Callous on the very edge of where the bone sits – Updated with Pics

[Balefulregards]

So I was doing anal glands  and body checks last night      ( I needed a breather after my nicking of Jacksons nails)

I noticed two round small red callouses on the very back of Coco’s Hocks. Not ON the hock, or even anywhere she would be “stepping” on with frequency, but right there on the bone section – where the leg bone folds into the long foot bone. It is possible that she has had these for years, as she and I are just NOW getting to an “understanding” about the burrito and what needs to be done, so My views of her feet before have been purely of the surface of the foot – making sure there were no thin/raw spots etc. This was the first time she relaxed into the burrito and I could more thoroughly examine her undercarriage.

I know her nails are trimmed. I know she is on soft litter which is kept dry. She is free roam, so the bedroom has throw rugs to give her a grippy surface.

Is this just a spot where hair doesn’t grow and this is the first time I have been able to actually View it? While they were red – they were by no means inflamed or raw. I touched them and applied some pressure and she didn’t flinch of pull her foot back, so it doesn’t seem as if it was a sore point for her.

Jackson is still very antsy in the burrito – and his feet are four times the size of hers. I didn’t re-capture him to look for comparison, as I valued my life and I had already cashed my chips in with him to do the anal gland checks.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Sounds like where she’d lie on them if she’s loafed on the side? Am I correct in assuming that?

I’d treat the same way I would a sore hock-prep H and neosporin (not the + kind) -and keep an eye. If it’s open-vet time. But then again-I’m not entirely sure of what your describing-so that’s my guess at thsi point

[Balefulregards]

No – think more Bun in full stretch out with feet kicked behind her – the spot where the leg bone and foot bone convene. It almost looks like an ankle(?) if I were to draw a human to rabbit comparison.

If she will let me, I will burrito her and take a picture – Which I will try to do to get some neosporin on the spot.

[jerseygirl]

Do you know, I found these on Jersey just recently after having her for 2 years. I really cannot see how it could be a pressure spot. I keep thinking or xrays of the rabbit foot and how that bone extends out. I’ll try find diagram and circle area I think you are meaning. I was concerned when I first discovered them on Jersey but now think it is quite normal.

[jerseygirl]

This is where I see it on Jersey.   Extetnding out where that bone of the hock juts out. I guess it is just skin on bone here?

[Balefulregards]

That is EXACTLY the spot – and I thought the exact same thing – it Can’t be a real pressure spot on her foot – nothing else on her hock proper looks worn or thin. From the other pictures I have seen of sore spots on hocks, it doesn’t look weepy or painful. I wonder if it is like Elbow skin for them – Just a bare spot where the two points come together?

[bunnytowne]

Hmm sort of like the elbow skin on dogs.    Really I haven’t a clue about your buns situation but could be like elbow skin on dogs.  

[Balefulregards]

So I took my life into my hands, and got a picture of each of their feet. They both seem to have one, so I am going to assume this is a normal rabbit thing… Jackson first, then Coco. And please pardon my rabbit wrangling outfit…

.

[MimzMum]

Oh you are very brave! 0_o I still can’t get any of my bunnies to cooperate with the burrito and I’ve had two years to practice.
Those are exactly the callouses on my mini-rex’s feet. Surprisingly, they do rest back on those heels quite a bit and, in Fiver’s case, his fur is already very thin due to his breed, so there’s actually a lot more skin showing than on your bunnies.

I’ve been told to keep them clean and slightly moistened with this Heal Rx product my vet gave me to use on him. So far, I don’t see any progress up the foot or back behind the heel, but they do get very red from time to time when he gets them dirty or his nails get too long (which they are now.)

[BinkyBunny]

Wait those look like just the bottom of the heals. That is exactly where sore-hocks develop (maybe I am not looking at the photo correctly), i was thinking you were talking on the back of heal/leg  for some reason as the thread progressed.   Anyway, if it is at the bottom of the heals then it is normal for those to be calloused.

If they begin to get very red and bleed then that’s where the problems start.    But from the photos – Jackson’s look normal and though Coco’s look a little pink, it’s hard to tell really, but not bad. IF it is pretty red, then just check their nails to make sure they are not growing too long, and if you can put some soft extra soft hay or soft litter in their litter box that will help too.

[Balefulregards]

Okay – I wrangled Coco again this morning ( and have the scratches to prove it)

One of Cocos Foot spots is red – redder than it was even the first time I noticed it. I applied some ointment to the one side. The other side looked fine – bald, but not red.

She is now intentionally loafed out with one eye directly on me to prove that I haven’t bothered her at all.

As to their litter BB – I am not sure how it could be softer. They have a blend of Aspen shavings ( fine) then a combo of YN and straw horse bedding with a light sprinkling of Carefresh on top. Then there is the hay, which I keep on the sides of the boxes so they can poo and eat – and they drag the hay into the litter boxes. The floors are covered with throw rugs, except for when she decides to make a break for the living room when she skitters on hard wood floor.

It may be that he nails are longer than they should be…I will try tonight to really get in there and eyeball the quicks. Luckily she has light nails, but from what I just saw, they are clipped right near the quicks ( although someone in my house mentioned a pedi-paws was in my christmas future…)

I am going to keep the ointment on and see if that helps over the next couple of days.

Sigh, Buns.

[Beka27]

Once they have these spots, it’s very difficult to get rid of them. They just don’t have the padding or fur to adequately protect their feet. Meadow has always had them (she’s a mini rex of course) but I just make sure she always has soft bedding and I check them frequently that they are not looking red or inflamed/open… Try to keep their nails trimmed short, even if you have to do a tiny bit every two or three weeks and you can try putting the ointment on, see if it gets any better…

[Balefulregards]

Chatted with the Vet this afternoon. I am going to try applying some “New Skin” tonight to the cleaned spots and watch to make sure the spots don’t develop. The hope is that the “new Skin” will seal the callous so it can heal underneath. If that doesn’t help, then we will pop in for a look with the vet.

I am, however, deeply in the Bad Rabbit Mommy house with her. She gives me bunny butt every time she sees me OR she runs off into the maze to avoid me.

[BinkyBunny]

Sounds like the litter is soft enough, so nothing to worry about there obviously. Also sounds like you have a good plan right now though. I haven’t used new skin, and I’m not sure if it would be a problem if they licked it off, but like your vet, the House Rabbit Network recommends it. http://www.rabbitnetwork.org/articles/sorehocks.shtml (down toward the bottom).

Keep us updated with how this works for her.

How’s your bunny’s weight? I know that sometimes overweight bunnies can get these too. Jack has gotten chubby, so I have to check his hocks while i try to get him down to being a trim and slim old boy.

[Balefulregards]

Its a good question about her weight – She doesn’t seem overweight to me. She is extra fluffy right now since it is winter and while we keep the house at 70F, it is chillier on the floor – but not uncomfortable for them.

I had worried about her not getting enough food since Jackson the power eater mows down 3/4ths of the greens. Her hay intake remains high – higher than Jacksons, and they are both off pellets right now. Even when they do get pellets, she only gets 2 tbspoons. She could be any age though. The vet couldn’t tell when I first rescued her – so She could be anywhere between 2 and 5 years old. He thought her “teeth” looked youngish though, so they guessed she was about 2 when I got her.

I haven’t gotten a chance to inspect the new skin – which I put on her on the 23rd. I kept her burritoed/tranced until it dried.

Well – I just looked ( and boy is she MAD) and they look better. They are still a smidge pink – but much less red looking – You can see how the new skin has sealed the callous under it, so it isn’t being as irritated. I have noticed that she is leaving some cecals ( when I flip her over and trance her) , so it could well be weight. When I wrestle her down to trance her, She feels like a longish sausage. Not overly bulgy – but a sausage nonetheless.

Oh Boy – I am back in the bad graces after that last burrito. No holiday kisses for me from Coco….

[Balefulregards]

So updated to say – Coco seems MUCH better today – zooming through the room, busy chewing the rope maze I made for her. She was quiet and crabby the last two or three days – but today she seems like the regular Coco.

I did the “overweight” bunny test with the rubbing along the spine and I can feel her spine when I press down slightly, so I don’t think it is weight. Honestly, I am starting to suspect that she had a reaction to a slight change in litter that I made for a couple of weeks – I used only the Horse bedding, but I wonder if it didn’t lock the urine down as well as the YN I usually use and maybe irritated her hocks.

We are back with YN and carefresh. She resists my attempts to find cheaper litter!

As to the new skin – I think it is a really good option for irritated hocks – as long as there is no open or oozing spots. It seems to have given the spots a buffer time for her to heal it underneath. As the seal hardens to something waterproof – she can be doing her regular thing – in and out of her litter and not have the new skin come off.

I did have to keep her in the burrito trance longer to let it dry – BUT…the other option they suggested was trying to keep an ace bandage on it for a couple of days and I went for the less painful route first!

[BinkyBunny]

That’s great and good to know how the new skin worked for you. Looks like it really helped with healing for Coco.

I don’t know about the bedding but from your other post, it seems like you normally have layers of other litters and soft topping of litter and hay so the urine SHOULD be soaking through to the bottom (even if you have horse pellets at the bottom) and leaving a nice soft top. However if I am understanding correctly and you had just tried out the new pellets without a topping, then her feet might be sensitive to that harder litter as well as having a little topping of hay and CF may have wicked away the moisture to the pellets.

Also were you able to check her nails as that may have been contributing factor. Sounds like you really have to become a bunny wrangler and so I suspect nails aren’t easy to do with your crew. Just another thing to make her mad at your for! But don’t worry, a few treats and in a few days, she’ll like you again. (keeping fingers crossed)

Keep us updated! Hock healing Vibes.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Great news!!

One of my bunnies is prone to this on one foot as he has a crooked leg-so it actually occurs on the side of the foot-but it’s the same deal as sore hocks-just in a different spot. Soft flooring is key-but so is padding. One thing that worked in the past was those puzzle peice flooring they sell -do you know the ones I mean? I put those under coroplast and then bedding on top of that-and no problems at all. Carpet is soft-but if you’ve ever laid on the floor before you know it’s still hard underneath so it’s really key to layer the soft things to make a pressure free floor

[Author]

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