Red calluses vs sore hocks

[Giulia&Bunnies]

My bunny Charlie has red “calluses” on his back paws (are they sore hocks?). 

I’ve been reading a lot about sore hocks now and I’m still not sure if it’s sore hocks or normal calluses he has. The skin is not broken so there is no infected wound, but the skin is very red and maybe risks breaking at some point. I took Charlie to the vet and she gave me anti-inflammatory medicine to give him daily (no antibiotics because there’s no infection). However I haven’t seen any improvements since starting the treatment almost a month ago (pictures of before and after the treatment).

He’s always been eating normally though, behaving normal and doesn’t seem to be in pain (but I know it’s always hard to tell with rabbits).

Charlie is an indoor free roaming rabbit, he doesn’t have a cage and the only floor he goes on are rugs (on top of a wooden floor), flees, carpet and AstroTurf on the balcony (where he runs his laps / 360’s every mornings). He doesn’t goes on the wooden floor, he finds it too slippery. Also he’s been thumping a little more than usual in the last couple of months as I got another bunny and we was jealous at first. He went through the bonding process ok (no fights!) so I’m not sure the extra thumping had any impact.

Not too sure how to make the floor softer since he’s free roaming… Any tips / suggestions?

Also, do you think his paws are normal or shall I look for another vet to treat his sore hocks?

Thanks so much!!

[Bunny House]

It definitely looks like sore hocks. How old is he, and what is his breed? Rex’s get sore hocks very bad, but also big buns like a New Zealand or Flemish get them because of weight and not necessarily the flooring but poor flooring contributes to it. He may need extra padding on the floors under rugs, what does he sit or stand on in his litter box? You can buy thin foam from a craft store and put under the rugs or you can go to like big lots and get discounted memory foam bath mats, buns love them. Once a bun has sore hocks, the hair follicles die and hair won’t grow back so it will be an issue you’ll have to manage.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Those are definitely quite red. But they look dry. I think at this point, they need to be monitored carefully and some changes made to try to remedy the situation. Are his nails as short as possible? I’ve had success with very red hocks and good quality memory foam bath mats. Maybe you could get one to put in the areas he spends the most time? Just watch for chewing. My vet gave me Dermagel to apply and it seemed to help. Pretty sure it can be ordered online. 

[Giulia&Bunnies]

Great responses, thank you!
Charlie is a 3 years old Netherlands dwarf (dwarf hotot) and weights 1.2k, so he’s not overweight and is very healthy if not for the sore hocks. I trim his nails every 3-4 weeks or so.

I’ll try to get the gel online and buy some foam to put under the rugs. I think I’ll also cut off the time he spends on the balcony on the AstroTurf (it’s probably the worst surface he has access to). As for the litter, I tried a few different things. I started with carefresh but didn’t think it was absorbent enough and overall quite smelly. Then I moved to wood pellets a year ago and now I’m on wood chips (because it’s cheaper) but will be moving back to wood pellets I think as the wood chip isn’t absorbent enough and goes everywhere in the house. I clean his litter tray every day and sometimes twice a day because my other bunny Fiona eats A LOT of hay and therefore drinks A LOT of water and therefore it all eventually comes out…

Thanks again!

[Flakie]

My bunny Basil has sore hocks too. They are red. We don’t know what’s causing it at all. Our vet suggested Sudocream so we have been using a little bit of that on his feet fingers crossed it clears up.

My bunnies have soft hay and nothing really that could irritate them but will monitor them and the vet is checking them also. Hope your Buns feet get better soon.

[Author]

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