4wk old with Weaning Enteritis?

[OneAcreFarm]

One of Roxie's Mega Kits has a slimey bottom...clear mucus-y stuff...I know they have been getting into her Calf Manna and pellets. None of the others are affected, I took that one out and put it in a carrier with only rolled oats, timothy hay and water. What can I give to help it?

 

[MaggieJ]

If you have access to the lawn weeds plantain and shepherd's purse or the leaves of raspberry, blackberry or strawberry they may help. They can be used fresh or dried. I hope that the kit recovers. :clover: :clover: :clover:

I'd pull the calf manna from Roxie's cage for the time being. It might help prevent the others from having problems. If Roxie desperately needs it, you could take her out now and again and feed it as a treat. It is very rich and my feeling is that it is not the easiest thing for youngsters to digest. How old are the kits? Sorry, but I cannot remember.

 

[OneAcreFarm]

4 wks old, and yes I plan to only give her the Calf Manna separately from now on. I do have Plantain growing right now, so I will give her some when I get home.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Oh dear! So sorry to hear this- but your post couldn't have come at a better time for me... Feather's kits have also had access to CM, and they are only 5 weeks. I better go check them. Hope your baby is okay!

 

[MaggieJ]

I maybe came on a bit strong about calf manna... especially since I have no personal experience with it. It may have nothing at all to do with the problem this kit is having. I plead guilty to a strong bias against commercial products for rabbits.

 

[ladysown]

My approach to this has become this: get some probiotics in her. leave her with her mom (as at this age you want to reduce stress). Remove the calf manna. If you want to give mom something...simple rolled oats will give her extra energy. Feed hay morning and night, and make sure it is fresh, and somewhat off the ground. But mostly...if you catch it early... probiotics will do the trick.

 

[OneAcreFarm]

Ok, I will try that, thanks Ladysown!

@MaggieJ: I don't think you came off strong, I only use the CM for nursing moms, and Roxie is just about got these weaned already so she really does not need any more CM if I am wanting her milk to dry up.

 

[akane]

I've had bad first hand experience with calf manna and after some research found many other articles and individuals that had increased digestive tract disorders, mastitis (which is often recurrent once they get it the first time potentially ruining your doe), difficulty getting does on calf manna pregnant but not others in the barn, and signs of organ stress with excess internal fat despite appearing in poor condition after butchering. I went looking for alternatives. Oats, sunflower seeds, horse coat supplements (without corn or too much molasses), and milk formulas for young animals can all be given to adults and kits with less potential issues. The first 2 can cause too much weight gain if over fed and the coat supplements tend to be a lot of oil which could cause loose stools but the problems have never ended up being life threatening in the least unlike what I ran in to with calf manna and clear up by lowering the dose.