Oxbow Critical Care for herbivores

Product Information

It is important with any syringe feeding that the correct syringes are used, especially for the Oxbow Critical Care, as adding warm water can make the fibre swell, so it is useful to remember to use the syringes provided with the product. Approximate length of time a 141 gm pouch will last when used at the standard rate of 50 cc per kilogram (2. Hetastarch has been recommended 3 (5ml/kg over 5-10minutes) instead of the high rate of crystalloid.

Oxbow’s products are used and recommended by top exotic animal vets across Australia and around the globe. In a pinch, you can make a homemade version of critical care to give to your rabbit using their regular daily pellets. A thorough clinical history, systematic physical examination, and multiple diagnostic tests are ideal, but when a rabbit is in critical condition, emergency stabilization and fluid resuscitation must take priority. Tube feeding is most often conducted by your veterinarian, but you may be asked to syringe feed your animal once they leave the vet’s office.It is not unusual for acute neurological episodes, such as head tilt, to follow a stressful incident.

They carry a risk of iatrogenic complications such as inhalational pneumonia, gastric reflux, oesophagitis and stricture 5 and an Elizabethan collar is often necessary to prevent the rabbit from removing the tube. Force-feeding is not a pleasant moment but it is vital for the good health of your rabbit because fasting can be fatal. The recommended amount is to feed 50 cc of mixed product per kilogram of bodyweight (generally, divide this amount into 4-6 meals per day). It won’t have the same nutritional value as the official formula, but it can work to make sure your rabbit is still eating and getting essential nutrients and calories.

In the dosing table below it is possible to see how much ml you should administer to your pet according to its weight. Providing the correct nutrition is key to helping to maintain a healthy digestive system as well a healthy gut microflora. As discussed, rabbits require a source of low-quality roughage, as well as a handful of non-selective pellets, and some fruit/vegetables in small amounts.

Complete with all the nutritional elements needed to support the immune system, our vet-recommended rabbit recovery food ensures your small furry is given the helping hand needed for a speedy recovery. Because of the special nature of their digestive systems, they also have more microbial activity in their digestive tract when compared to other species, to aid digestion of vegetation and roughage. The pet may have an intestinal blockage, which could be made worse by force-feeding food into the system. Oxbow critical care advises that for herbivores, the general amount should be 3 tablespoons of dry product or 50 ml mixed product daily per kilogram of bodyweight, however, they do also provide a feeding chart with recommendations according to size. They are often hospitalised for dietary issues (dental problems and gut stasis) and appetite change; providing the correct nutritional needs can be difficult, and the success of nutritional supplementation depends on the feeding route, frequency of feedings, and the quality of the diet fed.Therefore, it is important that when providing critical care nutrition, the chosen diet is provided in sufficient quantities. Slow gut motility, triggered by stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system, inhibits activity of the gastrointestinal tract and reduces gut motility. The use of clinical parameters such as heart rate/respiratory rate and body temperature gives very non-specific information. You should use whichever method you are most comfortable with and the one in which you feel the rabbit is most secure. There is no composite method for pain scoring in rabbits that has been validated; however, using a combination of the methods above will improve pain recognition.

She has a Certificate in Zoological Medicine, a Diploma in Zoological Medicine (Mammalian) and is an RCVS Recognised Specialist in Zoo and Wildlife Medicine. If your rabbit is not eating, the first thing you should do is make an emergency appointment with your veterinarian. It is highly versatile and can be tube fed, assist fed by a syringe or spoon, or self-fed by bowl or as a topper. These veterinary-exclusive, one-step recovery formulas were developed with the assistance of top exotics veterinarians and nutritionists. When I got home from work at midnight he was running around, jumping up on top of his dog crate and my bed.Administer very small amounts at a time, aiming for the center of the mouth and not the back of the throat. By placing a thumb on the top of the head and fingers under the chin or by placing the thumb and fingers on either side of the jawline, it gives you good control of the head. Yes, due to the physical characteristics of the hay in the Critical Care, absorption properties can differ from one batch to the next. Your vet can assist you in determining the correct daily portion for your animal based on total foods being consumed.