Sore hocks and potential hormonal issues?

[Sterling]

Hiya, back again with more questions and issues lol. Since I last posted, I have gotten Fresno’s ear mites relatively cleared up. He just went to the vet today and they ran a mite test on stuff that was in his ears which is apparently just ear wax or crusts or something at this point. He still however has issues with a dirty bum in that some of his cecotropes are getting stuck and tangled in his fur next to his bum and his foot fur is stained and getting matted too. He is also apparently developing sore hocks. I’ve switched his litter to the soft paper bedding and I was instructed to rub BioHex shampoo into his feet, leave it on for 30 minutes, then rinse it off in a tub of water that has Nolvasan in it. I am also to comb his fur in this area every day to prevent the tangles and stuck poop and what not. Does this all sound correct? Is there anything else I should or could be doing to help him?

 

Also, he is still peeing everywhere outside of his litter box but I’m thinking it’s territorial at this point, because he flicks his feet after he does it and it gets all over the dang walls. Yesterday he also tried humping Nora for like the first time ever, so I’m thinking his testosterone levels are higher than they should be. I asked if the vet could run a test to check but she acted like I was insane for requesting such a thing so… apparently it doesn’t exist or?

[Wick & Fable]

Can you provide a quick reminder of the spay/neuter status of your rabbits and whether they were properly bonded?

Can you also provide a quick reminder if your rabbit consistently has healthy poos? A picture of the litterbox set up would also be helpful!

If both fixed and bonded for some time, there are health conditions that can cause hormonal behaviors in rabbits, in addition to unsuccessful spays/neuters (i.e. tissue left behind or a missed third testicle… It happens!), and even Spring has been known to bring about hormonal behavior in fixed 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.

[Sterling]

Fresno was neutered nearly 3 years ago and it’s been 5+ years since my girls were spayed. Him and Nora, his partner, have been bonded for over 2 years. He didn’t use to pee everywhere but I can’t remember when it started – somewhere in the past year or so, so it’s definitely not a Spring thing. His poops look pretty healthy for the most part but are sometimes misshapen, and of course he’s been leaving the mushy ones that are sticking to his fur. I thought they were cecotropes but I looked up pictures and they don’t looks like stuck together wet balls, they just look like normal poos but feel a little slimy and mushy. I don’t see any thick mucus on them though.

Here’s a pic of their litterbox (that’s Nora in it). I did try taking the grate out and using the soft care fresh bedding instead but my gosh it’s sticking to Nora’s fur and getting everywhere, and I also don’t think I want Fresno to be able to sit in his poops any more than he is now. But I don’t want the plastic to potentially irritate his sore hocks even further so I’m not sure what to do. 🙁

[embed]https://imgur.com/kCamhns[/embed]

[Sterling]

I also just would like confirmation from others more experienced with sore hocks and what not, if the shampoo method his vet recommended is safe and effective. I’ve read that you can put fur on their feet and wrap it in vet wrap so I’m wondering if that would be a better way to go. I’m just not sure how shampoo would work in the long-run when he’s still hopping on the sores.

[LBJ10]

Re: Sore hocks – I don’t think what the vet prescribed is inappropriate. Both products are antiseptic and used for wound care. You could make a wrap, or even purchase a wrap (some people buy handmade ones on Etsy). It really depends on what stage he is at as far as the sore hocks goes. If it isn’t super bad, then cleaning and changing the flooring may be all that is needed. Have you tried softer bedding? Some people use memory foam mats.

[Sterling]

Memory foam in like… the entire enclosure? With how much he currently pees on everything I don’t see that being very sustainable. I use the current pee mats as flooring so I can easily clean the pee up and they’re also easy to sweep the hay and poop off of. I tried putting a big fleece bed in there but he essentially just used it as a second litter box. Or would it still help his feet if I put the memory foam under the pee mats?

[Bam]

Memory foam could still be good under the pee mats, but but it would probably get expensive to cover the whole entire enclosure floor in memory foam. If he has a favorite resting spot, a memory foam mat there (under a pee mat) could be very good though.

When my bun Vilde had sore hocks, I did the bunny fur lined wraps. I had to take care to not let any of the fur lining stick out from the wraps though, or he’d pull the fur out. I felted some of his own fur with my fingers and made little mats of it before putting it inside the wraps (he was a teddy lionhead so he had a lot of fur).

 

[Wick & Fable]

You can lay fleece on top of the memory foam, and there is anti-pill fleece that will specifically keep moisture away from the foam (unless you leave a pee puddle there for like, 2 days, then some may seep in). The fleece also hugs foam naturally, so it doesn’t slip around or can be dug up. I used this to great success w/ one of my buns who is not great w/ keeping his business in his boxes. I do not think you need to cover the entire enclosure, as I believe there is some benefit to offering a variety of flooring options (to an extent, though majority must still be rabbit-appropriate, i.e., not slippy).

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.

[Sterling]

Hmm okay, I’m gonna have to experiment with what works. I found a 58″ x 24″ memory foam bath mat for only $18 on amazon, would that work or are those still too thin and not cushiony enough?

Also, apparently he is leaving actual cecotropes because I just saw a little pile in his litterbox. I started him on benebac probiotics just to see if it helps anything at all.

Nora just laid in a puddle of his pee that I didn’t catch in time so now she’s got orange stains in her fur. 🙂 This is slowly but surely driving me crazy.

[Sterling]

Ohh wow I actually found a shop that sells big rolls of memory foam for cheap, should I get 1 inch or 2 inch thickness?

[Wick & Fable]

1in should be fine. 2in would probably be too deep and will impair movement in a different way. Fabric stores are usually the best places for this kind of purchase as you can get rolls of fleece and memory foam in bulk, haha.

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.

[LBJ10]

Yes, I think 2 inches would be too squishy. You want there to be cushion, but not so squishy that he has trouble moving around.

[Sterling]

Okay awesome, thanks so much everyone. I’ve put two memory foam bath mats under the pee mats for now until the foam gets here. My only issue is with his litter box now and the fact that he lays in there a lot. I put the grate back in and surely that’s not too good for his feet either. :/ But neither is sitting in his mushy poops. The daily shampooing of his feet is helping to keep them fluffy and preventing them from getting matted but I don’t know if that’s necessarily a long-term solution.

[DanaNM]

Remind me, is he starting to have mobility issues? I’m wondering if EC could be at play here (the peeing everywhere can be a symptom). Bun Jovi was always a big humper and then we learned later that he did have EC, so I’m not sure if that was part of the story. It could be hormonal but I would look to a urinary issue first, as peeing everywhere and humping can also indicate things like bladder crystals or a UTI (especially if he’s getting poops stuck to him, he could get at UTI).

You can do a sanitary shave to help keep him cleaner and make it easer to clean when poops do get stuck. I recommend looking for a trimmer similar to the “manscaped” (you can find lots of generic versions for cheaper), or your vet can do it for you.

For flooring, I used washable pee pads with sheepette fabric over the top for Bun. It’s a medical grade fake sheepskin that keeps the moisture away and is easy to wash.  Then I put some memory foam bath mats under all of that in the areas where the buns rested the most.

. . . 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.  

[Sterling]

He’s had a urine test done and it came back normal and he also went through a month of treatment for EC but there wasn’t much of a difference at the end of it, if any. I’m not really noticing any mobility issues, we thought maybe he didn’t want to hop into a litter box because of arthritis or something but now his litter box barely even requires a hop and he still doesn’t use it half the time. There’s no one spot outside of the box that he pees in either, it’s just… all over the rug, all over the pee mats, and sometimes the vinyl floor as well.

[Author]

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