Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Will feeding my rabbit quaker oats help to cure diarrhea?

Other than seeing the vet, what remedies can I give my rabbit to cure her diarrhea?Will feeding my rabbit quaker oats help to cure diarrhea?
The remedy for the diarrhea depends entirely on what is causing it. Have you changed the rabbit's diet recently? Are you feeding too many fresh greens? Has the rabbit been stressed or unwell? Has the weather been too hot?


Any of these and lots of other things can cause this problem.


If it's diet related, you need to alter the diet - not try quick fixes like feeding oats. They are high in calories and are not a natural food.


Your rabbit should be eating good quality eating hay such as timothy or oaten hay (yes, it has oats, but in natural form, and in balanced proportions to the rest of the hay consumed)! Hay should be 80% of your rabbit's diet. Next is pellets- 10% of the diet, and the remainder fresh fruit and vegetables, 10%. If your rabbit is eating food with different proportions, chances are the bacteria in it's gut is unbalanced. You need to adjust it.


If the diet seems ok, and there are no other obvious causes, take it to the vet - there could be another problem.Will feeding my rabbit quaker oats help to cure diarrhea?
Yes,Oats are great for rabbits %26amp; they 'Are' proven to help cure Diarrhea.





I feed my half Rabbit Mix %26amp; half Crushed Oats(2ozs daily). Oats are very good feed for rabbits,however they are very high in Carbohydrates,which in excess is made into fats,so Oats are fatty!





Diarrhea is rare in rabbits,if she did have it her feces would be almost 'Brown Water'. She may be over producing 'Cecotropes',the soft,light brown feces they eat to absorb essential vitamins(Vitamin B12 %26amp; K) . If the rabbit is been over fed Greens,mix or Unnecessary treats the rabbit may not eat these feces,thus meaning it may build up around the rabbits bottom,this to most people is suspected as diarrhea.





Only feed a few oats,as over feeding these will add to the problem. Hay is the best at this job.





Hope this helps,xxx





ADD: I strong Disagree with the person above me. Greens should N O T be fed in large amounts that's what can cause diarrhea. That's incorrect info. Carrots are high in sugar %26amp; should be fed as a 'Treat'. Kale shouldn't be fed more than twice a week,as it is high in Oxalates,which can become very harmful. XxX
Hell no. Oats are not for rabbits, ffs. Give him a an endless supply of greens(for my bun it's carrot greens and kale.)


If she has the runs you are feeding her something you shouldn't. Timothy hay, and as someone already said-high fiber low carb food. Re-evaluate what you are feeding him. If he has the runs it is utterly your fault. And there shouldn't be a ';besides taking her to the vet.'; Take her to the vet! Rabbits should do 90% pebbles and the occasional soft night stool.


Aslo keep an eye on her to make sure she ain't chewing stuff she shouldn't be chewing. I saw my sisters bunny once eating a crayon and I almsot smacked her in the head.(The sister not the bunny.)





EDIT--I strongly sagree with poster below me. Oats are NOT good for a pet/house rabbit for the very reason you said. The high carbs do not get exercised out as they would to a rabbit in the wild and as such should not be given to a rabbit taht is relatively static. You will create a fat atrophied rabbit. Oats are a terrible idea.
visit http://www.rabbit.org


and specifically: http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/poop.html





Make sure she is getting as much hay as she wants every day and some fresh greens like romain lettuce (not iceburg!) and you don't feed her too much sugary food such as carrots.





You should take her to the vet as this could definitely be parasitic and she may need some basic antibiotics.





';The following symptoms require that you see your veterinarian immediately. Diarrhea--as in human children, diarrhea in rabbits can be fatal. Rabbits have various kinds of diarrhea, if it's runny, messy and smelly it's easy to identify. A more subtle form of diarrhea (which does not require the urgency of runny diarrhea) is when the droppings appear to be normal, but ';squash'; when you touch or sweep them up. You may also see ';clumpy'; diarrhea. This will be the consistency of silly putty, with normal round droppings mixed in. Diarrhea usually requires antibiotics from your veterinarian. Other signs to watch for are loud tummy growling, small and/or misshapen droppings or no droppings at all. See your veterinarian if any of these symptoms appear. (Veterinarians often misdiagnose this problem as being a hairball.)';
start to give her some very fiberous foods, oats would probably be best for an animal.

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