Possible Sore Hock & No Vets available

[pr1ncemax]

Okay, so long story short:  My rabbit sprained his right leg, and I’ve been doing what I can to take care of it. He’s been balancing his weight on his left leg, and I think it’s causing him to get a sore hock. Our vet doesn’t have any openings for the ‘foreseeable future’, ie: months out, (and it’s already been five days), and all the other local vets are either “getting out of exotics” or are not taking new patients due to covid.

His back left leg has a spot that to me appears to look like a sore hock: I have to move some of his fur to see it, but it’s there. It doesn’t appear to be bothering him, and he is acting completely normal despite a slight limp from the sprained leg. He’s even been able to thump, jump, walk around his (flat bottom, and currently blanketed) cage, and use the bathroom normally. He is eating both hay, greens, and pellets. Nothing is out of the ordinary despite the slight limp (which is already getting better), and the redness I can see on his left hock.

I don’t know what to do, and I am desperate to help him since the local vets either can’t or won’t. Please, please, please respond to this with any advice on what to do (whether that’s a way to wrap it, how to protect it, medications to help, literally anything). He’s my baby and I want to take care of him while I wait for an opening to take him to the vet.
Extra information: He’s about five months old & he’s a satin

[Wick & Fable]

I can’t be positive since there is no picture, but it sounds like pretty early stages of sore hocks. Does it look similar to this photo? :

… If so, it is early stages. The picture is actually one of my rabbit’s, who I am currently going through measures to ensure the hocks do not continue to deteriorate. If the blister is open or bleeding, then vet attention is needed, in addition to environmental/lifestyle changes.

Some things that can exacerbate/worsen sore hocks are:
1. Rough, abrasive, slippery, or wire flooring
2. Being overweight
3. Being inactive (i.e. keeping weight on hocks for elongated periods of time due to not moving)
4. Nails being too long
5. Exposure to wet flooring (ex. soiled litterboxes)

… If there any improvements you can make in these factors, that may help. Dr. Dana Krempels explains how to make a booty for rabbits who have more severe sore hocks (my vet assessed that my rabbit’s hocks were not advanced enough to need wrapping): http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/sorehocks.html … if you do foresee not a lot of movement on that foot, a booty might be helpful, but you definitely do not want one over an open sore, as she mentions.

For example of changes, I changed the flooring in my rabbit’s overnight cage to 0.5in memory foam covered in a fleece material. I also have limited his pellets since the vet noted minor weight gain that might be contributing (he’s a netherland dwarf, so a slight increase might still be significant) and try to get him to move around more.

In terms of medical treatment, I have started doing a small application of silver sulfadiazine on each hock. It is a very small amount so it doesn’t stay moist, and I use a q-tip to gently apply it and work it in.

 

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]

Rabbits can develop calluses on their heels. The callus can become red and irritated, which is the early stages of a sore hock but it isn’t quite there yet. Wick provided a good photo and advice on ways to help it heal.

[Author]

Messages