Rabbits dont have padded feet, so the only thing that protects their feet is the fur. The fur can get worn away from the heels, exposing the skin. It’s great that you are seeing hair growing out.

This is something to keep a close eye on, because if the skin breaks, it can become a nasty wound that needs vet care. This condition is known as pododermatitis or sore shocks.

The cause of this is wear. Some buns are more prone that others. Especially rex rabbits are prone. They tend to develop hard calluses on their heels, because they simply dont have enough hair growth under their feet.

Buns need soft flooring, but not too soft. Some carpets can be abrasive and may need to be covered with for example fleece blankets. Many members have seen good results with memory foam bath mats in the bun’s pen or cage.

Here is some information about pododermatitis/sore hocks: http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/sorehocks.html

That’s interesting that it is on her front paw, have you gotten a good look at her back paws?  Sore hocks are most common on the back feet, so if she has one on her front I would def examine her back feet thoroughly.

There are ways to wrap the hocks, but if it is severe enough to need wrapping, then it really should be looked at by the vet, as they can show you the correct way to wrap it.

What is her current flooring and litter box bedding like?  Keeping the nails trimmed is also important.

Newspaper mats might be nice alternative to fleece etc. Soft, a bit of give, and safe/fun to chew and destroy. Here’s a tutorial: http://www.bunssb.org/buns-newsletter/september-2013/make-mat/

The link to the pictures is not showing for me. I’ll send you a PM to see if we can fix that.

I missed the fact that this bare patch is on her fore paw. That is very unusual. It would be great if you took her to have her nails clipped, a vet tech could say if the paw is sth a vet should take a look at.

It looks like there is some swelling under the toes. Also, there is what looks like a small scab under the toe to the right of the picture. Does she react with pain if you touch her toes (with very clean hands)? It can be difficult to tell though, since rabbits often dont appreciate it when you touch their paws. That she’s licking her paw and pulling out fur would indicate that its bothering her.

If there is swelling, it could be a bacterial infection under the skin. Is there any scruffiness or bare skin around her nails?

It does look like there is some swelling. My girl Bertha got a small abscess on her foot that the vet thought might have been from getting poked with a piece of hay or something similar, so that could be what’s going on here.

This is very strange. My first thought was, as Dana said, an injury/abscess resulting from a hay poke or other irritating agent.

I agree with the others. Looks swollen. Something is bothering her and she’s probably licking it. Just a thought, has she been running anywhere where you have been using cleaners on the floor? I suspect, in that case, that all the feet would be affected but it just really looks to me like a pic I’d seen of a dog that had walked on some freshly cleaned floors.

I’m glad you had it looked at!

Keep keeping a close eye. If she keeps licking her paw, that in itself could cause more trouble, because skin that is always wet, cant function properly as a barrier. Funghi and bacteria “like” wet skin.

If things get worse, or if this is still bothering her in a week, I think you should have it seen again. She may then need antibiotics.

Putting antibiotic ointment on the paw would probably be of little use, because she’d just lick it off right away.

We’d be happy for updates!

It’s very possibly it’s her licking it that’s caused the fur loss & inflammation. Is it something you’ve notice her do a lot?

If that was the case, she’s definitely bothered by something. If it were really, really itchy for example.

“The vet said that her paw looks fine and she’s probably just pulled the fur out herself.”

Did the vet give any further explanations as to why she could be doing that? Or ways to try overcome it?

Edit to Add: you mentioned she would dig & chew foam mats if she had them. Does she dig at things a lot? My thought was she might have overdone it at some point at caused a friction burn. Although,  it does seem too big an area for just that… Unless she had a small injury then the licking made it worse. Does she dig at carpet when she is on that?

Constant licking is enough to cause the fur loss. It sounds like she’s not doing that so that is promising!  Fingers crossed she leaves it alone to fully recover.

Thats frustrating about not going in with her at the vet. I guess it’s only a temporary thing.