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Stubborn Jaffa refusing his critical care! How can I make it more palatable?

K

KMazzy

Alpha Buck
Hi All,

I came home tonight to find a very sad looking Jaffa who didn't get up for his pellets, then also ignored coriander which is unheard of. So we went straight to the vet who (like me) suspected GI motility issues as his tummy felt very 'doughy'.

After some loxicom and emeprid we've been sent home with critical care but even after I mixed some pumpkin puree into it Jaffa runs away in disgust.

I used to have some Ella's kitchen apple pouches for emergencies but they went out of date so I ate them (yum).

Is it worth going out to buy some more to try or should I try something else first? This is the first time I've dealt with gut problems. All the buns on YouTube seem to happily eat their syringed cc!

Jaffa's sitting hunched up in the corner looking very grouchy now. :(
 
Poor Jaffa :cry:

I assume that the Vet ruled out a full obstruction/bloat ? Has Jaffa passed any poo ?

With regards to the feeds, you could add some 100% veg baby food to it, or you could try making a liquid feed from his usual pellets. Soak the pellets in boiling water. When all soft mash them up to form a paste then add a bit more water until the paste is of a consistency that can be drawn up into a syringe. I use this method and I use peppermint tea as the fluid to thin out the pellet paste. I also add a sprinkle of Avipro Plus which is a pre/probiotic.

Did the Vet check his teeth ? Rabbits with a sore mouth can be very tricky to syringe feed.

Hope Jaffa feels better soon xx
 
KMazzy said:
Hi All,

I came home tonight to find a very sad looking Jaffa who didn't get up for his pellets, then also ignored coriander which is unheard of. So we went straight to the vet who (like me) suspected GI motility issues as his tummy felt very 'doughy'.

After some loxicom and emeprid we've been sent home with critical care but even after I mixed some pumpkin puree into it Jaffa runs away in disgust.

I used to have some Ella's kitchen apple pouches for emergencies but they went out of date so I ate them (yum).

Is it worth going out to buy some more to try or should I try something else first? This is the first time I've dealt with gut problems. All the buns on YouTube seem to happily eat their syringed cc!

Jaffa's sitting hunched up in the corner looking very grouchy now. :(
Click to expand...

To be honest I think it's worth getting some of those delicious vegetable pouches, as it's much better a bunny eats than not ...
I keep a couple in the freezer for such emergencies !
 
Tapla HATES being syringed food, she's a nightmare. She'll just sit there with it in her mouth for minutes on end with it dripping out :roll: I found the best thing with her was to bring her into my utility room worksurface and plop her on top of a non slip bath mat, then to mix the critical care into a smooth paste with Ella's kitchen carrot + parsnip and syringe some in. Then I would let go of her and let her grumble away and some of it would manage to get down her... then repeat for ages! There are a few other Ella's kitchen ones which look quite tasty, so try several out until you find one that piques his interest. Poor little poppet.
 
Last edited:
Thank you for your advice everyone. No critical care got into Jaffa. I'm not surprised. Apparently there are two kinds and this is the aniseed kind which smelt gross to me! We were up til 5am and he started taking small bits of parsley and coriander and since everything syringe related has been failing (I am a bad nurse) I just had to give him emeprid syringed onto pellets which he ate. He has been eating tiny bits of hay and yes he has pooped. They're small but they exist!

The vet did check his teeth and said his molars were a little long but not spurred. Normally he is an excellent hay (and everything) eater so I was stunned when he refused everything I offered last night.

I'm going out to get some pouches to mix up with the grim aniseed slop. My vet is closed now til Monday so I can't find out if they have any apple & banana critical care. It seems to be rarer than the aniseed stuff (at least to buy online).

I've never had this problem with a bun before so am unprepared. At least now I'll know what to stock up with.

Poor Ren is very confused AND has a weepy eye which I guess Jaffa is not helping clean because he's feeling so rubbish. I don't really want another £100 out of hour call out for that so I'm hoping with some gentle warm water wipes that might improve. Why does it all come at once?!
 
Last edited:
KMazzy said:
Thank you for your advice everyone. No critical care got into Jaffa. I'm not surprised. Apparently there are two kinds and this is the aniseed kind which smelt gross to me! We were up til 5am and he started taking small bits of parsley and coriander and since everything syringe related has been failing (I am a bad nurse) I just had to give him emeprid syringed onto pellets which he ate. He has been eating tiny bits of hay and yes he has pooped. They're small but they exist!

The vet did check his teeth and said his molars were a little long but not spurred. Normally he is an excellent hay (and everything) eater so I was stunned when he refused everything I offered last night.

I'm going out to get some pouches to mix up with the grim aniseed slop. My vet is closed now til Monday so I can't find out if they have any apple & banana critical care. It seems to be rarer than the aniseed stuff (at least to buy online).

I've never had this problem with a bun before so am unprepared. At least now I'll know what to stock up with.

Poor Ren is very confused AND has a weepy eye which I guess Jaffa is not helping clean because he's feeling so rubbish. I don't really want another £100 out of hour call out for that so I'm hoping with some gentle warm water wipes that might improve. Why does it all come at once?!
Click to expand...

Oh dear ... you certainly don't want any more expensive dramas at the weekend :shock:

At least there is some input and some output, so that's good news. Bunnies like aniseed more than we do (though actually I quite like it) - they eat fennel for example, and aniseed is good for their digestion. However, whatever you can get in, is good. Sometimes all I can get into a bun is the delicious Ella's kitchen pouches. It's always worked for me xx
 
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