bunny sore hocks won’t heal

[angelette <3]

hello! this is only my second post so i hope this is the right place to ask this. both of my bunnies, daisy and honey are sadly suffering from sore hocks. they have seen the the vet a couple of times, but sadly i’ve been having trouble reaching her to address my current concerns. i’m mostly worried that their feet aren’t fully healing, even with the adjustments i’ve made to their environment (they free roam in my bedroom). i have lots of soft flooring such as baby play mats, carpets, and even a memory foam mattress for them to lie on instead of my vinyl flooring. i’m currently applying an ointment prescribed by the vet to prevent infection along with a&d ointment. unfortunately, their feet will start to look really well, and then suddenly they’re inflamed or red again the next day. both buns are about 3lbs which is healthy for dwarf bunnies, so i don’t believe their weight is an issue. on the bright side, they don’t seem to be in much pain, and their hocks aren’t terrible, but i want them to live happily without them. any help would be greatly appreciated! thank you kindly <3

warm wishes, angelette

[Wick & Fable]

With them both having sore hocks (and not being Rexes), it does lean into environmental/care factors that may be contributing it. Can you link a picture of your set-up perhaps?

Outside environmental, other factors contributing to sore hocks include being overweight (I mention because weight standards by breed are arbitrary, so there is always a chance 3lb is overweight for your particular dwarf buns; a vet exam will better confirm if that’s a healthy weight), lack of exercise/movement, and unkempt nail length. You can read more information here: https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Sore_hocks

Also, is it actually expressing as sore hocks, or is there a chance these are natural calluses that are, at times, a bit more red? Photos may help!

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.

[angelette <3]

hello! thank you so much for your response! they seem to be a healthy weight, even for netherland dwarfs. i understand the one listed on google is 2.5lbs, but both of my buns were 2ish lbs when i got them as babies. the vet always says they are healthy! they get plenty of exercise, although their nails may be a small issue. i am unable to trim them myself, so i go to the vet, but i’m hoping to do them by myself eventually! as for the images, i’d love to provide some, but my girls are quite squeamish and would never allow me to take any. i attempted to upload some of the environnement, but an error message appeared, my apologies! i have baby foam mats under a carpet that lays under my bed, a twin sized memory foam mattress in the center of the room, and more baby foam mats under towels and blankets where their litter box and toys are! i try to put something to soften the flooring in every place they like to go! the vet has confirmed they are sore hocks as well

warm wishes, angelette

[DanaNM]

Carpet can contribute to sore hocks, so if they spend a lot of time on the carpeted area, that could be contributing. Adding a few layers of fleece blankets on top of the carpet should help.

You also may be on to something with their nails, they could just need them trimmed more frequently for a bit.

. . . 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.  

[angelette <3]

i have fleece blankets overtop the carpets, i meant to mention that! i will definitely try to trim their nails more. thank you so very much ♡

warm wishes, angelette

[DanaNM]

I haven’t tried them, but a member recently posted about these little handmade booties for rabbit feet that were to help with sore hocks. I think they were sold on etsy, so it might be something to check out!

. . . 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.  

[LBJ10]

Yes, someone got sore hock booties off of Etsy. I can’t remember what the shop was called.

[Meg]

I’m sorry to hear it!  My bun has had some pink hocks on one foot the past few months.  I started ointments but my vet actually told me to stop — she said they can do more harm than good, as long as there isn’t an open wound.  Instead, I replaced the regular fleece blankets that covered in his room (the kind that feel like a fleece jacket) with plush polyester blankets (the kind that feel almost like a Rex bunny’s fur) and tried Sheepette too.  His foot has been doing OK, still a little bare but no broken skin.  Anyway, just another vote to focus on the environmental side of things.  I hope your buns’ feet feel better soon!

[Bam]

Creams can do more harm than good because they might stick to the remaining fur and make ut un-fluffy and less protective. When my bun got sore hocks I wrapped them with vet adhesive bandage lined with his own fur, like in this article by Dana Krempels: http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/sorehocks.html

I changed the bandage daily (because I wanted to check the status of the hocks, so that nothing was festering), and he wore them for about 2 weeks. Meanwhile I looked over his environment and covered abrasive carpet with fleece and big pieces of vet bed.

There are several Etsy shops that sell sore hock “boots”.

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