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Pineapple juice...

And papaya works even better. Angora fans have been doing this for years! It has hard to source dried papaya or pineapple that doesn't have added sugar, which is the main thing. I often slip a bit of dried papaya into my bunnies' dishes hidden in the normal food, and have not had wool block (yet!)
 
There are mixed views on pineapple juice, but glad this story has a happy ending. :thumb: The article does say that pineapple juice should not be given without consulting a vet, and it seems to have been used very much as a last resort in this case.
 
There are mixed views on pineapple juice, but glad this story has a happy ending. :thumb: The article does say that pineapple juice should not be given without consulting a vet, and it seems to have been used very much as a last resort in this case.

I know, i asked about pineapple when Skye had a blockage but most people said no to it. I know what your saying but quite often, for people and animals, there r natural remedies for many ailments and maybe drugs aren't always necessary.
 
Interesting article. It does say it was given in combination with drugs though.

But it also said the drugs weren't working and he only got better when they gave him pineapple juice, makes u wonder! I'm not saying I wouldn't get the necessary treatment for my pets, but I do think that sonetimes what vets prescribe isnt always necessary. Drugs companies and vets work together to sell products at the end of the day!
 
Pineapple juice is effective for the digestive health of rabbit stomach. There might also be additional properties which contribute to its fantastic success in treating bunny digestive problems. Because of the enzyme and bromine in pineapple, which breaks down blockages.
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The best thing of all is to prevent fur balls in the 1st place.
They don't get stuck if the rabbit's gut is working well, with plenty of hay with a good grass mix.
Careful attention to brushing the bun and the partner bun especially when moulting is very important.
Add some safe tree/bramble leaves to their hay. Once introduced they can be fed freely on demand.

The active constituent in pineapple /papya is bromelain/papain, which both improve gut motility, & help to separate the food parts sticking the fur together in a ball. It does nothing whatsoever to "dissolve" the fur.
Bromelain is available from health food shops without the high sugar content of fresh fruit.;)

It is also essential to keep your bunny well hydrated during a blockage - this may need subcutaneous fluids.
 
Pineapple juice is effective for the digestive health of rabbit stomach. There might also be additional properties which contribute to its fantastic success in treating bunny digestive problems. Because of the enzyme and bromine in pineapple, which breaks down blockages.

It's a very controversial topic and whilst some still believe it has great benefits I've been persuaded by the argument that it can cause more harm than good. Pure pineapple juice has a very high concentration of sugar that rabbits' digestive systems are not designed for and in a rabbit that already had a compromised digestive system the sugar can be very dangerous as it creates bad bacteria/kills off good bacteria (can't remember which... could even be both!) which will make recovery even harder to achieve.

For me, the newspaper article doesn't add any weight to it being a good treatment to give.
 
Is it just the juice or can the rabbit eat the raw pineapple itself? I just bought a pineapple. Going to try giving a small piece if it really works in removing fur stuck inside the stomach.
 
it's a tough one because some people say it works but i have read alot of times, and been told, that it only adds more sugar to the gut which can't be handled most of the time. :?
 
it's a tough one because some people say it works but i have read alot of times, and been told, that it only adds more sugar to the gut which can't be handled most of the time. :?

I can stop giving vegetables for several days before and after the pineapple and only going to give a bit. I'm just not sure if it's the juice or can the rabbit eat the pineapple. Can I give it raw? Does it need to be dried? If it's juice do I give as is? Do I dilute into the water bowl?
 
I can stop giving vegetables for several days before and after the pineapple and only going to give a bit. I'm just not sure if it's the juice or can the rabbit eat the pineapple. Can I give it raw? Does it need to be dried? If it's juice do I give as is? Do I dilute into the water bowl?

I have given mine raw pineapple, only a small piece tho, they weren't all keen on it tho, they turned their noses up at first but it was gone next time I checked on them! I've had a few blockage issues with Skye lately but she just refuses anything I offer, even her fave treats. I'm not an expert so don't take my word for it but if it were me giving juice to help with a blockage I would just use pure juice in a 1ml medicine syringe maybe twice a day. In my opinion re the sugar, if they r used to having odd treats of fruit and 'sugary' veg like carrot and corn then I think for the purpose of helping with a blockage then it would be fine, surely it's better than not eating anything? And hopefully they would soon start eating their hay again. Plus, it's not exactly natural for a rabbit to have man made medicines! As I said I'm no expert, this is just my opinion!!
 
Is it just the juice or can the rabbit eat the raw pineapple itself? I just bought a pineapple. Going to try giving a small piece if it really works in removing fur stuck inside the stomach.

Yes I give mine a small chunk of fresh pineapple once a week when they're going through a heavy moult :wave:
 
tunnelwell, all rabbits have fur in their stomachs because they lick themselves & their partners to keep their coat in good condition.
This passes straight through provided that the stomach & bowels are working properly & causes no problems.
Problems with fur balls only happen when the rabbit's stomach & bowels slow down, which can be for many reasons. A severe gut slow down is called stasis, is thought to be the result of minor blocks in most cases.

The article did say that fresh pineapple juice should only be given under a vets instructions.

My own rabbit Benjie has just gone through a period of high risk of fur ball block. He's moulting heavily, he has an illness called snuffles which can give severe headaches, (pain) he's been stressed out of his mind by a fox in the garden, building work nearby shaking the house like a mini earthquake, his 1st. experience of thunder & lashing torrential rain. He was eating & drinking less & passing fewer smaller poohs - an early sign of gut slow down.
I gave him lots of bramble leaves with his hay & hawthorn twigs to eat = fibre. He's picking up nicely with no blocks (fingers crossed) & the fur is passing through with no issues.

A large block like the one described, takes a long time to break up anyway. This single account could eaily be that all the treatment given previously had started to work, & the pineapple was just co incidental.
Experiments have been done with fur ball poops steeped in pineapple juice & it was found to have no effect on the fur at all, it just helped to break up the food in the hard ball - something which can be achieved by other fluids.

On the other hand we know that foods with high sugar content eg fruit can cause "bad bacteria" in the caecum to take over & that may cause equally serious life threatening conditions in rabbits.

Rabbits vary a lot in the amount of sugar their gut can tolerate. My own experience has been of a rabbit who had an incurable gut infection which caused so much scarring it could no longer contract. A high fibre diet based on the wild rabbit diet, combined with drugs for the last 2 years, kept him stasis free, & fur ball free, although he was at massive risk of both. For the 6 years of his life, even the vets consider him to be a "miracle bunny".

As other people whose rabbits had severe stasis issues from many issues tried this diet, they also found less frequency of stasis & it was milder. I have now personally followed up about 80 buns who have been helped. Even buns with such severe conditions as megacolon are living beyond expectation.

Yes, rabbits are perfectly capable of eating fresh pineapple. Anything other than fresh pineapple or fresh jucice destroys the enzymes in it. Some people give it without issues.
I can see a much safer & natural way to prevent fur balls from ever forming, & which has now been tried on over 80 buns at high risk.
You can see some very early results on here. http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/s...ried-given-your-stasis-prone-buns-tree-leaves
Please note that unlike the article my beliefs are based on the results from many rabbits.
 
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I have been giving rabbits a little pineapple juice when in heavy moult for about 30 years and I wouldn't be without it, as long as you are sensible at the amount you give.
 
tunnelwell, all rabbits have fur in their stomachs because they lick themselves & their partners to keep their coat in good condition.
This passes straight through provided that the stomach & bowels are working properly & causes no problems.
Problems with fur balls only happen when the rabbit's stomach & bowels slow down, which can be for many reasons. A severe gut slow down is called stasis, is thought to be the result of minor blocks in most cases.

The article did say that fresh pineapple juice should only be given under a vets instructions.

My own rabbit Benjie has just gone through a period of high risk of fur ball block. He's moulting heavily, he has an illness called snuffles which can give severe headaches, (pain) he's been stressed out of his mind by a fox in the garden, building work nearby shaking the house like a mini earthquake, his 1st. experience of thunder & lashing torrential rain. He was eating & drinking less & passing fewer smaller poohs - an early sign of gut slow down.
I gave him lots of bramble leaves with his hay & hawthorn twigs to eat = fibre. He's picking up nicely with no blocks (fingers crossed) & the fur is passing through with no issues.

A large block like the one described, takes a long time to break up anyway. This single account could eaily be that all the treatment given previously had started to work, & the pineapple was just co incidental.
Experiments have been done with fur ball poops steeped in pineapple juice & it was found to have no effect on the fur at all, it just helped to break up the food in the hard ball - something which can be achieved by other fluids.

On the other hand we know that foods with high sugar content eg fruit can cause "bad bacteria" in the caecum to take over & that may cause equally serious life threatening conditions in rabbits.

Rabbits vary a lot in the amount of sugar their gut can tolerate. My own experience has been of a rabbit who had an incurable gut infection which caused so much scarring it could no longer contract. A high fibre diet based on the wild rabbit diet, combined with drugs for the last 2 years, kept him stasis free, & fur ball free, although he was at massive risk of both. For the 6 years of his life, even the vets consider him to be a "miracle bunny".

As other people whose rabbits had severe stasis issues from many issues tried this diet, they also found less frequency of stasis & it was milder. I have now personally followed up about 80 buns who have been helped. Even buns with such severe conditions as megacolon are living beyond expectation.

Yes, rabbits are perfectly capable of eating fresh pineapple. Anything other than fresh pineapple or fresh jucice destroys the enzymes in it. Some people give it without issues.
I can see a much safer & natural way to prevent fur balls from ever forming, & which has now been tried on over 80 buns at high risk.
You can see some very early results on here. http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/s...ried-given-your-stasis-prone-buns-tree-leaves
Please note that unlike the article my beliefs are based on the results from many rabbits.

Another excellent and informative post, I agree with all of it :D
 
I do too.

I used to give my stasis prone bunnies the Oxbow pineapple and papaya tablets, but I realised after a while they were making things worse. I wished I'd realised a lot sooner. :(
 
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