Probiotics?

[hophophop]

Hi all,

My very fussy eater, Kotton, is about 1 year old and recently went through a hell of a stasis. She recovered and then this past weekend had a slow-down. We notice that both incidents are during hay changes. And as she is recovering ok, we want to see if maybe some probiotics will help her gut recover better?

A few details about Kotton – she is a rescue and we have no idea what she was like before. She is pure white with marking around her eyes so we have been watching her poop and she does not seem to have megacolon.

She used to eat orchard and timothy but ever since she discovered oat hay, orchard is completely ignored.  And after she recovered from her terrible stasis, she has stopped eating timothy pretty much completely. She would dig through rye from time to time but as she relies heavily on oats, when there is a seasonal change or brand change, she would eat very little hay only and thus, her two episodes of stasis.

We have been supplementing her diet with a selection of herbs (cilantro, parsley, mint, basil, dill – which causes mushy stool so very sparingly, and oregano – the last one is her least favorite). We don’t really give her anything fruity or sweet unless she has been good with her hay.

And she gets about 1/8 cup of pellets every evening – but as I notice she does not eat much during the day when no one is with her, I am thinking maybe I’ll give her pellets mid-day to keep her gut moving?

Do you all think we need to supplement with probiotics? If so, which brand and should it be fed regularly or only after her stasis episodes?

Thanks!

[Bam]

Oat hay is good, so if she likes that and you can get it in sufficient amounts, there’s nothing wrong with giving her oat hay. This time of year fresh grass might be another option, if you can get pesticide-free grass. It should be given in small portions at first, spring grass is rich and the rabbit’s tummy needs time to get used to it. As summer wears on, the grass will become less and less rich (it spends a lot of energy going into bloom).

You can give probiotics daily as a preventative measure or after you’ve seen the start of any tummy issue. There are many brands, one that’s often used for rabbits is Benebac. I have probiotics in my bunny medicine-cabinet.

ETA: I  think it sounds wise to divide her daily pellets up so she gets a serving mid-day as well.

 

[hophophop]

Bam, I read that benebac has higher sugar content in them now (it was used to be 3%?) – is it something you would only give after recovery? There are a couple other brands on chewy – not sure if they are ok :/

[Bam]

I didnt know that! I dont use Benebac myself, I use a UK brand called Protexin. Vet clinics here carry it, so it’s easily available to me.

What are the other brands on Chewy?

[hophophop]

Protexin isn’t available in US but I can check with our Vet to see if they carry it.

Chewy has two other brands – Equa Holistics HealthyGut Probiotics for rabbits, and Brytin TheraBiotic 2X Probiotic Microbial Support for smaller critters (not only rabbits). They don’t show the labels so it’s hard to see what else is inside other than listed ingredients.

Brytin:

Pediococcus Acidilactici Nrrl B-50517, Saccharomyces Boulardii 1.0+ Billion Cfu�S*Colony Forming Units.

Other Ingredients: Microcrystalline Cellulose, Lactose, Dried Apple Pomace, Dried Apples, Brewers Dried Yeast, Dried And Pitted Plums, Dried Pineapple, Maltodextrin, Yeast Extract, Corn Oil, Silicon Dioxide, Magnesium Stearate

Equa Holistics:

Rice extract, Inulin, Dried Propionibacterium freudenreichii fermentation product, Dried Propionibacteriumshermanii fermentation product, Dried Enterococcusthermophilus fermentation product, Dried Lactococcus lactis fermentation product, DriedLactobacillus casei fermentation product, Dried Bifidobacterium longum fermentation product, Dried Pediococcus acidilactici fermentation product, Dried Pediococcus pentosaceus fermentation product, Dried Bifidobacterium bifidum fermentation product, Dried Bifidobacterium animalis fermentation product, Dried Lactobacillus brevis fermentation product, Dried Lactobacilus fermentum fermentation product, Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, Dried Lactobacillus plantarum fermentation product, Active dry yeast

[Bam]

I’d choose the first one because it has yeast (saccharomyces). That’s a probiotic that’s been shown to be beneficial for rabbits. It survives the very acidic environment in the stomach. Saccaromyces yeast is present in the healthy bunny gut and it’s the probiotic Protexin uses in their rabbit products (Profibre Rabbit pellets, Fibreplex paste and Bio-lapis fluid replacement powder).

Amount of sugar in a probiotic formulation could be negligible, depending on dosage. It’d be significant if were talking tablespoons, but not if proper dosage is like a pinch twice per day or so.

 

 

[hophophop]

Thanks Bam! I’ll try the first one and report back!

BTW, Kotton responded really well to Mirataz (appetite stimulant) so we use it on her after she starts pooping again with Reglan to get her to eat more hay and get back on track! No side effect it seems 🙂

[Bam]

Great news! Mirataz seems like a great appetite enhancer for rabbits!

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