Sore Hocks

[Risingangel]

I got my bunny out of her cage to clean it and give her some free time the other day, since she loves being held I looked at her feet and noticed she has the beginning of sore hocks. I clean her every week and I put a yoga mat on the bottom of her cage to trying to prevent this from happening. I’m working on getting her in to see a vet in the next couple of weeks.

Almost 4 years ago I had another bunny that ended up dying from sore hocks. She hated being held so I wasn’t able to look at her feet very often. By the time I noticed hers it was very advanced. I couldn’t afford the vet at the time so I was trying to fix it on my own with epsom salt baths and antibacterial medicine. I wasn’t able to wrap her feet without her chewing it off.

Do I do the same thing for this one while I’m waiting to get in to see the vet?

[Bam]

If the skin is intact you dont need to clean them or put on ointment (unless of course if her feet are extremely dirty. Creams and ointments make the surrounding fur sticky and less protective, so they are best avoided as long as you’re only dealing with calluses, not actual sores. Foot baths soften the skin and you dont really want that if the skin is whole and healthy-looking.

Yoga mats can be pretty abrasive, you can test that by rubbing your own elbows against the yogs mat. If the material “burns” your skin, its likely to be hard on bunny feet as well. A memory foam bath mat could be a better alternative if she spends a lot of time in her cage.

Exercise is very important, because it helps blood circulation in the feet, but again, some flooring materials and carpets can be abrasive for bunny feet. Some carpets can be covered with a fleece blanket, doesnt need to be anything fancy.

It is also very important to keep the bun’s nails short.

 

 

[LBJ10]

How bad is it? A callus or a sore? Calluses are not uncommon.

[DanaNM]

Can you describe your bun’s housing situation? How big is her enclosure, what is the flooring like, and how much exercise does she get?

If it is just at the callus stage, then making changes to her environment is the more important thing to do first. Since this has happened to more than one rabbit it sounds like there are issues with her environment that need to be addressed.

 

. . . 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.  

[Risingangel]

It is a small open sore on both back feet. Her cage is huge with 2 levels she hasn’t been confident enough to go up the ramp yet though or would her feet cause her to not try it? I put yoga mats on the trays on both levels so its softer on her feet. I figured out after my other one, Bella, had died that the flooring was the problem in her cage. I get her out as often as I can which is usually just once or twice a week (I’ve been dealing with my own health issues that cause extreme fatigue). Since Bella died, I’ve been very cautious with this one.

[LBJ10]

How squishy is the yoga mat? Some foam is pretty stiff. I liked Bam’s idea of using memory foam bath mats if possible. As for the sore itself, would one of those sore hock booties work better than a bandage? There are some sellers on Etsy that offer some that are fairly secure.

[DanaNM]

Does she spend almost all of her time in her cage? Even “huge” cages sold for rabbits are too small. The cage should be at least 12 sq ft area and long enough that they can take three hops in one direction without turning. Flooring needs to be solid but soft. Memory foam bathmats topped with fleece fabric are very good for sore hocks. Rabbits need at least 4 hours per day of exercise time in a large bunny proofed room, ideally more. Many people opt for a x-pen on the ground that they can just open up into a bunny proofed room. If you are only getting her out once or twice a week that isn’t enough.

If the sores are already open then she should be seen by a vet, but they won’t heal unless changes are made to her environment as well.

. . . 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.  

[Author]

Messages