My poor baby has a sore!

FORUM

What are we about? Please read about our Forum Culture and check out the Rules.

BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately! Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES

The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 10sd replies, 8 voices, and was last updated 16 years, 1 month ago by KatnipCrzy.

Viewing 10 reply threads

Author

Messages
- 01/22/2010 at 10:55 PM
  OhBellaBunBun
  Participant
  82 posts
  Hi, I’m new here. I’ve been a lurker for a while, but this is my first post.
  
  My bun has developed sore hocks within the last couple weeks (she is a dutch). When I found she was getting this I immediately ran out to get every ointment/remedy I could find you all talking about! So I’ve been medicating her feet every day even if they looked like they were fine b/c I didn’t want them to get bad… Well, one of them got bad anyway. She was running around being a crazy bun tonight and she must’ve ripped open the sore b/c there were tiny drops of blood on the floor. I picked her up and checked to find her sore was red and ugly with blood I had put cream on earlier today too!
  
  Originally, I did try bandaging them but she hated it and ripped them off. This time, I soaked her feet, put cream, and then I made a bandage for the foot that is having the major problem. After I soaked her foot the blood was gone, but of course her foot was still super red. She is back in her home, which is carpet with bedding in most areas on top of that, no wire floor. She has plenty of room to run and play in there…
  
  She’s eating and acting normal, still loving me and kissing me and all… but then again, she was running around with a really sore foot too! So anyway, I need to know what I should be doing! I mean, how would I know if the bandage is too tight? How do I keep her from getting it off? She is licking at it and sometimes pulling. I keep trying to get her to stop (she understands no most of the time lol) and she just goes back to it!
  
  Any advice is greatly appreciated in a tremendous super big way!
  
  I haven’t taken her to the vet yet, should I do this now that it has bled? Should I wait a day? I mean, tomorrow is saturday and my vet will not be open, and there really aren’t many rabbit treating vets around here. So what can I be doing until I can get her there? and also, should I move her to a smaller area for the next couple days so she can’t possibly damage it more?
- 01/23/2010 at 7:43 AM
  Beka27
  Participant
  16016 posts
  Welcome here.
  
  Calloused areas or sore hocks are not uncommon with rabbits since they don’t have the big pads on their feet like dogs do… they only have a thin covering of fur. I’m concerned that she only began to develop the sore hocks within the past couple weeks. Were her feet fine before and they suddenly became red, or had you maybe not noticed before? Has their been any change in her living area within these past couple weeks? You say she is on carpet and bedding… can you possibly take a pic of her cage so we can better understand what you mean? Is she litterbox trained, and if so what type of litter do you use and how often do you clean out the litterbox? Also… do you think someone could help you take pics of her feet? We can’t offer a real medical diagnosis on this site since we are not vets, but we can maybe let you know if she should see a vet this coming week or if you can continue to treat at home.
- 01/23/2010 at 11:48 AM
  kralspace
  Participant
  2663 posts
  sorry to hear your bun’s having trouble with the hocks, in addition to the other suggestions, are her nails clipped? If they grow too long it can cause the bun to kinda walk on the back part of their feet and hocks and cause wear and tear there.
- 01/23/2010 at 12:50 PM
  LucyTwoBunz
  Participant
  153 posts
  We had a local breeder come over to cut our bunz nails a couple weeks ago & noticed a tiny blistery-looking sore. She commented that the rug in their daytime play area was a bit too rough. We had been teaching them a variety of tricks lately & one was to get up on their hind legs for treats…probably how she got the sore. Luckily, It has already healed. We had fleece on 1/2 of the rug so we just added another one for the other 1/2 so now they aren’t on that carpet any longer . It still amazes me of the variety of information we obtain in these threads!!!
- 01/23/2010 at 4:04 PM
  RabbitPam
  Moderator
  11002 posts
  Hi, and welcome,
  I think you can make an appointment for Monday and get through the weekend with a few adjustments. I also thought the carpet may be contributing to the soreness. If you have a plastic bottom to her cage, that won’t hurt her and the smoothness may feel better. Also, if the litter is shavings, or the bedding, that may be irritating her. You could get a very small bag of carefresh litter at the pet store and switch her litter to that for now. I had a bun with sensitive hocks and that was why I had switched to it. It’s softer for their feet. It could soothe the area a bit until you see the vet. Be careful with too many or mixing creams. Until you know what the problem is, you may be causing a rash reaction. Read the box of what you’ve been using and see if they say to discontinue if redness occurs. You could discontinue and just bathe the foot with warm water and a soft cloth. Maybe keep her in the cage for tomorrow so she won’t irritate it further.
- 01/24/2010 at 12:36 AM
  OhBellaBunBun
  Participant
  82 posts
  Bun’s sores, well, see they weren’t really sores, it was more like the hair was kinda thinning on the bottom so i was afraid they’d get bad so I kept an eye on them. I didn’t consider them to be a “sore hock” until the past couple weeks when she seemed to have lost significant fur. I trimmed her nails again when I first noticed the minor hair loss. I retrimmed them last night just to be sure they were as short as I could keep them since she’s having the problem.
  
  I will try to get pics for you all tomorrow, of her foot and her house. Oh, btw, I ended up putting down a fleece blanket over the carpet. See, I’ve been having a problem with the carpet for a while. I keep hearing how carpet can irritate, and it seems like everyone has something different to say about what is best. When I first got her (last June) I was using small fluffy type of rugs but she started digging them and pulling the pieces so I thought she might ingest them. I’ve tried different things along the way. So recently I got a large area rug to put under b/c it is much softer than the type of carpet that is in the room already. Anyway, that is what she has been on for a little before the christmas holiday and maybe this is why they got worse.
  
  I have been using carefresh for a while, I had tried something new before but for the life of me I can’t remember the name! I switched back to care fresh. She has a new litterbox b/c she kept digging in the old one and getting her litter out everywhere! So I got one of those kind that has the sides that come up. I’m thinking I should take the sides off for now so she can get in and out easier.
  
  I was changing her litter every 2 days just to make sure there was no urine in there, and now I’m just going to do it daily.
  
  I ended up taking the bandages off last night b/c she hated them so much and I just couldn’t stand to see her so irritated. Plus, I was afraid she’d eat the bandages when I went to sleep. (trust me, I’d have stayed up with her all day and night if I could but I have Narcolespy) So I just sat there holding her for hours so her feet weren’t touching anything. My boyfriend thinks I am being overly obsessed about this, but I know what sore hocks can turn into. I am a major animal lover and I can’t stand to think of her hurting!
  
  Oh, and right now I’m just using an A&D ointment. I have some jojoba oil which is a natural product that could be good for her skin, but I haven’t read about that anywhere so I haven’t tried it. I really would prefer to use something without any kind of man made chemical in it if possible. I’m just getting overwhelmed. I love this little Bunny so much!
  
  Thank you so much for your input, I really do appreciate it.
- 01/24/2010 at 12:44 AM
  Monkeybun
  Participant
  10479 posts
  You know, I wonder if it was dyes used in the area rug that irritated her… some rugs, especially cheaper ones, arent all that well made. Fleece is good, Moose adores his fleece blankie on the floor.
  
  I use cat litter boxes for my buns, they are nice and large, with high enough sides that the litter doesnt get out. My 2 like them, they snooze in them sometimes lol. I use carefresh in their boxes, which Monkey likes to help spread into the corners when I change it.
  
  I’d still take her into the vet so you can make sure they aren’t getting infected. The vet could probably give you soem tips on what to do for her feets too.
- 01/24/2010 at 5:15 AM
  RabbitPam
  Moderator
  11002 posts
  Sounds like you’re doing everything possible. Definitely stay away from anything that you don’t know is good for her. If she’s still able to run and play, then she’s not in that much pain, if any, so don’t worry so much. She’ll get to the vet tomorrow and you’ll feel better. Just take notes when you’re there with your instructions for a course of action. Stick to the vet’s plan and she’ll be fine.
- 01/25/2010 at 12:21 AM
  Kokaneeandkahlua
  Participant
  12067 posts
  Yes sounds like you are really keeping a sharp eye on it and seeing the vet tomorrow and you’ll both be on the mend
  
  I’ve read before that carpet can be tough on their feeties-so maybe even though it’s soft to us it’s not soft enough for them? Fleece-like Monkeybun suggested is a super bedding material to try
- 01/25/2010 at 9:45 PM
  OhBellaBunBun
  Participant
  82 posts
  Guys, thank you again for your help! I can’t find my camera cord so I haven’t been able to upload any pics. Anyway, Bella Bun is okay, and her foot is already looking better. I’m just supposed to keep following what I’ve been doing and keep her in her home for a few days before she can come out to play, and when she can come out to only let her out for short periods of time for a while. Her feet are scabbing over and back to a pinky color so hopefully she’ll continue to heal like this!
  
  Hope you all had a nice weekend!
- 01/28/2010 at 4:07 PM
  KatnipCrzy
  Participant
  2981 posts
  I would be very careful about bandaging bunny feet at home- a vet should show you how to do it and how to make sure it is not too tight and cutting of blood flow to the rest of the foot.
  
  sometimes callus’s need to harden up- and medicating can make the sores soft and more prone to bleed or open up. If it continues you should take her to a vet.
Author

Messages