Bunny has sore hocks – home remedies till vet visit?

[TheVelveteenRabbit]

I discovered this morning that my bunny has what appears to be the early stages of sore hocks.

I called my vet as soon as I noticed, but he’s booked solid until Thursday morning, so I made an appointment for then.

In the meantime, I’ve bought my bunny memory foam pads for his hutch (it was previously lined with towels, I’m not sure if that’s what caused this?), and have been applying Bag Balm to the sores as several websites mentioned those things will help.

Is Thursday morning too late for an appointment, and should I try to get him to another vet ASAP? Or can I treat him with home remedies in the meantime until then? (If home remedies are okay for now, I would love additional suggestions on that.)

Also, should I limit his usual exercise/play time right now or just let him out as I usually do?

I’d really appreciate some advice, I’m pretty worried about him.

[DanaNM]

I don’t have any personal experience with this, but can you describe what you are seeing? Is the skin cracked or bleeding at all? Or just red?

In any case, fleece blankets can also really help, especially if they are bunched up so the surface is uneven.

Hopefully others with more experience can chime in.

More movement is generally good for sore hocks, in my understanding, as it’s sitting still on hard flooring that causes them. So, I would say don’t limit exercise, but maybe put down soft fleece blankets where you can.

You can also check the length of his hind nails, as overgrown nails can cause extra pressure on the bun’s heels.

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[TheVelveteenRabbit]

I’m not sure exactly how to post pics on here, but I found a link that looks basically identical to what I’m seeing on my bunny:
http://www.bunnymama.com/more-on-sore-hocks/

No bleeding or cracking that I can see.

Interestingly, I took him to a local rabbit rescue about a week ago to get groomed (brushing/nail trimming – I’m paranoid about trimming his nails myself and this place was cheaper than my vet, and included the brushing. My vet does nail trimming only). They brushed him but told me he didn’t need a nail trimming, so they didn’t do one. I thought that was odd since it was right around 6 weeks since his last trim, and they felt pretty sharp to me. They don’t look especially long to me right now, but I’m also unsure exactly how long they should look/feel before a trim.

Thank you for the advice!

[Deleted User]

For now just let him sit on fleece blankets get him to the vet soon but if it starts cracking or bleeding thats more serious.
does his hutch have a wire bottom? What does he sit on in his hutch?
If its wire that may be whats causing this. My bunny had the same exact problem. When he became free roam they went away.
Keep him on soft surfaces.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Memory Foam Bath Mats work great for buns who are not chewers.

[Author]

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