Managing Hock Sores

[EliseTonyGio]

Hi Binky Bunny community!

I am wondering if anyone has tips on managing hock sores. My bunny developed hock sores that have since healed but I am aware that once a bunny gets hock sores it is difficult for the fur to ever regrow and it is likely to become a reoccurring issue. Of course, I would like to prevent this as much as possible!

With that being said, what has worked for other bunny owners when managing hock sores and prevent their re-occurrence??

Any tips from my resourceful and knowledgeable bun parents would be so appreciated! I am currently trying a variety of things and my bunny is doing well, but would love to know what you all have tried and what has been effective!

Thank you!

[DanaNM]

I think the key things are changing the environment so there is less pressure and friction on the heels. Adding soft rugs around and making sure the main living area has memory foam under fleece or vetbed seems to work pretty well.

. . . 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.  

[EliseTonyGio]

Thank you so much for your tips Dana! Do you think it is enough to have a rug with a carpet pad underneath it? That is what I put her on since she got the sores (she used to be on a very thin carpet over hard wood, no pad underneath it). I have heard about the fleece/vetbed before but I just don’t know how to achieve this since she is a free roam bun. Any advice is appreciated! Thank you very much!

[DanaNM]

I think you could keep an eye on her feet and see how she does. Is the rug very soft? A good test is to rub your inner forearm on the rug. If it burns then it could cause too much friction on the feet. I think focusing on the areas where she spends the most time sitting and resting is helpful too, as the pressure on the hocks is greatest when they are sitting on their 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.  

[EliseTonyGio]

Thank you for these tips! I really appreciate your help. I will definitely use the forearm trick and I have begun to try to put extra bedding in the spots that she sits on her hocks most. Thanks!

[Jrw89]

My Hugh’s just healing from his first sore hock at 9 and a half. He’s only on carpet and fleece and foam bath mats are very good. So this must have been the wood litter in his tray. Now only have this around the edges of his tray and in the middle a puppy pad then all covered in hay, when before the hay was only at the back. Week and a half of changing this and some hibiscrub and sudocrem and almost back to normal

[EliseTonyGio]

Hi Jrw89! I am glad to hear that your Hugh is healing from his hock sore. Do you have him in a confined area to make sure he is only on those materials? If so, what do you do when you want to let him out to play? I am only asking because my bunny is a free roam bunny and I am struggling to find ways to make the flooring in the house suitable to her feet.

[Jrw89]

He’s free roam but doesn’t like to venture too far from his room. I think if he was too I would confine whilst they were bad and when better just make sure to have the soft bits where I know he spends most of his time. I notice he puts pressure on them when cleaning himself and usually only does that in 1 spot so that has a soft bath mat there 🙂 they are a nightmare these creatures. The rare occasion he wants to go in the garden I clean his feet when he comes in just to avoid dirt making them worse too

[EliseTonyGio]

Thanks for pointing out that it is good to be mindful where they clean themselves! I have been trying to put extra soft bedding in her grooming spots. thank you for your help!

[LBJ10]

If changes to his flooring don’t help then you could try making a boot for him. There are instructions online showing how to wrap the foot. Otherwise, I know a few people have purchased handmade bunny boots on Etsy that seem to have helped.

[EliseTonyGio]

Thank you so much! I appreciate it.

[Bam]

When my bun got sore hocks I wrapped his feet with self-adhesive vet wrap lined with his own fur. It’s important that the lining is rabbit fur. Cotton pads or lamb’s wool etc isnt soft enough.

Dont let the fur lining protrude out from the wrap, or the bun might feel inclined to pull the fur out (my rabbit did that before I realised).

I recommend all bun owners save some fur when their bun is molting, it might very well come in handy sooner or later. If not, it’s great for needle felting 🙂

[EliseTonyGio]

Yes I have put some of her fur in the booties I got her, but sometimes she does pull it out! Did you feel that it helped to use the fur?

[Bam]

My bun’s sore hocks healed up nicely with the fur lined vet wraps, but I dont know how it would’ve been without the fur inside. Dana Krempels, a highly trusted source on rabbit health, says using rabbit fur in sore hock wraps is very important, so I just did that. I had quite a bit of bun fur saved from brushing my buns during molting, for needle felting purposes.

I “felted” the fur into little mats with my fingers, like little inner soles. That was the easiest way for me to make sure no fur extended above or below the wrap.

 

 

[EliseTonyGio]

Thank you so much for your insight! That is so funny you mentioned felting your bunny’s fur… my mom was recently doing that with her cat’s fur! haha.

But thank you for your help!

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