probiotic for rabbit

[rabbitmom]

Hello! I am new in this forum. Thank you for all valuable info…

I adopted 2 minirex, my 1st pet ever, a boy and a girl 2 months ago. They are fixed on 12/7. Girl, big mama’s surgical site got infected so she had 2 wks of antibiotic treatment. I gave her benebac. I am wondering if I can give homemade kefir to rabbit time to time for probiotic to prevent UTI and etc. Has anyone ever given kefir to rabbit?

[Monkeybun]

Definitely not. From what i understand kefir is a milk drink, right? under no circumstances should bunnies get ANYTHING dairy, it is not a natural part of their diet. It can be harmful to their little tummies.

Stick with what a vet prescribes, and bunnies don’t need anything to prevent UTIs besides lots of fresh water and hay.

[Sarita]

Thanks for reposting your questions rabbitmom.

I can tell you that Benebac is very good for rabbits and I have given it numerous times. Kefir is made from yogurt if I am correct and that is a dairy product which is not recommended for rabbits.

I agree that there is anything you can do to actually prevent a UTI and wonder if there is a reason you have a concern about this. Keeping your rabbits area clean and their litter box clean and making sure they have fresh water may help, but it’s not a guarantee.

[Elrohwen]

Like Sarita said, benebac can be helpful, but kefir should absolutely not be fed – yogurt and any dairy can’t be digested by rabbits.

In general, you shouldn’t need to do more than keep their area clean and give them a good diet to prevent these types of issues. Some rabbits may be more sensitive than others, but you can cross that road with your vet if that happens. Besides, giving extra medicines and things is just stressful on rabbits.

[rabbitmom]

Thank you both of you for answering my concern.
Sarita, why did you have to give your bun benebac numerous times? Was it part of special treatment or was it something to give regularly to support good intestinal health? I take probiotic myself everyday by drinking milk kefir and also water kefir which the kefir grain ferments the sugar water. So I wondered if it might help the rabbit since they need to keep good flora in their sensitive digestive system.
My concern for T-rex which is the boy rabbit peeing on his sleeping area several times in different places. He may have just been territorial since I let Big mama, girl rabbit, and him to switch their cages several times because I am trying to bond them together. I am letting them to sleep together tonight for the first time. They have been lying side by side and licking each other for couple of days. I felt sad to separate them at night. I hope they will have a good night together.
Thank you for sharing your info on probiotic!

[Monkeybun]

Are they spayed and neutered? Hope so!

[RabbitPam]

Yes, MB, I think by being fixed on 12/7 rabbitmom meant they got speutered and it’s now been over a month.

[Monkeybun]

Ha yeah ok, missed that part thats what happens at 5:30 am

[Sarita]

I sometimes use a probiotic when I give antibiotics.

I also tried probiotics for a rabbit I had that suffered from chronic poopy butt – it didn’t help.

[rabbitmom]

Thank you again for replying my question. 

Yes. They are speutered. They seemed loving so much each other. They were forgetting to play last few days and lying down side by side and licked each other. I thought they wanted to be together and it made me feel bad to separate them at night. But, it was my mistake. I had to take them to vet this morning because they had few bite marks when I went to check them in the morning. I separated them again. I don’t know when I know for sure it is safe to let them be together over night.

[BinkyBobs]

NB – Old Thread – please excuse me resurrecting an old thread.

I have just started making kefir and wondered if it would be good for my rabbit.

I found the following info:

“I have had great luck recently feeding a capful of goat kefir to a sick animal. It seemed to really give a big boost to his immune system. It contains lots of bacteria which is good for the digestive system. Goat kefir is easier to digest then cow kefir. Have some yourself while you are at it…it’s good for critters….
Bunnies on antibiotics also need to have live yogurt or acidofolus or probiotics or kefir. My vet says the bunnies like yogurt but I have never had one who would eat it voluntarily. Soak a bit of granola in it and let it dry or wipe some on their paw. Once I mixed it with the pellets slurry and forcefed it. I have had good luck with goat kefir.“
http://www.cramptonarts.com/rabbits/r_disease.html

But I alo read:  “Yogurt or dairy products should never be fed to rabbits, for the following reasons:   

Lactobacillus/Acidobacillus are not a natural host of the adult rabbit intestinal and, if surviving the passage through the acid stomach, it will not survive the anaerobic conditions of the cecum.

The lack of adhesive capability may further prevent Lactobacilli from colonizing in the intestinal tract.

Adult rabbits naturally do not have the right bacteria to digest milk derivates in the cecum and intestine.

In the absence of those Lactobacteria, milk derivates accelerate the onset of stasis in adult rabbits.“

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/GI_dis…yogurt.htm

Then confuses me by then going on to say:

“Yogurt diluted in water can nevertheless help rabbit suffering from intestinal bacterial disturbances et diarrhea, by protecting the endemic bacterial flora and allowing it to grow.”

 

Also: “Yogurt or acidophilus are strongly recommended when your rabbit is receiving any type of antibiotic to keep normal gut flora.”
http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/medicating.html

I will look into this again – no rush.

We do use Protexin Fibreplex for Rabbits (she loves it so I pretend it’s a reward/treat) and  Protexin Pro-Fibre for rabbits: “contains high levels of insoluble and soluble fibre, probiotics to help re-populate the gut with beneficial microorganisms and Preplex – a prebiotic to stimulate the growth of the good bacteria.”            http://www.animeddirect.co.uk/small-animals/digestion

This is a great website and forum, but I am such a slow and clumsy poster.

[Sarita]

Hi – thank you for your post – I do recommend that next time you start a new post however as we ask that you do not pull up old posts.

There is no proof that any probioitc really helps rabbits – what is the reason that you think you NEED one for your rabbit at all? There is no reason to even believe that a healthy rabbit needs probiotics at all and there is no proof that any other probiotic on the market replicates a rabbits good gut flora (it doesn’t hurt but no scientific proof it helps even ill rabbits).

[Author]

Messages