich for a poopy butt bun, so only give a few for starters.

If you can get him twigs from pesticide free apple trees and/or willow, that could add some enrichment to his daily life + some good fiber. Its rather like giving a dog a bone to gnaw on -it’s delicious, not fattening and a nice activity. Tree bark also contains astringent tannins that can help the gut. The first few times a bun gets a fresh twig the bun will only gnaw a little bit on it, but they soon become expert at stripping off the bark.

(CC is short for Oxbow Critical Care. It’s a recovery formula for small herbivores. I think Supreme Recovery Plus is more common in the U.K. Both are products for buns that won’t/can’t eat enough.)

[JackRabbit]

Switching my sensitive tummy boy to Sherwood adult maint pellets (he’s a big hay eater too) made a huge difference with his poopy butt. No soy, no fillers, no added sugars. Might be worth a try.

[Bam]

Jackrabbit (Hoppy New Year to you, btw!) sadly Sherwood isn’t marketed in Europe =(

Really good options in the UK I’d say is Fibafirst sticks or VetCare Plus Digestive Health formula (another type of stick pellet). They have 30% and 32% crude fibre respectively. I used to buy that from the UK but the bun I have now is very good at eating hay so I nolonger have the same need.

[bunbun00]

So I’m currently administering the FibrePlex paste.

I’ve now bought some critical care (hopefully I don’t need to use it) and some Protexin probiotic pellets. So hopefully he will eat those.

Looking into the infant gas drops, what brands are suitable in the UK? I went to some shops today and couldn’t find anything suitable so looking for some advice on specific products.

Thanks again for the help, just want him to get back to normal!

[Bam]

Infacol is the brand I use. I make people I know buy it for me in the UK =) It seems much more well liked by buns than the type I can get here.

Infacol can be found in many places, for example at Boots or on the baby-shelf of Tesco. If you buy it at a pharmarcy, don’t say that you’re getting it for a rabbit because they can refuse to sell it to you. It’s not licensed for use in rabbits so technically, pharmacists must refuse to sell it unless you have a vet prescription. That happened to one of our members in the UK once. She just went to another shop though.

The strenght of Infacol is 40 mg/ml. 0.5-1 ml is a suitable starter-dose, for prolonged use 0.5 ml should do. It’s very difficult to mistakenly overdose gas drops though.

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