"The Rabbit Residence"needs fresh dandelion,milkthistleraspberry leaves-also question

"The Rabbit Residence"needs fresh dandelion,milkthistleraspberry leaves-also question

Hi all...could someone clarify this for me?

This was posted on face book by Caroline "The Rabbit Residence"

desperate for fresh Dandelions, raspberry & milk thistle

Posted on Facebook....

The Rabbit Residence Rescue
need lots of prayers said. desperately trying to get hold of cisipride for zander who has been in stasis since 16th February, went for dental today ad been palpated again. toughest rabbit ive ever tried to seringe feed. has anyone got any dandilions or milk thistle growing they can post me for him. I cant find any anywhere. also raspberry leaves. thank you. xx

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a response...

Hi, bramble leaves are almost identical to raspberry leaves, and you should be able to find them growing everywhere - hedgerows, woods, gardens... I'm sure you'll have some growing near the rescue, good luck x

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the reply

The Rabbit Residence Rescue raspberry leaves good to get gut moving/ constipation where as bramble leaves help if bunny has diarrhea so desperate for raspberry leaves though using some bramble but not too many thank you

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I read this and did not realize that difference between raspberry & bramble leaves...?

Would plantain help with getting the gut moving OR also more for diarrhea?

Caroline needs fresh forages as the buns is not tempted by dried.

chelle said:

Hi all...could someone clarify this for me?

This was posted on face book by Caroline "The Rabbit Residence"

desperate for fresh Dandelions, raspberry & milk thistle





a response...



the reply



I read this and did not realize that difference between raspberry & bramble leaves...?

Would plantain help with getting the gut moving OR also more for diarrhea?

Caroline needs fresh forages as the buns is not tempted by dried.

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I don't recognise any significant difference between bramble & raspberry leaves when it comes to rabbit guts.
True diarrhoea - runny waste poohs is as rare as hens teeth in rabbits, thank goodness, because it's often fatal.
Stasis, dysbiosis with runny caecals, partial obstructions are all the result of gut slow down.
Any tree leaves will help to stimulate a rabbit gut naturally, by reason of the indigestable lignin component, & the tannins in them help to stabilise the gut microorganisms.

IMOThe best leaves of all in this situation would be blackthorn (sloe) which herbalist vets say have a natural prokinetic in them. I only know of a pair of rabbits who have no interest in blackthorn.
Yes, rabbits in stasis often refuse dry food. The chewed fresh forage has a better consistency to pass through.
Plantain also has slippery mucilage in the veins, which helps to lubricate the ingesta a little.
I wouldn't feed dandelion in this difficult situation because it is a diuretic & could make the dehydration problems worse.

My other comment is that fresh forage doesn't withstand transport well, unless it can be delivered within 12 hours of gathering. I would suggest a selection of dried tree/ shrub leaves - blackthorn, bramble, raspberry plus fresh herbs from the supermarket, corriander, dill, basil.

Lots of prayers going up for the bunny.
I hope all is well with you too Chelle. Any thoughts of another foraging thread?

Hi Judy! Thanks for replying! :wave:

I was hoping you might have some advice!

Thankyou very much - would you mind if i copied this to the facebook page where the advice was requested?

Im doing ok thanks...must write you
The bunnies are all doing well....they bring me so much joy!


Here is a link to Elena Forage thread for 2013! Looks like it caught on - yeah! Ive not been about too much and havent read it all..but looks great so far!
http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?374609-Gardening-Foraging-2013-Diary

Hope you & Benjie are well

chelle said:

Hi Judy! Thanks for replying! :wave:

I was hoping you might have some advice!

Thankyou very much - would you mind if i copied this to the facebook page where the advice was requested?

Im doing ok thanks...must write you
The bunnies are all doing well....they bring me so much joy!


Here is a link to Elena Forage thread for 2013! Looks like it caught on - yeah! Ive not been about too much and havent read it all..but looks great so far!
http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?374609-Gardening-Foraging-2013-Diary

Hope you & Benjie are well

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Thank you for asking. I am delighted that you use my reply to help some one else. If possible, please convey my support too.

thumps_ said:

Thank you for asking. I am delighted that you use my reply to help some one else. If possible, please convey my support too.

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thankyou hun- thats wonderful! I must say - I wish I had half the amount of knowledge you have! :wave:

oooh - just remembered that sloe leaves are to be picked at certain times of the year - when is that again?

OR can I harvest at any time to add to their forage?

chelle said:

oooh - just remembered that sloe leaves are to be picked at certain times of the year - when is that again?

OR can I harvest at any time to add to their forage?

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Sloe leaves should only be gathered once the sloes are fully ripe - black with a white bloom on them - until leaf fall.

I don't know why this is. I don't know a lot!:lol: Very little has been written about blackthorn, but wildies eat every fallen leaf in their foraging area.

The big problem is that I couldn't ask Thumper or Benjie why we had to wait until the leaves reached this stage of development before they would eat them. However it is very common for plants to vary a lot in their properties throughout their growing cycle when used medicinally.

With my own buns I just leave a few out & notice when they want to eat them rather than feed them as part of the diet.
Benjie goes months without touching them, then suddenly has a few days of wanting them. They are also excellent for treating pin worms before there are any signs of trouble in his poops.

He's started eating them again recently - no signs of any probs but I'm gently changing him onto his summer diet of fresh grass. Spring grass is notorious for causing mucky bum in many herbivours - the sheep get it really bad!
So I know to go more gently on the grass cos he's needing the sloe leaves to keep his gut organisms in balance.
It's lovely to be able to do this without a single uneaten/abnormal caecal.

Other issue is you'll have a job finding raspberry leaves this time of year - they are just bare sticks. You might find bramble/blackberry with a few old ones left on.

Thanks Tamsin and Judy!

How wonderful that Benjie has eaten all his ceacs....it makes me so happy when my bunnies dont leave any behind!