How do I stop my bunny biting at her wound/possible sore hocks?!!!

[Ciel]

Hi.

My bunny is suffering from a possible infection/sore hocks. Her right front paw has broken skin, and she has lost fur on the side of her paw.

We’ve been to the vet, and we’re giving her metacam and baytril.

This morning, I dabbed her paw with some warm water and salt, and she flinched away – I then saw blood on the cotton pad I was using.

She has been biting at her wound, and she looks like she’s constantly trying to groom the bare skin..

What can I do? How do I get her to stop?

[12345ABCDE]

I wonder if the metacam is a high enough dose? Perhaps she’s still feeling uncomfortable and is biting it out of frustration. Or it could be itchy?

[Wick & Fable]

Did you get a probiotic with the Baytril? If not, monitor for tummy issues.

Can you make a booty for the foot? I know there are directions on line for those things

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.

[Bam]

If she won’t leave it alone she’ll need to wear a cone. She shouldn’t wear it 24/7 but get supervised time out of it so she can eat her cecotropes.

The blood isn’t a very bad thing, blood has factors that help with wound healing and it also helps rinsing out bacteria. But it’s probably painful for her. What dose Metacam is she getting?

Here’s suggestions on how to make a protective wrapping, Dana Krempels is a highly trusted source:
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/sorehocks.html

[Ciel]

Posted By Wick on 10/22/2017 7:35 AM

Did you get a probiotic with the Baytril? If not, monitor for tummy issues.

Can you make a booty for the foot? I know there are directions on line for those things

I didn’t get a probiotic – she seems to be eating well, and she’s grooming her pal.

[Ciel]

Posted By bam on 10/22/2017 9:09 AM

If she won’t leave it alone she’ll need to wear a cone. She shouldn’t wear it 24/7 but get supervised time out of it so she can eat her cecotropes.

The blood isn’t a very bad thing, blood has factors that help with wound healing and it also helps rinsing out bacteria. But it’s probably painful for her. What dose Metacam is she getting?

Here’s suggestions on how to make a protective wrapping, Dana Krempels is a highly trusted source:
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/sorehocks.html

But then how will she eat her cecotropes when she needs to eat her cecotropes? I mean, I don’t have a schedule of when she’ll be eating them…

She’s getting 0.5ml of metacam a day.

I’ll see if I can try out the wrap, but lori absolutely hates anything foreign on her (apart from my hand).

What if I just continued to dab it every now and again with warm salt water, and left her to it? Hopefully the Baytril will do its job, and the fur will get back, so she’ll stop picking at it.. Would that be okay?

[Bam]

If she’s constantly biting and licking at her wound, it won’t heal. For a limited time, a cone will work even if she doesn’t eat her cecals when the cone comes off. Vets often prescribe a probiotic in such cases. Benebac is an example of a probiotic that’s widely available.

A foot wrap might not work at all, especially not without a cone. Rabbits are notorious for removing all types of bandages if they can.

The reason I was asking about the Metacam dosage is that Metacam is frequently under-dosed by vets. An appropriate dose is at least 0.3 ml per kg body weight and 24 hours. Higher doses up to 1.5 ml per kg can be given, depending on severity of pain.

[Mikey]

When my bun, Badger, wouldnt stop licking a foot wound, he needed to be in a cone for a week or two. Every time we took the cone off, he would go right for the wound. My vet said its fine to leave the cone on for two weeks straight, and gave some Benebac to help out during the time he needed the cone on. She also told us we can try to hand feed him his cecals if he passes them while we are around to feed them ‘fresh’. His poops got a little funky towards the end and he did smear his uneaten cecals around trying to eat them with the cone on, but it was what had to be done to ensure proper healing of his wound.

[LittlePuffyTail]

What is her flooring like? I suggest good quality memory foam mats. They have done wonders for sore hocks at my house in the past. You’ll also need to keep her litter box and area very clean to minimize chances of infection.

A foot wrap is a good idea if she will allow you to do it (mine wouldn’t!!) and if you are going to go with a cone.

(((((Healing Vibes)))))

[Author]

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