The Bun Tum

Any rabbit person knows how much their bun’s health depends upon the proper workings of that complicated little digestive system. And with all the good reports of the wonders of probiotics, it would seem a good idea to try them on our rabbit friends, right?

Well, yes, it would seem like an excellent idea. Except that rabbit digestive systems are so vastly different than that of cats, dogs, and humans. The structure, mechanics, and chemistry is entirely different. And so, the enzymes that work for us, for our dogs, and for our cats simply are not effective for rabbits.  

We are carnivores (some of us, anyway), we eat dairy products, we digest in single stomachs, once, and out the waste products go, again, one time only. We are fairly inefficient digesters, all things considered. But the protease, lipase, amylase, lactobacillus, and other things we might consider as beneficial to our shortened tracts do not have the same effect whatsoever in a rabbit.

Unfortunately, although a rabbit probiotic might be very useful, no such product yet exists. There are a few herbal companies now at the forefront of herbal supplementation for buns: Floppers Garden, and Fuzzies Kingdom, for instance.  Sue Paul at Floppers Garden is especially knowledgeable, with a background in nutrition and herbal medicine.  

So much of rabbit health is still a mystery, and we are still not over the hump on the learning curve. But I do think there will be some huge breakthrough in the next five years or so, and we will see some wonderful new products, like more herbal supplements, and maybe even probiotics!