Willow Bark Tea?

[Bunnisox]

To keep this short and to the point, one of my rabbits has been having an on-going stasis issue (and the vets can’t seem to pinpoint the root cause, yet…). I’ve recently ordered some willow tree bark online from a UK site, in attempt to help provide some pain relief to my bun without haing to give her anything serious like Metacam (she seems to have a sensitive stomach and doesn’t handle that well).

I tried giving her the bark itself, and she wants nothing to do with it. However, I’ve boiled it into some tea, and mixed it with a small amount of juice and she is drinking it right up. It definitely seems to have helped – but I’m curious, how much should I be letting her drink? She is a small bunny, a Netherland Dwarf, of about 3 lbs. I want her to be comfortable, but I don’t want to overdose her on salicin.

Any ideas? Thoughts on the matter? Any help would be absolutely appreciated.

[Wick & Fable]

I remember you posting last year about GI stasis. I was trying to re-read, but couldn’t find a pinpoint answer— did you have a vet familiar with rabbit dental procedures assess her teeth to make sure those are not facilitating her GI stasis? She is a nethie, which is a breed prone to teeth problems.

I’m unsure about the willow bark… there are a lot of willow chew toys for rabbits, so I imagine it’s quite difficult to cause sickness by giving her some, maybe 1cc a day or so (random number I threw out; no real reason why).

Lennon’s youtube channel recently released a video about GI stasis: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0kurp6Ks0w
— It may be good to watch it, step back, and think of what may be some causes that haven’t been considered. They can fall in to the category of things that are stressing her continuously that you may not have noticed.

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.

[Sirius&Luna]

I believe EC can also sometimes be a cause in bunnies that have recurring GI stasis – could be another avenue worth pursuing.

My bunnies will eat quite a significant amount of a willow tunnel in a day, and I’ve never seen any ill effects… Unless the tea is much stronger, I wouldn’t have thought it could cause any issues.

[Bunnisox]

My plan was to take her into the vet this weekend (Friday) to have them do a full examination of her teeth. Unfortunately, if they find spurs, or something else wrong with the teeth, I know she’ll need pain medication and I am scared to give her Metacam because she’s had such a bad experience with it both times I’ve given it to her. I am actively looking for a liquid form of ranitidine to see if I’m able to give her that in conjunction with the meloxicam to help her with it, but it’s been a struggle to locate the medicine in liquid form (without having a medical license or prescription). So I talked to my vet yesterday about all of this and she said she will look into seeing if she’s able to get the ranitidine for me, but that she “has no idea” about the willow bark as it’s considered an “alternative” medicine. I’m tentatively keeping the appointment with the vet for right now, but I have a feeling I’m going to cancel it because I don’t want to risk it without having an adequate form of pain medication that she’ll be able to tolerate.

This whole situation is frustrating to say the least.

I emailed HRS and they’ve referred me to a doctor over in NJ that specializes in alternative or natural medicines, although myself being located in WA – we would only be able to do a phone consultation; which I plan to do. I emailed the practice to see what they say. The doctor’s name is Mark D. Newkirk, VMD, and he was featured in an HRS article from back in 2013:

https://rabbit.org/homeopathy-alternative-medicines-for-rabbits/

I’m hoping he can help.

[Wick & Fable]

If it means anything, Wick usually doesn’t get pain meds after his teeth maintenance.

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]

Posted By Wick on 4/18/2018 1:37 PM

If it means anything, Wick usually doesn’t get pain meds after his teeth maintenance.

Aren’t teeth filings painful..? 

[Wick & Fable]

I think it depends on the vet and the location site. The only time Wick’s vet gives him pain meds (a single shot after the procedure) is when she had to burr his cheek a bit to reach the back spur, or if she thinks it took a bit longer than usual and his mouth might be sore from being held open for so long. Out of Wick’s 8 grindings, I think he got the shot or oral dose of metacam 3 times?

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.

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