Sore Hocks

[Mattcas]

Hi all,

I’ve just joined this group and before posting I did look for posts about this but the search function is down so hopefully you all won’t mind repeating yourself if you have already coined in on this topic before.

My two year old dutch house rabbit has developed a sore on her right foot which I noticed this morning so I have taken her to the vets who has prescribed metacam and some oral antibiotics but in terms of any other advice I didn’t get much.

So I have been told that I need to try and simulate natural ground so she can stand properly, my living room is hard wood flooring but she tends to keep to the big deep pile rug which is pretty suitable for her stand on and she spends a lot of time of the sofas etc. In terms of her cage, its quite a large cage and she has plenty of room to move around and stretch out fully during the day when I’m not here but i believe the cause of the hocks was due to her sitting on the little shelf that was in there, I think when I wasn’t here that was her place of choice so I have removed that, cleaned her cage thoroughly and replace the sawdust with fleece blankets but I have been advised to put a layer of wood pellets down, followed by a layer of bedding hay as this will be a good ground type for her to sit on etc so any advice regarding this would be good.

In regards to treating, the antibiotics are for a week starting tomorrow and I am going back next thursday for a progress check but I have read online that people use bandages, creams etc to help heal but as my vet didn’t recommend anything like that I was unsure as to what to do. Now usually I’d be dubious about most vets because they don’t tend to know much about rabbits but my particular vet is very on top of her rabbit stuff so I’m not too worried, I just think sometimes treatment can be a matter of opinion vs experience so if anyone has any recommendations i’d appreciate it.

Thanks!

[Wick & Fable]

Sore hocks develop because the rabbit is putting it’s weight on that foot’s pressure point for long periods of time. A rabbit’s heel bone and foot is actually quite similar to human elbows. There’s no fat or muscle between the bone at the “hock” and the foot pad, it’s simply bone to skin, just like a human elbow. You can imagine resting on your elbow for a little while makes it sore, so this carries over to the development of sore hocks on rabbits.

It sounds like there is provided soft material, but it may be her inactivity that’s making it develop, and if she’s also slightly overweight, this may contribute too. Even, soft flooring is ideal. Thin memory foam mats, chef comfort mats, etc. have been cited to do well.

How often does she run around?

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.

[Mattcas]

She runs around for about 4-5 hours everyday during the week and then pretty much all day during the weekends. Once her and the boy are bonded she will have access to a large pen constantly. I do hate keeping her in the cage during the day but I don’t have much choice at the moment.

I’ve started treatment with antibiotics and using sudocreme. I’ve swapped out her litter for wood pellets topped with bedding hay to give her plenty of support and I am cleaning it out daily to avoid any irriation from urine. She is actually on a diet as she was overweight when I got her but its a slow process, she isn’t as big as she was. When she is out I have started laying down soft flooring over the wood areas to give her support. Shes a little less active at the moment, mostly because she is grumpy due to being syringe fed her meds but I make sure you gets out and moves around. Hopefully it should start to improve. 

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