Sore hock!

[Jadecm15]

Hi guys,

apologies in advance for the long post!!

I was wondering if anyone has any experience of a bunny with a sore hock?

My mini lop Sunny has recently been very poorly- we are waiting for blood test results for e.cuniculi (treating for this anyway as she had all the symptoms and enlarged kidney on xray) and she also had inner ear infection. This time last week I thought I was going to lose her, she was unable to move her legs and didn’t know if she’d be paralysed permanently.
however, after lots of medicating, syringe feeding and love -over the last few days she has made great progress and is now hopefully on the mend, she’s eating and hopping all over the place again!

while she was unable to walk, she suffered some urine scald as she  couldn’t avoid herself when going for a wee, and I couldn’t clean her up straight away as had to go to work.
This is getting better after some bathing and cream, however another issue she also has now is a sore hock, probably from the urine and sitting weird while she couldn’t use her legs!

her back right paw has a part that is quite swollen and looks raw. I’m giving her loxicom and some tramadol for the pain(it must be sore!) and I’m also washing the paw in hypochlorite solution. Then applying vetericyn hydrogel. I did also use a gauze and some vet wrap to protect it, but it got wet so now I’m not sure this is a good idea? Is it better to get the air flow to it or have it covered so she isn’t directly sitting on it?
I’ve lined her enclosure with bubble wrap, and now using puppy pads on top, instead of compressed cardboard litter as they are much softer on her paws…

has anyone treated a sore hock before at all, to wrap or not to wrap?! I really don’t want it to get worse, I know they are difficult to heal, or even worse-another infection!

any advice would be greatly received.

Thanks

Jade & Sunny

 

[SweetPotato]

Oh no! I’m so sorry about Sunny! I’ve never had experience with sore hocks, but here are some things I found online. Hope they help!

Also, this is a website I found about wrapping sore hocks:

Rabbits and sore hock, pt. 2 – how to wrap a rabbit’s leg

[Wick & Fable]

This is the go-to link we typically refer to for sore-hock wrapping: http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/sorehocks.html

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.

[SweetPotato]

Hi! Sorry to post again, but I found another website on how to bandage sore hocks (its near the end, under the title of: Treatment)

https://thecapecoop.com/sore-hocks-in-rabbits/

Hope she’s back to normal in no time! 😉

 

 

[ErynnSaraphie]

My rabbit had sore hock a few years ago. I caught it before it got terrible so it healed up nicely.

Make sure the flooring is soft and comfortable. Foam flooring/foam puzzle pieces with fleece blankets help a bunch. I wrapped his foot in vet wrap and put a little bit of cotton in there. It made a slipper kind of thing. My rabbit chewed it off multiple times so after a while I stopped doing that and just made sure his floor was soft.

I took him to the vet after a few weeks for a check up and they said it was healing nicely and that it was basically gone.

[Bam]

If the sore is open and wet, the bun might need systemic (oral) antibiotics. This is important, because infection can lead to bone degradation if it’s not properly treated. For this reason, open sore hocks require vet attention.

My rabbit had sore hocks after a long bout of GI problems. When he recovered and regained his energy and lust for life, he started doing zoomies and sprints. I think that was what caused his sore hocks.

I did wound care twice per day with antiseptic wash and fucidine ointment. For a short while I also used spray-on band aid. Spray-on band aid should not be used on fully open wounds, because it’s extremely painful for the rabbit if the solvents in the spray hits raw flesh (same as in humans, really, but we have the ability to understand what’s going on and why we should cope with it).  Spray-on band aid can however be good as a protective layer on newly healed, but still delicate skin. Make sure you spray from the distance recommended in the spray’s user manual.

After wound care, I wrapped my bun’s feet with cohesive bandage lined with fur that I’d brushed off of my bun. I did it like its done in the link that Wick provided. I “felted” wads of fur with my fingers. I soon noticed that if even the tiniest bit of felted fur wasn’t covered with the bandage, my bun would pull it out. So for us, it was important to make sure all of the fur lining was properly “hidden” inside the bandage wrap.

The sores healed nicely, but it did take 2 or 3 weeks before I felt it was safe to stop the wrapping.

We have carpet that seems soft to human feet, but it can still be somewhat abrasive to rabbit feet. I put down vet bed mats where my bun likes to sprint and do his zoomies. Foam puzzle mats would probably have been great too, but I happened to have vet bed mats. Several of our members have had success with memory foam bath mats.

My bun made a full recovery 🙂 And I’d like to take the opportunity to recommend that all bun owners save some of the fur we brush off of our buns during molting. It can come in very handy.

 

 

[Jadecm15]

Thanks so much everyone for all of the advice!

I’m currently harvesting fur, hopefully I will get enough off her to make some padding. Then it’s on to wrapping…think that might be a 2 man job as she’s been super wriggly when I’m trying to clean her foot.

The spray on band aid seems like a good idea for some extra protection once the hock is healing too. As for her bed, it feels pretty plushy now she has a bubble wrap floor, and I went for puppy pads on top as I can easily see if an area is wet and quickly change it out. At the mo she is generally sleeping in a big mound of hay, but I do wonder if that’s a bit harsh on her foot, so have just ordered her some vetbed too.

It doesn’t seem to be weeping or wet yet, just very swollen and pink looking. Hopefully I’ve caught it early enough to make a good recovery. I will give the vets a ring and book her in for a few weeks and monitor it in the interim. I’m trying to avoid the hour long drive there at the moment, as she was only there last week when really poorly. Her tummy is just getting back to normal, so trying to avoid any stress induced upset.

Thanks again!

Jade.

[Wick & Fable]

It does sound like it’s in the early stages. When one of my rabbits started showing early signs of sore hocks, for flooring I did a more soft/durable fleece over a 0.5in memory foam pad all over his main enclosure. That being said, he is not prone to digging or chewing so it may not be the best option for all rabbits.

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.

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