Critical Care

Critical Care

Critical Care is a nutritional supplement for under eating in small herbivores such as rabbits, guinea pigs, chinchillas, turtles, etc.

More information

The packaging of Critical Care has been changed. Extra Omega 3 fatty acids have also been added to this product.

Critical Care:

Balanced: Fibre percentage exceeds 25%
Tasty: Critical Care from Oxbow is very close to the natural diet of small herbivores, both in flavour and in composition
User-friendly: Easy to mix and administer
Lifesaving: Sometimes animals have difficulty eating food due to dental problems, old age, weaning and surgery
Prevents stress: Critical Care is easily accepted by the animal
Reliable: Used worldwide by professionals

How to administer

Shake well before opening the pouch. Next, you can dissolve 1 part of Critical Care with 1.5 part of lukewarm water and mix thoroughly. Critical Care can be given to your pet in two different ways: either serve as a wet mash in a small bowl, or use a syringe. When using a syringe, make sure that you administer the substance carefully in your pets mouth. If you add little water, it is also possible to mould the substance into small balls so that you can feed your recovering animal. Always make sure that there is enough drinking water available and be sure to mix the Critical Care substance freshly each day.

Critical Care for guinea pigs

Guinea pigs need high amounts of fibre and vitamin C. These are readily available in Critical Care. Treatment with Critical Care can regulate the weight of the guinea pig, normalise faeces and relieve wind in the animal. After several weeks, it can also improve the skin and coat. Baby guinea pigs can eat solid food after only a few days, therefore Critical Care can be given to orphaned young guinea pigs to help them gain weight.

Critical Care for chinchillas

Chinchillas are herbivores and will benefit from Critical Care food. The recovery period after illness can be reduced using this special food. See table for correct dosage, to be spread out over several meals.

Critical Care for rabbits

Rabbits kept as pets can also be fed Critical Care. Rabbits are sensitive to stress, so when feeding with a syringe, you must be calm and careful. The ideal feeding schedule for Critical Care is every 3 to 4 hours. If this is too stressful, then only administer 3 times per day.

Critical Care for reptiles and birds

Herbivorous reptiles, birds and mammals in zoos etc. can be treated temporarily with Critical Care. The dosing table is not applicable for all of these animals. Sometimes more should be given (e.g. for birds) and sometimes less (e.g. for reptiles).

Critical Care for turtles

Herbivorous turtles can be given 2 to 3 ml of dissolved Critical Care per kg of body weight twice daily. Depending on their level of activity and rate of weight gain, this should gradually (over 7 to 10 days) be increased to 10 ml per kg of body weight twice daily.

Dosage

In the dosing table below it is possible to see how much ml you should administer to your pet according to its weight. This table also shows how much Critical Care you should give according to the amount of meals each day.

Dosing table
Weight	Amount of ml per day	3 meals per day	4 meals per day	5 meals per day	6 meals per day	7 meals per day
0.5 kg	25 ml	8 ml	6 ml	5 ml	4 ml	3 ml
1 kg	50 ml	17 ml	13 ml	10 ml	8 ml	7 ml
1.5 kg	75 ml	25 ml	19 ml	15 ml	13 ml	11 ml
2 kg	100 ml	33 ml	25 ml	20 ml	17 ml	14 ml
2.5 kg	125 ml	42 ml	31 ml	25 ml	21 ml	18 ml
3 kg	150 ml	50 ml	38 ml	30 ml	25 ml	21 ml
3.5 kg	175 ml	58 ml	44 ml	35 ml	29 ml	25 ml
4 kg	200 ml	67 ml	50 ml	40 ml	33 ml	29 ml

What if your pet refuses Critical Care?

Animals are sometimes so accustomed to their daily diet that they may not want to accept Critical Care at first. In this case, we recommend the following: Always serve it fresh. Always use warm water to release the natural flavours. Start with small amounts, so the animal gets used to the flavour. Try again after a few hours. Make sure to use a syringe recommended by the vet. You can also mix in some of the normal food that your pet likes.

When to stop using Critical Care?

You can stop using Critical Care once the animal is ready to return to their normal diet, and if normal weight and fitness levels have been reached. The transition from Critical Care mash or pellets back to a normal diet is easy. Sprinkle food with powdered Critical Care. Reduce the amount of Critical Care used over several days.

Critical Care comes with a useful syringe to administer the product.

Critical Care Fine Grind is suitable for drip-feeding.