Natural Remedies??

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Ok, my friend came across this on a forum and sent it to me (the one who is running the rabbit shelter with me). I’m a bit biased over ‘natural’ remedies because I think that they are sometimes used because people equate natural=healthy=safe=can’t overdose etc. Sooo anyways, I’m going to post them here and see what you guys think-I’d really appreciate any comments what so ever regarding these. I do know many non-traditional medical procedures and natural remedies DO work so I’d love to know about this stuff: Anyways here goes!

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Plantain: For safe introduction of young kits to greens, for poopy-butt.

Raspberry leaves: Useful for promoting easy kindling. Feed during the last two weeks of pregnancy. Also useful for poopy-butt and a safe introductory green for young kits.

Blackberry leaves: For poopy-butt and safe introductory green for young kits.

Strawberry leaves: For poopy-butt.

Willow twigs and leaves: Useful winter food, easily gathered and stored. Also a pain-reliever and possible natural coccidistat.

Shepherd’s Purse: MEDICINAL A strong medicine for diarrhea. Use sparingly.

Mint: MEDICINAL. Useful for drying up milk supply. Safe as a food for dry does and bucks.

Lavender buds: MEDICINAL. To bring on labour or expel placental material etc. in problem kindlings. Use with caution. sparingly. in extreme cases only.
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Chamomile tea and honey!!!!! Just make a cup o’ tea, a little stronger than you would drink it and add a teaspoon of honey. I use an old syringe..sans needle.. to squirt into the eye. You can also use as a compress and as a wipe for the eye. It will work wonders.

Both chamomile and honey are anti-everything.. microbial, fungal, and with antibiotic properties. I used it on myself when the chick tried to remove my eye and I cleared up DS’s pink eye overnight almost. Chamomile tea and honey are on the homeopathic/natural remedy websites as great eye treatments.

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Occasionally a rabbit may have a “bad poop day” without being actually sick. It may be occasioned by consuming too much of a food it is sensitive to (too many dandelions, too much clover or fresh alfalfa, too many garden vegetables or fruits may all be culprits) or there may be another cause. Often we just don’t know the reason, but just don’t want to see our bun’s buns exhibiting signs of “poopy butt.”

If the stools are merely soft and sticky, a temporary change of diet can be beneficial. Remove the pellets and/or grain, feed grass hay and some of the plants I like to call “the regulators”. These plants will aid in firming the stools but they are also part of a wholesome diet and will not cause constipation. No one wants to go from one extreme to the other.

The four regulators that I am most familiar with are plantain, raspberry leaves, blackberry leaves and strawberry leaves. All these are useful plants for food as well and you don’t need to worry about feeding too many. Most rabbits love them and will eat their “medicine” happily. A portion of any of these (or combination thereof) in additon to the grass hay and perhaps some kitchen rolled oats will usually solve the problem within a day or so. Sometimes sooner.

On the other hand, if a rabbit is exhibiting watery stools rather than merely soft, a stronger medicine may be needed. The dietary restrictions should be the same, but shepherd’s purse can be added to the regulator greens listed above. Shepherd’s purse is an excellent medicinal, but it is strong and you don’t want to feed too much. A small handful of “above ground parts” twice a day for three or four days should do the trick. As the symptoms abate, reduce the amount and then discontinue but feed the regulators and grass hay for another day or two. Rolled oats from your kitchen can be safely fed as well. Reintroduce grains or pellets slowly.

If, for any reason, a rabbit does not respond to these methods it may be necessary to fall back on more conventional treatments. I am not well-versed in these and it falls beyond the scope of this thread. Bloat is a somewhat different problem and requires different treatment. I’ve never seen this among my rabbits and so am not at present able to suggest the best approach.

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[Sarita]

Well, I think before I tried any of these I would make sure the person who is advising is a master herbalist and knows rabbits. I would be afraid to take advise from just anyone on these things or just any website.

I would also seek the advise of a vet – my vet is not familiar with any of the herbal remedies however. I do have contact with a master herbalist who also has rabbits though and she has helped me with some herbal tinctures and such for my rabbits. My rabbits don’t usually like the tinctures though – they don’t care for the taste. I tried them even though my vet could not advise me on them – I didn’t really continue them as advised though so I cannot tell if it helped with this particular rabbit or if it was the prescription medicine that helped him.

[Beka27]

interesting to read that. i worry about these kinds of things, b/c as you know, time is of the essence with buns. you might be trying an herbal “do-it-yourself” treatment and be missing a big thing that needs immediate attention. it would be really great if you knew a vet who had natural remedy experience…

Often we just don’t know the reason, but just don’t want to see our bun’s buns exhibiting signs of “poopy butt.”

this sentence caught me off-guard. is this saying that treating the symptom is more important than determining the cause? poopy butt can be helpful if it makes you realize that something is going on. otherwise there might not be any other signs or symptoms.

[Sarita]

It probably would be good to site the source of this as well….

I agree with Beka about the determining the cause of “poopy butt”.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Thanks -pretty much along the lines of what I was thinking…I’m pretty sure it’s some sort of ‘breeder’ site and I tend to think breeders use home remedies maybe to save money that maybe aren’t that effective (IMO though!!)

I was just thinking maybe some of these had been used by someone else? I’m hesitant to try any really

[KatnipCrzy]

the chamomile tea and honey in the eye seems very odd to me- sugar promotes the growth of bacteria- so I do not know why you would use any sugar type solution on the eye or topically.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

^^ !! I know hey!?!?! x0

[Balefulregards]

As the child of a hippie from Vermont, I have experienced alot of herbal remedies!

I do know some things – Honey IS a powerful antibiotic and has been used for centuries…but I wouldn’t suggest anyone start just squirting honey on wounds. There is a time and place for this type of remedy and I have kept it in the back of my mind – in case I happen to be in a place with no anti-biotic ointment and honey on hand. If it is the difference between keeping a wound clean or not. But for some with some serious resistant bacterial infections it can provide the only viable alternative.

http://www.wired.com/medtech/health/news/2006/10/71925

As to Raspberry leaves – Yes. I have had a great deal of raspberry leaf tea for menstrual cramps – and when I was pregnant, at the end to prepare for labor. Not sure about the others, but they are all diuretics – meaning they make you pee.

The willow may have some of the same properties as aspirin – salicylic acid – meaning when a bun eats some, there could be trace amounts that help to ease some pain.

Finally – chamomile is a widely used herb for relaxation and anti-inflammatory purposes – it also contains a very mild blood thinner ( so this explains the anti-inflammatory)

And plantago (plantain)- This is a weed. It is everywhere! Your bun has most likely eaten it if they get outside,and I know it is used in herbal remedies, as an antiseptic I think – but I have pulled so many out of my garden I laugh to think about cooking or using it!

I know more about herbs for breastfeeding – as my lactation consultant was also an herbalist, so I had a regime I followed for promotion of milk.

[Beka27]

the willow for pain thing piques my interest. so many of us give willow to our perfectly healthy buns everyday, are they saying that there’s a danger in doing that… or do our buns just feel, “really, really good” everyday? if by giving willow daily as a chew item, will that mask pain, and make it less likely that we would notice if something were actually wrong?

i need more info on the willow thing…

[Balefulregards]

Thats a good point Beka – and I really didn’t think about it when I was typing my response up there

I am not sure at what concentrates a bun would need to get the effects of any pain relief – It may also differ in dry willow versus fresh willow

I poked around quickly and found this:
http://www.drugs.com/npp/willow-bark.html

Coco has several willow rings, but she isn’t “into” them the way I know some buns love willow.

It also may just relieve the aches and pains of being an older bun. Kind of the way I have to reach for the ibuprofen some mornings!

[Scarlet_Rose]

I’m just going to put in my 2 cents here.  First off I am an avid natural remedy-type person but I NEVER experiment or use anything on my rabbits without the express consent of a knowledgeable rabbit-savvy vet and/or naturopathic veterinarian.  What works well for humans will not always bode well for our animal counter-parts.  For one, their systems are much different from ours (which I think we all know from first-hand experience) and they can and will metabolize things much differently. 

Something perfectly innocent like white willow bark may harm your rabbit.  It’s the equivalent of dosing with aspirin BUT you have no idea what  concentrataion/dose you are giving to the animal.  The properties/substance which make a plant have certain “medicinal” qualities can vary by where it’s grown, how much water is available, how healthy the plant is, how much/little food it gets and so on.  While “natural” may seem the best way, you’re still better off with a guaranteed dose of medicine from your vet and I’ll also add that the medicine you are dosing your rabbit with, chances are it was derived from a plant and is the chemical/man-made compound at a controlled/guaranteed strength.

I do give my two chamomile flowers in their hay and it is safe as well as red clover flowers.  I also use Rescue Remedy which my vet recommended I use for my rabbits before a stressful vet visit.  I realize that there are pretty benign herbs that can be used, but at the same time if your rabbit is really sick, it’s best not to play around with rememdies, self-dose or try to cure your rabbit.  Honey is really too sweet for rabbits and if if ingested could throw off the delicate flora in the GI tract of your rabbit.

K & K, regarding the information on the herbs you posted, I have to start out by saying that the publisher did not provide pictures and if one is not a master herbalist, how do we know what it is, what it looks like and don’t mistake it for a toxic plant?  Further there are no references provided which really annoys me.   So it really makes me wonder where did they get thier information?  What are their qualifications? What qualifications do they have with regards to rabbits?  Are they a vet? Are they just Joe Public? Now onto what was written about.

The “regulators” that were disccussed: plantain, raspberry leaves, blackberry leaves, strawberry leaves and shepherd’s purse I have the following feelings about:

Rasberry leaves, strawberry leaves & black berry leaves are O.K. for a rabbit to munch on.  I would not offer up a large amount of these and only as a snack.  Any big change in diet can cause problems.  As to whether they are “medicinal” remains questionable but would not hurt your rabbit for a tasty treat.

Plantain – Are we talking about the leaves, fruit, flowers or what?  Anyone who references these things needs to be very specific.  One part of a plant may be perfectly safe and another very toxic OR the part that is edible must be cooked, soaked etc. in order not to be toxic and you are able to eat it without being poinsoned or becoming very sick. 

Take for example the yucca.  The yucca wheelie sold in the BB store is safe for a rabbit to chew, however the leaves of the yucca can be toxic to a rabbit. Further, there is no discussion if it were the fruit how ripe it must be, if you feed a rabbit a banana that is too ripe it will cause loose stools or diarrhea.  Quite frankly, they need to provide more information.  I have can find no records of feeding rabbits plantain and would not recommend that anyone experiment with it.

Shephard’s Purse (it was mis-spelled) –  I was not able to find any safety information on it and even so, would not use this herb period.  Even the author states how “strong” it is but gives no indication of what a “small amount” means.  A sprig, a leaf…what?  Also refer to my comment about the strength/potency of the medicinal property of an herb can vary on conditions, region etc.  I relate it to playing roulette with the health, safety and well-being of your rabbit/animal. 

I know I may have sounded a bit harsh here but please allow me to explain that I am really just being quite frank and candid with my thoughts.  Please do not take it personally, especially you K & K for wanting to know more.  I am so very glad that you posted this and are a wonderful, thoughtful, caring person to want to know more, rather than just take someone’s word for it that something is O.K. when really there is a lot of caution to be practiced and it’s not as simple as I think the author made it out to be.

This web-site is pretty good for looking up herbs (I never buy anything from them so I cannot speak for their products or claims on remedies but I just use it for their herb encyclopedia):

http://www.holistic-online.com/Herbal-Med/Hol_Herb_Directory_Index.htm

I also want to share with you the dangers of herbal remedies, more specifically ones sold on the internet, that one of the best of my local rabbit vets wrote:

http://www.coloradohrs.com/articles/medical_buyer_beware.asp

 

[BinkyBunny]

WOW, I really have learned quite a bit from this thread as I am far from an expert when it comes to herbs, and I happen to be lucky enough to have a vet that knows quite a bit about herbs as well as she relys on an herbalist for further information. So if I want to try herbs with conventional or if conventional fails, I can talk to my vet about alternatives. But most people don’t have this luxury, so thank you KK for starting this thread as it has led to very many posts with very good points to consider!

Scarlet – thanks for all the info! I am going to check out those links too and print out this info so I have it handy.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Ahhh I knew someone on here was a herb expert but I couldn’t remember who!! Scarelet thanks for sharing all that info!!

[Scarlet_Rose]

Awe thanks K & K!  I wouldn’t really consider myself an expert, I just have my fair share of knowledge and have read a lot on it.

BB – I’m glad you’ve got some more info to keep on file.

I also wanted to stop by and add more information for you guys on white willow which contains the most tannins that give it the “aspirin” label and is not the same willow used for BB toys and whanot. I *believe* that is all weeping willow.

Here is the info I copied and pasted from this web page: http://www.chinchillas2home.co.uk/safewoods.htm. While this web page is Safe Woods for Chinchillas it has great info on the chemical compounds found in woods.

WHITE willow – we all know this is used for Aspirin – If willow is to be avpided then it’s the white There are so many varieties and all would be related – but white contains 13% tannin as its chief constituent, also a small quantity of salicin, the other willows (mainly reed and bushes that are used for basket making and such) would contain a lesser amount, and most pets chew and hack through weeping and bush/reed willow products without any harm done

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Wow your fast! Thanks for the willow info thats really good to know!! I was reading and I’m like ‘oohhh Ruperts a drug addict!” cuz he goes BONKERS for willow leaves hehe Ok so not a drug addict just a piggie!

[Scarlet_Rose]

LOL K & K, we’re going to have to get Rupert into rehab! Yeah, I’m surfing thorugh BB land checking posts and catching up right now.

[jerseygirl]

Nerd moment:>> Salicin is like the sugar derivative of salicylic acid and salicylate is salt form. It has alot of medicinal and cosmetic uses.
It’s a naturally occuring compound in plants (plant hormone).

I am aware that salicylates are found in broccoli, spinach, arugula (aka rocket) endive, watercress, peppers, raisins, papaya, along with willow…….all things we feed the buns. I’m not personally concerned about it.

As Scarlet Rose said, aspirin was made from white willow bark (don’t think it is now.)

Probably have caused more confusion on this – sorry! Think everything in moderation is key.

[Scarlet_Rose]

jerseygirl, nerd moments are welcome! The more we learn, the better so thank you!

[Balefulregards]

Rabbit rehab for chronic willow eaters.

Perhaps Amy Winehouse can headline the fundraiser.

Tee-hee.

Excellent info Scarlett. It is so true that without precise knowledge of plant type/person/rabbit/weight /et al, it is hard to know precise dosing guidelines.

[Beka27]

Posted By Kokaneeandkahlua on 11/15/2008 6:57 PM

Wow your fast! Thanks for the willow info thats really good to know!! I was reading and I’m like ‘oohhh Ruperts a drug addict!” cuz he goes BONKERS for willow leaves hehe Ok so not a drug addict just a piggie!

  i know, right?! 

i was really confused by the willow thing, but it’s WHITE willow, not weeping willow!!!  very good to know. 

thank you so much Scarlet for taking the time to clarify this for us!

now i don’t have to drive the bunnies to “meetings”!

[Scarlet_Rose]

Beka LOL!!! I guess we’ll put off that BB willow support group…for now.

Baleful – Amy Winehouse ROFL!

You’re welcome for the info guys! Also I realized I didn’t add that there may be fatal drug interactions between an herbal remedy and meds your vet prescribed. So always talk to your vet!

[KatnipCrzy]

Posted By Baleful on 11/15/2008 7:54 PM
Rabbit rehab for chronic willow eaters.

Perhaps Amy Winehouse can headline the fundraiser.

Tee-hee.

Excellent info Scarlett. It is so true that without precise knowledge of plant type/person/rabbit/weight /et al, it is hard to know precise dosing guidelines.

Baleful-

  Maybe Amy Winehouse is really hiding a pair of bunny ears in her big ol’ beehive hairdo. 

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