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Uk Stockists Of Fine Grind Critical Care?

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Eriathwen

Eriathwen

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Sorry if this is in the wrong section, I wasnt sure where to put it.

Where does everyone in the UK buy their fine grind critical care? I bought some on amazon a week or so ago and it wont arrive until the end of the month, for some reason its coming from the US... Ive got some from our vets for the mean time but its almost double the price, which is fine for a one off thing but we're going to be needing quite a bit!

I think I am probably missing something so any reccommendations welcome :) thanks guys.
 
Amazon stock both types with Prime delivery if necessary. Here's the Fine Grind Critical Care:
It may be a bit more expensive than VetUK but you have guaranteed next day delivery if you need it or if you have Amazon Prime.

Here's the regular one as well:
Viovet also stock both types under the same listing: Oxbow Critical Care for Herbivores

EDIT: I don't know why the links aren't working on my laptop now. My browser seems to have a problem with Amazon so will check in Firefox.

EDIT 2: Works on Firefox so must be my laptop :(. Shame since I love Amazon so much.
 
Why are you buying fine grind? I use normal pellets (Burgess Blackcurrant & Oregano) & whizz them up in a coffee grinder (Not used for coffee) That makes really fine grind & I then just add a bit of water to a couple of teaspoons as I go :)
 
Eriathwen said:
Sorry if this is in the wrong section, I wasnt sure where to put it.

Where does everyone in the UK buy their fine grind critical care? I bought some on amazon a week or so ago and it wont arrive until the end of the month, for some reason its coming from the US... Ive got some from our vets for the mean time but its almost double the price, which is fine for a one off thing but we're going to be needing quite a bit!

I think I am probably missing something so any reccommendations welcome :) thanks guys.
Click to expand...

Look in online places like viovet, hyperdrug etc. They should come up when you google.
 
Poppy'sMum said:
Why are you buying fine grind? I use normal pellets (Burgess Blackcurrant & Oregano) & whizz them up in a coffee grinder (Not used for coffee) That makes really fine grind & I then just add a bit of water to a couple of teaspoons as I go :)
Click to expand...

For some reason our pellets (harringtons) still clog up the syringes when we grind them up, as did the supreme science liquid food our vet gave us first off unless used in the special syringe we were given but unfortunately the end is too large to get into Brambles mouth without causing pain. We were given a bag of the fine grind and she loves it, its the only food I dont struggle to get into her at the moment and I can make it into quite a thick paste still without the syringes playing up lol

A coffee grinder sounds like a brilliant idea though! I will definitely have to invest in one. While Bramble will only eat the fine grind now, Blackberry only likes pellet mush... just to be awkward!

Thankyou everyone for the suggestions, really pays to shop around! We were charged £18 from the vets, its more than half the price on some of these sites!
 
Eriathwen said:
For some reason our pellets (harringtons) still clog up the syringes when we grind them up, as did the supreme science liquid food our vet gave us first off unless used in the special syringe we were given but unfortunately the end is too large to get into Brambles mouth without causing pain. We were given a bag of the fine grind and she loves it, its the only food I dont struggle to get into her at the moment and I can make it into quite a thick paste still without the syringes playing up lol

A coffee grinder sounds like a brilliant idea though! I will definitely have to invest in one. While Bramble will only eat the fine grind now, Blackberry only likes pellet mush... just to be awkward!

Thankyou everyone for the suggestions, really pays to shop around! We were charged £18 from the vets, its more than half the price on some of these sites!
Click to expand...

The best way to give syringe feed and mushed up pellets is by cutting off the tip of a 1 ml syringe just below where it narrows to prevent the plunger from falling out and to also to cut off the tip of the plunger where the syringe has been cut off, as illustrated in our syringe feeding guide in the Caring for an Ill Guinea Pig section. That makes all the difference!
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
 
Unfortunately shes not able to open her mouth wide enough for the cut off 1ml syringe to fit in, I tried persevering but she just wasnt having it and it would just be spat back out, same with the special science selective syringe we were given :( Dispite being on metacam her jaw still seems to be painful. We're doing well with 10ml syringes with the tip left on though, I can get it right into the opposite cheek without her having to open her mouth. Taking great care to only push half a ml at a time (lots of practice outside of the piggy first!) so that its not flooding her mouth, being able to mix the fine grind into a much thicker paste is helping massively with that.
 
I only use fine grind, once trying it I haven't used anything else. Had to buy some just before Christmas Day from the vet, £19 but don't grudge it as I had a pig needing syringe fed an I didn't want to risk my half bag not being enough.

A lot of people think just using a cut syringe and a non fine grind food is just the same but it really isn't..

Being finely ground means you can make the paste thicker whilst still being able to draw it up in a syringe that still has a tip. This is great for a few reasons:

Normal critical care or pellets needs to made up with quite a bit of water to be able to be drawn into a syringe .. Compared to fine grind where you can make a thick paste. This means your pig is getting more nutrition and calories per ml compared to other feeds, as it contains more feed and less water.

Being thicker, it isn't running out of your pigs mouth meaning more is actually GOING IN!

because u don't have to snip the top off, u can get the food to where it needs to be instead of all over the face. Less mess and again more food going in!

This is how thick I feed it.. And this is how clean my pig is after! Less stress, more calories and all round much better!

image.webp image.webp
 
I couldnt believe how well it goes in and out of the syringe. I was spending at least an hour at a time trying to do each feeding what with Bramble breaking free from the towel every time I had to stop and clear the blockage from the syringe. Now its all done and dusted in about 10 minutes! Amazing stuff, the sore patches on her mouth where she wouldnt let me clean her up properly have all gone now too. Definitely something to stock up on! Shes even gaining weight rather than simply maintaining it too.
 
I always mix mine quite thick too, like Adelle does & rarely have a piggy that gets it anywhere :) If your piggy can't open her mouth wide enough then use the narrow syringe & use whatever syringe feed she loves, if she is happy to eat it then you are in a win win situation :) Mine don't like CC much, I just sat & syringe fed my dental piggy with the ground up pellets & she was snatching the syringe out of my hand to scoff the lot lol :)
 
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