Response from a nutritionist on rabbit discussion list:
Ingredients:
>Deionized water,
 
This is just 100% pure water, with trace minerals and contaminants
removed.
 
>aspartic acid, threonine, serine, gluamic acid, glycine, alanine, valine,
>methionine, isoleucine, leucine, tyrosine, phenylamine, histidine, lysine,
>aginine, cysteine, proline.
 
Every one of these are amino acids.  My guess is the levels ingested would
be appreciably lower than the aa levels from the diet.  They certainly
wouldn't hold down odor; if anything, the excess is excreted into the
urine and would make it smellier!
 
>May or may not contain sodium bicarbonate,
 
 = buffering agent.
The pancreas makes lots of this to neutralize material entering the small
intestine from the stomach.  Aka = baking soda.  No big deal.
 
>hydroxpropyl methylcellulose, = couldn't track this one precisely; my
guess it is the filler that provides bulk and dispersion so the product
can be weighed and measured.  It looks like finely-ground wood pulp to me.
 
>sodium benzoate
 = an antifungal.  Safe to eat.  Used widely.
 
If this is the complete list of ingredients, then it it looks perfectly
safe.  Useless, one suspects, but safe.
 
<additional post from same nutritionist>
 
Upon reflection I think the reason behind this stuff is that they might be
using the bicarb to modify the urine pH.  The idea being that if the urine
is too acidic, then it might hold down bacterial growth in the litter.  So
critter ingests the sodium bicarbonate, there's a mild change in blood pH
(which annoys me a bit), and the excess is sent into the urine.
 
<her conclusion for **rabbits** is that it is NOT safe. MF also markets
this product with a photo of a rabbit>
 
This bothers me, because bunnies, unlike other animals, are sending much
of their calcium losses into the urine, rather than the feces.  And with
that bicarb being excreted into the urine, I'd be concerned about
increased risk for urinary and kidney stones, especially in bunnies
already with a risk for those problems.  So upon reflection, I couldn't
in good conscience recommend this product for rabbits.
 
Can someone comment on whether or not the above paragraph might indicate a
problem for ferrets?  If it's not a problem in ferrets, I still wouldn't
use it as they're fooling around with changing both urine pH and blood pH.
 
Sandi
 
Best Little Rabbit, Rodent & Ferret House
a non-profit animal shelter
14325 Lake City Way NE
Seattle, WA 98125
(206)365-9105
Open 7 days/week or visit our on-line store at:
http://www.rabbitrodentferret.org
[Posted in FML issue 3795]