Critical care/Science Recovery same thing?

I have taken heed of the first aid box tips in the reference section. Got infacol but strugling to understand it all. Darn, forgot pineapple juice cartons!

Are Science Recovery and critical care the same? where can I get syringes from and what size do I need?


I am thinking of those late at night things when hard to get a vet out or get to a vet, where a bit of TLC will keep Jacob going til the morning or even until the appointment. I in no way will do this instead of a vet, vets are trained, I'm not but if I can help Jacob in a first aid sense I'd like to.

Once when Jacob was ill I did get some stuff from the vets I had to add water to and syringe, green stuff, and he hated it. I had to stop as he was so distressed.

The first aid kit info is good but not much on actual application. I know it's tricky to advise in this matter but I'm happy to do emailing instead if that helps, I just feel very useless and helpless and would like to have a basic idea of how I can help Jacob.

Sorry to be so dense, I try so hard to get the right food, hay,toys etc, etc, but health wise I'm the village idiot and that frightens me.

They are made by the same people, but pretty much do the same job. In an emergency, if Jacob is on a pellet food, you could always make that into a mush with some cooled, boiled water and use that instead.

Pineapple juice is only useful if it's fresh stuff.....longlife stuff doesn't have the necessary enzyme in it.

If you use science selective that waters down very easily. I would go for 10 ml syringes, I find them easier. With syringes a lot depends on what you are comfortable with. They sell them on ebay and a few other medical suppliers, put syringes in as a search and you will come up with lots of places.

Syringes you can get from the chemist. I have different sizes, the biggest being 10ml (i think) for water and smaller for medicine etc. The green stuff added to water sounds like critical care, which i think is only available frm vets, whereas Science recovery you can buy, its the same stuff as you get left in the bottom of the bag when the foods all gone. Don't let it frighten you, I knew nothing what so ever health wise, i now know a little since Charlies been poorley. I'll send this to someone who knows more than me, Just to check its all right what im saying. Hope it helps. Becki xx

Oh, and a tip. If Jacob struggles taking things frm a syringe, then mix it with a fresh fruit juice (if its water/medicine) or put tiny bits of fruit on top of the syringe and squirt teeny tiny drops in at a time when he goes to get the fruit :wink:

They are completely different. Critical care dissolves completely and provides everything a collapsed animal will need to keep it alive. Recovery is not completely soluble and can be hard to get to flow out of a syringe, although if you cut the tip off you can manage. It has the same ingredients as a normal feed but in a powdered form to give to an animal that is reluctant to eat on its own.
I find the best way to teach an animal to take a syringe feed is to start with critical care as they absolutely love it
I recomend keeping some of each in a first aid kit.
Avipro Plus is another essential one and worth adding to both the above when you give them.

Critical Care is solely available frm vets isnt it? So even if ur bun isnt ill you can still buy it? :? Thanks, Becki xx

Critical care can be hard to get hold of but this piggie rescue sells it

http://thistlecavies.tripod.com/id25.html

I always have some in stock for emergencies in case any of my pigs need it. Plus with a new bunny on the way soon it again will be there just in case.

She sells the probiotics too, again always handy to have.

Hope this helps, as I know how hard it can be to get hold of, but critical care is something I just wouldnt do without now.

Thanks so much guys. I do love this site, I gain confidence and knowledge everyday, the help we all give to one another on here is so good.

I will get both then and the probiotics which Jacob has had in the past when a funny tummy.

I just think I need to know now BEFORE a problem, not try to help Jacob and post on here when there is a problem.

Hopefully this will be all a big waste of money and I won't need any of it EVER!

Thanks again.

Oh, sorry..

Is the Oxbow or Vetark critical care best? thanks. Also to sterilise and clean litter trays, food bowls, the bird table etc can I use Virkon? Is it a good idea especially with cats and bunnies sharing bowls?

I got some from here,and they have lots of good stuff on here at a reasonable price
http://www.noahs-cupboard.co.uk/detail.asp?catno=4&pnum=A2A7I

I use the vet ark one, I don't know anything about the other. I buy it from the noahs cuboard link above. I get the avipro plus from there too, but I found somewhere that sells the recovery cheaper, although atm I can't remember where it was

We use the critical care available on dparr59's link above.

It is very good stuff and the bunnies do tend to like it (unlike science recovery which they didn't!) It smells of aniseed.
It's more expensive but worth it.

I gave some to Twighlightpagan when her new bunny wasn't eating - did she like it, Twilightpagan?

Critical Care from Oxbow and Critical Care Formula from Vetark are two quite different products. Oxbow Critical Care is for small herbivores and contains high quantities of fibre to help keep their guts functioning. It also if flavoured with anise which a lot of them find really yummy -and will get them eating when many other things won't. It is a syringe feeding formula that contains Vit C and electrolytes. Vetark Critical Care Formula does not contain fibre, but does contain electrolytes, proteins and malatodextrins for energy. I reckon that in some situations you may need the Vetark CCF alongside the Oxbow Critical Care, but I would have thought that you are unlikely to need just the Vetark one for bunnies etc because you've got to try and keep the fibre going through the guts. In my experience the Supreme Science recovery doesn't mix as well as Oxbow Critical Care - tends to get a bit jammed in the syringe etc and is a bit less palatable that Oxbow one. Vetark Avipro Plus is brill too in situations like this as it is a probiotic that helps gets the correct bacteria in place where they belong, and helps for a faster recovery.

www.sphsupplies.co.uk stock the Oxbow Critical Care, and the Avipro PLus, and will also supply syringes of all sizes - not found on their web site - just ask them and they are very helpful. oh yes - and they also sell Virkon - which by all the test results for it must be just about the most versatile disinfectant that there is.(used for foot and mouth, bird flu, not to mention myxi and vhd)- and great for washing funny skins in!

LOL Bugs BUnny and friends