Oxbow Papaya Fruit Plus Discontinued?!

[MissGabbster]

I just went to order some more off of Amazon and instead of a new order I learned that they’ve been discontinued since September 1st. I’m really bummed about this, and Ox will be bummed out as well as soon as we finish the lot we have.

I really like giving him one a day even though I know that they aren’t really doing anything to help with any digested fur. And since I give them to him first thing in the morning I know right away if he’s feeling off. Like today, I went to offer him one and he completely shunned it. A bit of poking around later and I learned that he was full of gas. I would’ve figured it out anyway since I give him his pellets right after giving him a tablet but…still.

 I want my Papaya tablets and I want to have a little baby stompy tantrum. And now I’m imagining myself having a little baby stompy tantrum and it’s amusing me and I don’t want to be amused. I want to be a grump butt. Meh.

 

[Bam]

I too am amused by your little baby stompy tantrum!!

Luckily there are tons of stuff that bunnies love like craisins and dried apple-slices, so I’m sure you’ll find something to replace the papaya tablets. I do agree it’s good to have something that’s normally irresistible just to test for bunny under-the-weatherness.

Poor little Ox, full of gas =( I suppose he’ll be having simethicone now instead of treats =/

[litheandgraphic]

I knowwwwww this is really too bad. DX But you can always get plain old papaya enzyme tablets at a holistic store or online – they basically have the same ingredients that the Oxbow tablets had. I have those for Theodore. I always thought they act more like how eating yogurt acts as a probiotoc does for our flora – just supports the digestive system and the acids in it. But yeah, they’re not a miracle thing like some people like to say.

[Bam]

Papaya has an enzyme that breaks down proteins. It’s not a probiotic. But as you say FLR, it’s a digestive aid.

Just in case you wanted to know =/ I’m waiting for my gym-class to start so I’m hanging out on BB in order not to think too much about the pain that is to come =/

[LBJ10]

You can use tablets meant for humans, just be sure to check the ingredients.

[JackRabbit]

The M&Ms get the oxbow tablets (when I heard they were discontinued, I went to the local store that carries them and bought enough to last through the expiration date in the bottle — 11/15!). Kieko actually prefers the human version. I get them at Walmart. Bottle says “Papaya Enzyme”.

[MissGabbster]

Thanks, every one! I’ll have to look out for some tablets. I was also thinking of maybe feeding him a bit of pineapple core a day. I’ve read that pineapple freezes well so I shouldn’t have to worry about waste. Not to mention, pineapple smoothies for me. Yum.

bam: Ox’s gas situation was sorted out within an hour of me getting up! I managed to get him some simethicone and then proceeded to rub his tummy until the gas bubble broke up. He was a bit put out with me giving him the gas meds though! He wanted nothing to do with them so I ended up putting a drop on my finger, distracted him with head rubs and then pressed my finger against his mouth. I did that twice to get him to take two drops and he was so not happy with me.

How was gym class?

[Sindri]

I loved the Oxbow Papaya tablets. A couple of times in the past I went a few weeks here and there without ordering them. I actually could tell when my bunnies didn’t have them because they will got those types of poops that are like strands of pearls. After that I always have them and I will run out soon too.

[litheandgraphic]

Posted By bam on 9/21/2014 10:30 AM
Papaya has an enzyme that breaks down proteins. It’s not a probiotic. But as you say FLR, it’s a digestive aid.

Just in case you wanted to know =/ I’m waiting for my gym-class to start so I’m hanging out on BB in order not to think too much about the pain that is to come =/

Yeah, that metaphor may have been a not confusing. XD It’s definitely not a probiotic. But helps a bit.

[Peapod026]

Everyone talks about these papaya tablets, and now that they’re discontinued I won’t be able to give them to my bunny! But my bun went through a big molt recently, and I gave him a bit of papaya ( fresh) everyday. Does that work as well as those tablets? Or is there more “enzymes” in the tablets? It may be unrealistic to imagine I can get fresh papaya at the store year round anyway, haha

[MissGabbster]

For the human tablets, what brands do you all use?

Peapod: The tablets have a concentrated amount of papain and bromelain (the enzymes from papaya and pineapple) while the fruit has the enzymes in a lower concentration as well as all the other goodness in the fruit.

That’s a really horrible explanation, I’m too tired for proper explanations.

[JackRabbit]

I’m pretty sure the ones Kieko gets are Nature’s Bounty, I get them at Walmart. They stink, but she really likes them. I tried the ones from the Vitamin Shoppe but they were cherry flavored (huh?!). Guess next year when I run out of the Oxbow ones the other buns will switch to the ones Kieko likes.

[Katie779]

Holly loves the papaya tablets! She’s going to be very disappointed when her current bottle runs out.

Are the Nature’s Bounty ones safe to give every morning, and to give a whole tablet to a small rabbit? I get nervous giving her “people” vitamins. lol

[JackRabbit]

Kieko weighs 3 lbs and gets a whole tablet (broken into 2 to 4 pieces) every day. This brand isn’t huge like the ones from the Vitamin Shoppe. She’s been getting these every day for a year. They aren’t really a vitamin though, but are sold as a digestive aid (kindof like mint is a digestive aid). They may not help with anything but she likes them and I look at papaya tablets (Oxbow and these) as a treat that can’t hurt! The Nature’s Bounty ones just say “Papaya Enzyme” as the “title”. I got these originally because they were the only ones that didn’t say “papaya enzyme and xxxxx”.

[litheandgraphic]

These are the tablets I picked up at my local holistic pharmacy – I’m lucky because there are a few of them near me.

Here’s the back of the bottle with all the nutrition facts (and as you can see, I paid $12 for the bottle, which is a little pricier than I’d like to pay normally, but not so bad. I’m also in NYC so prices tend to be a little higher).

As you can see, these tablets contain:

• 45 mg papain
• 0 mg bromain, sadly, as there’s no pineapple :c
• 6 mg amylase
• 6 mg protease

The amylase and protease are additional, naturally occurring digestive enzymes.

Due to the sugar (although low) and calcium content of the tablets, I only give Theodore one every other day. He sure does love them, though. They’re quite the bonding aid, too!

[Katie779]

The calcium content in the supplements designed for humans was what I was curious about, too. I wish she would just eat fresh pineapple and papaya but she shuns most fresh fruit for some weird reason. lol

[litheandgraphic]

Haha, picky bunny! Small pieces of dried papaya is honestly probably the best way to go as far as an everyday treat – it lacks the amount of papaine and other digestive enzymes, but obviously is also much lower in calcium. I’m even considering dropping his dose of tablets to 2-3 times a week.

These tablets, like most tablets, contain about 52 mg calcium per tablet (above, the serving size is 3 tablets, and that size has 157 mg calcium), which is equivalent to half a cup of kale (1 cup kale = 101 mg calcium). That’s quite a bit of calcium, so yeah, I’ll be dropping down the dose myself.

[tobyluv]

Oxbow wants consumers to switch to their Natural Science Digestive Support tablets. They’re a little more expensive than the Papaya Fruit Plus, and the bottles only contain 60 tablets instead of 90, but I bet that most rabbits would find them tasty. One of my past bunnies got the Natural Science Joint Support tablets, and he liked those.  He was a small bunny, and I would cut the tablets in half (they were too hard to break) giving him a half in the morning and half at night.

 http://store.binkybunny.com/natural-science-digestive-support-oxbow-p175.aspx

I don’t suppose it would do any good for all of us bunny parents to ask Oxbow to continue offering the Papaya Fruit Plus. I thought about doing so, but never got around to it. I’m also disappointed that they discontinued their Eco Straw Litter. I know that there was a fire in the facility where it was made, but it seems like they could have started back with production at another facility. I like that litter because it doesn’t have the strong wood smell that pine and aspen litter pellets have.

[JackRabbit]

I bought the Oxbow digestive support tabs at our pet supply store and cut one up and offered it to my bunnies. They all sniffed and hopped away. I would have expected this from Moshi who must see the girls taste something new first, but even everything-goes-in-the-mouth Marlee wasn’t interested.

[LBJ10]

I guess I wouldn’t be terribly concerned about the calcium. That is for 3 tablets, so that means one tablet has less calcium than a cup of fresh parsley.

[litheandgraphic]

Posted By LBJ10 on 9/26/2014 6:59 PM
I guess I wouldn’t be terribly concerned about the calcium. That is for 3 tablets, so that means one tablet has less calcium than a cup of fresh parsley.

Yeah, it’s like, it could be WORSE, but it’s still not GREAT.

[Sindri]

I bought the new Oxbow digestive support stuff and my rabbits refuse to eat them. It kind of smelled like their Natural Science pellets which neither of my bunnies really liked.

[MissGabbster]

The problem with the Digestive Support is that there’s no enzymes. It’s better than nothing though! I’m really wondering why they were discontinued in the first place.

“Natural Science Digestive Support contains long-strand fiber in the form of Timothy hay and various beneficial ingredients to support the overall digestive process by promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut and supporting digestive motility throughout the digestive tract. Please note that Natural Science Digestive Support is not an enzymatic supplement, and is therefore not an exact replacement for Papaya Fruit Plus**” – From the Oxbow Website

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