sore hocks?

[shlbysmom]

ok so i was looking on here earlier and there was a person on here asking about sore hocks and they had pics n i looked at shelbys feet n she has them the red dots so why has she got them what causes it she isnt n a wire botom cage she has a blanket to sleep on and she gets out at LEAST an hour a day  to run and she acts like nothings wrong so what can i do to help and prevent this and is she in pain ? please help im worried about her

[Barbie]

Leroy has them too. They’re just small round spots where the fur doesn’t grow and the skin is kind of calloused. He’s had them since I adopted him almost 6 months ago. They don’t bother him or slow him down in any way. I asked my vet about them and she said that the fur probably won’t ever grow back, but he’ll be fine.

As long as the spots don’t get irritated or open up and start bleeding and as long as she doesn’t show signs of pain (teeth grinding, screaming, changes in behavior, pooping, eating) or have trouble walking, she’ll probably be fine. Just check her feet frequently to keep an eye on them and if anything changes and they start looking bad, take her to the vet.

[shlbysmom]

ok good thanks soo much do u know what causes them?

[LizzieKnittyBun]

Yeah, just like Barbie said, it’s likely that they’ll always be there and he’ll be just fine. Some breeds are more prone to them than others, like the Rex because the fur is so short.

Oftentimes they get them just from running around and zooming and skidding and doing the Bunny 500, as we call it when they do laps around the dining room table. My vet said that the callouses are the body’s natural way of dealing with it, and it’s really best to let them form without treating them with neosporin. The callouses protect the bunny’s skin, but the fur in that area probably won’t grow back.

So rest assured : )

If you’re still worried, you could post a picture and the lovelies on this forum can take a look at it for you.

[shlbysmom]

ok well she is a bunny 500er thats for sure i have tile flooe and she has a ball running n sliden and binkying i would post a pic but i can never get it to work some some tips on how i can get those of her feet would b great so i would feel even better that u all have seen it thanks !!

[Balefulregards]

Oh Dear – I didn’t mean to freak you out if it was my pictures you saw.

When I noticed Coco’s, they were a bit red, so I called the vet ( and took the advice here). As Coco isn’t overweight and her nails are usually trimmed( although her back nails may have been a smidge too long when I first checked), It seems to be just the way Buns heels wear down.
Coco is also on carpet and very Soft, dry litter. She is Free Roam 24/7. As my vet pointed out, even carpet can be a bit abrasive – but as long as the spots remain nice and calloused and not hot pink and looking irritated, there is nothing to worry about.

I took the precaution of buying a bottle of “New Skin”, which I have used on Coco for the past week ( One application every 3 days) and her callouses look Great. The new skin seems to have sealed the skin and given it time to heal on its own. Of the two – One is completely back to normal and the other is about 90% there. The thing to remember about New Skin though is that it really is a good preventative if you notice the redness BEFORE you get a full blown sore hock.

Had her skin been broken/open, I would have taken her to the vet right away, as I would assume she would need to be seen not only for the sore hock, but possibly for any other infection which could get in through the open sore.

I knew she felt better after 2 days when she was the Lead Bunny in the early morning Bunny500.

Of course she eyes me a bit suspiciously now, but nothing the promise of a papaya tablet doesn’t seem to fix.

[shlbysmom]

ok shew i think it was u but no worries im just an over paraniod moma lol but she has just normal looking spots there pinkish but not hot pink she dosnt seem to b bothered by them so i think she is fine there is no borken skin i will keep and eye out they have not been bleeding so i think she is ok i just always like to have some other poeples opinions just to b sure thanks soooooo much for letting me know what was goin on !!!

[BinkyBunny]

Rabbits don’t have real pads on their feet so they have only the fur to cover it. The ball of foot typically will always have a calloused area that will be light pink and when you push on it will go from white to pink. That is absolutely normal. But that is also why wire flooring is harsher because that little calloused area will be exposed to wire. But as balefulregards mentioned, carpet fibers can wear on fur and the hock(especially if you have a zoomer bunny) – other most common culprits are weight, long nails, and/or short hair breeds like Rexes.

If it starts getting really red then you do want to make sure to just keep an eye on it and do what you can to keep the pressure off the ball -keep nails trim, watch weight, add extra soft bedding in the litter. And it looks like the the “new skin” worked well for Balefulregards

[shlbysmom]

thank u all ! i feel much better now i will definatley keep an eye out for her any problems !!!

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