Questions about sore hocks and getting rabbit to eat more hay

[Amber]

I took my bunny to the vet today because I noticed he had some bare pink spots on his back feet, and I thought it might be sore hocks. He wasn’t behaving any differently and was eating right, but I wanted to check before it got worse. The vet confirmed it was sore hocks but was not sure of the cause. He also told me that my rabbit went from 3.7 pounds in 2016 to 3.1 pounds today, which concerned him. However, when I took my rabbit to the vet in 2016, he was an outdoor rabbit, and I moved him indoors right then. He gets a lot more exercise now, and the vet thought that might be part of the weight loss, but he’s still concerned. My rabbit runs around our carpeted dining room, and he’s put in his cage at night. His cage is lined with a towel over a plastic floor, and he has a second floor in the cage covered with soft carpet and a blanket for his bed, so the sore hocks are not caused by the surface he is walking on.

Unfortunately, this means that is is something else that is not so easy to fix. The vet recommended that I try increasing the amount of timothy hay that I give my bunny and keep his feet wrapped to try to alleviate the pressure on the sores. If this doesn’t work, then he said I would need to pay $600 to put my bunny under anesthesia for a full oral exam and blood work to check if he has e cuniculi. The good news is that I caught this right at the beginning, and there are no open wounds or bleeding – just some missing fur and pink sores, so he doesn’t need any ointment for his feet. The vet also said that he looks really healthy otherwise.

Has anyone had experience with this before? I feel terrible because obviously, he hates having his feet wrapped up and he’s mad at me, but I want to do what’s best for him. I was wondering how long I should keep his feet wrapped – the vet was really vague. Should I keep them wrapped for a week and then leave them unwrapped for a while? Maybe have them wrapped for two weeks? With his feet wrapped, he doesn’t lay down on his side and stays huddled up in potato-form on his hocks, which seems like the wrong thing to have happen. I want him to NOT sit back on his hocks so much.

Also, how can I get him to eat more hay? I usually leave his bowl of pellets out all the time, and he eats when hungry. I have a couple hay feeders in his cage full of hay as well. I was thinking I could leave his bowl of pellets out for like an hour in the morning and then maybe a couple hours in the evening when I get home from work, but I didn’t know if that would be a good idea.

Thank you!

[Sir Ollie]

I think that limiting his pellets would probably help with his hay consumption. Most bunnies prefer pellets over hay so leaving them out all the time for him might be the problem. My bunny gets two tablespoons in the morning and then another two in the evening. Spreading it out means that if he gets hungry in between he needs to eat hay. Have you tried many different kinds of hay? My bun doesn’t eat a ton of Timothy but will devour oat hay.

[Amber]

That’s a good idea. He always seems to like the timothy hay, but I’ll try other types if he doesn’t eat it as much. I’ll take his bowl out now and give it back in the morning.

Thank you for your suggestions ^^

[Sirius&Luna]

I’ve really never heard of EC or dental problems causing sore hocks before, it seems like a very strange thing for the vet to recommend.

Losing 6 pounds does sound like a lot, but he could have been overweight to start with? He looks like a pretty healthy weight to me in your picture, though obviously its hard to tell from a single photo. What breed is he? Do his bones feel prominent?

Bunnies don’t really need constant access to pellets. If they have tasty pellets, they tend to be less interested in hay. Personally, I give my bunnies one tablespoon of pellets in the evening, and a portion of vegetables in the morning and evening. At all other times they only have hay. I also add dried herbs and flowers to the hay, to make them more excited by it, which might be something for you to try. Does your bun get any veg at all?

For the sore hocks, you can try some thicker padding, like a vet bed or memory foam mat for him to lie on.

[Amber]

I’m not sure what breed he is, unfortunately. He was never overweight, but I’m keeping an eye on his weight too. The vet says he’s completely healthy otherwise.

The vet didn’t say that EC or dental problems would directly cause sore hocks, just that they would cause him discomfort and cause him to sit in a position that would give him sore hocks. I’ve had the flooring this way for a while, but I think just in case I think I’ll do what you say and get him some extra padding. It couldn’t hurt!

I usually give him carrots and lettuce every other day, lettuce one day, carrot the next, but I can definitely give him more. What and how much do you normally give yours for veggies?

The nice thing is that this morning he isn’t mad at me and is now laying on his side after running around. He got one foot wrap off so I’ll have to fix that, but he is much happier than he was yesterday.

Thanks for your response!

[Sirius&Luna]

Oh I see. That makes more sense, but you would normally see obvious signs of pain – a hunched position is one of them – if he was in pain. Some bunnies are just prone to sore hocks, especially rexes.

One of my buns came to me with teeny tiny sore hocks. I gave him a cotton pillowcase that was stuffed with padding, and put a bit of baby nappy rash cream (sudocrem in the UK, vet recommended) on his hocks for about a week and they recovered.

I’m glad he’s a bit happier about the socks though!

It’s good to give a variety of green leafy veggies. Carrots should really be a treat, as they can be very sugary. My bunnies get two or three of the following: Mixed lettuce, kale, spinach, rocket, mint, coriander, parsley, basil, celery, cauliflower leaves, broccoli. There’s a great list in the bunny info section which tells you what veg is bunny safe! It might be nice to introduce a bit more veg since you’re cutting down his pellets – might make him feel a bit less grumpy about it! Be sure to introduce new veg slowly and in small quantities to start with

[Dface]

I have a bunny with a postural problem that means she gets sore hocks.

I tried wrapping them, applying sudocreme, changed her enclosure etc and the only thing that helped was actually bathing her hocks in warm salt water.

They never really go away for her, but we can manage and keep an eye on it.

As for the weightloss oats and sunflower seeds(in very small doses) can help add some weight onto rabbits.
Adding different kinds of hay and only giving him pellets at set feeding times once or twice a day might help!

[Amber]

This is how he lies down a lot: https://imgur.com/a/mFtBbQp

But he also lies down like this, which is what the vet says was causing the sore hocks: https://imgur.com/a/WRqYvRE

I didn’t realize that this was a sign of discomfort

After digging around a bit, it looks like plain Desitin diaper cream is similar to Sudocrem and available in America. Anyone have any experience with this cream?

I just found that list of veggies today, I’m definitely going to use it! 

Thank you so much for your suggestions!

[Amber]

I’ll definitely be switching up when I give him pellets, and definitely incorporating more veggies and hay into his diet. He’s a picky eater but I’ll see about giving him some oats and sunflower seeds in small doses. What would you consider a small dose?

Thank you for your help!

[Author]

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