sores on front paw on my minirex

[Manuela]

Hi I have a approx 1 1/2 yrs old Mini Rex who weight about 6 lbs…….. I have read the
internet over and over and it appears that its sore hocks but on front paw.

 I took him to a vet that was highly recommended as a vet specializing in rabbits and I
feel like he doesnt seem to know too much about bunnies even so he claims he
does. I told him I really think my bunny is in pain so he tested him for
Ringworm I told him he was already tested 3 month ago by my dogs vet and it was
negative…. he seems to ignore the sores and told me I should just put aloe or
vitamin E oil on it. I feel so helpless the poor thing must be in pain. I can
take a picture would you mind looking at it?

Thanks in advance I am frustrated and dont know where else I can take him to a
true bunny expert for help everyone I call says yeah we seen a bunny but are not specialized.

They look like really red “pimples” on his front paws where the nails are on the bottom….

he keeps lickin em and flickin them….it must hurt him. I put aloe on him twice today and some vitamin e oil

i did use preparation H as suggested in some articles but the vet actually yelled at me today for doing that and said I wasnt the expert he was and that cream could kill my bunny. Any suggestions?

Thanks so much in advance.

 
 

[TARM]

Yikes! It’s gonna be hard to give you an opinion without pictures but even if we can…we aren’t vets. What kind of floor is in your bunny cage?

[Manuela]

my bunnies have the run in a big room 🙂 they got blankets in there the floor is lynolium they are not in cages…. absolutely do I know you are not vets I am just desperate for any suggestions at this point until I can find a vet here that specialized in bunnies and not just pretends he does like the one i took him to.

[jerseygirl]

Hi. Time for a new vet I think! A vet yelling at you is NOT helpful. I’m really peeved to hear he did that (on your behalf )
Absolutely post some pictures. Someone here might recognise the condition and be able to help.
I think neosporin topical cream is able to be used be not sure 0 – I will have a look around. Just be certain to use one with NO analgesic in it. Treating the site should help with pain relief. Hang in there – the people here will certainly be more helpful than your vet. If you are happy to post the area in which you live, we may even be able to recommend another vet.

[jerseygirl]

From what you describe, it sounds more like an infection around the nail or mites. Sore hocks affects more the heel of the rear feet but mini rexes are very prone to it, as you may have read.

[BinkyBunny]

Jerseygirl is right – mini rexes are more susceptible due to their thin hair on their feet. How are his nails? Sometimes if nails are allowed to grow too long, it can cause pressure on the pads. Though you have forked out $$ already on the vet, I agree that you may need to look for a new one

Here is a great resource from the House Rabbit Society about how to find a rabbit-savvy vet (and hopefully one with a better bed-side manner!),

http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/vet.html

. They also have a list of rabbit-savvy vets in the U.S. but you should still go through the screening process as some of the contacts may have changed

[RabbitPam]

BB just posted what I was about to suggest. Definitely check out the HRS site for a vet in your area. I found mine that way.
I had a mini Rex and he got sores on his feet easily, especially when we moved from MA to FL in my car. His cage got damp from his water leaking and he had damp feet briefly, but that got him sore. It’s very common, and when he heals, he may have callouses that you will always see but will no longer bother him. I’m also wondering if any part of your floor may be irritating it. Is the rug coarse?

Try not to mix the medicines in case they interact poorly. I think the vitamin E oil sounds helpful and it won’t hurt him to lick it. By all means post pix, if only to let us see if it’s what we’ve seen before or if it’s more severe.

There are many reasons to change vets, though he sounds like he has your bunny’s welfare at heart but with a lousy bedside manner. It’s good to start with a rabbit savvy vet early that you really like. You will be happier bringing him over time.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Huh….can you post a picture?

I’m wondering if it’s not normal…here’s my reasoning:

If he’s licking them and flicking them-rabbits are super groomers. If he’s a new bunny you might have noticed this and be attributing it to pain; a lot of new bunny owners think they might have fleas because they groom so much-almost more then cats do! ((However if you’ve had the bunny a while and this is new behavior then clearly not the case))

And then on the red pimples-that could be just the paw-especially if it’s on both. If it were unsymmetrical that points to a health problem (as do changes-so if it’s just developed your on the right track to seek treatment) but if it’s symmetrical and always been there, they do sort of have bumps near the nails like finger joints.

It’d be very helpful to see a picture for sure; And definitely if this is a change in him I think your right to seek treatment.

[Manuela]

how do I attach pictures???

[Manuela]

ok I posted them all under my profile

[jerseygirl]

Hi jaimerenae, thanks for posting a pic. It should help.  The picture has come up as your avatar, that is why it’s so small.  To put a pic in your post, when you are next logged on, click on edit in your post and that will open the Post Editor page.  At the bottom, below the submit&cancel buttons there is an Attachment box.

Click on the arrow on the right of the box.  You will see a box with Browse and Upload next to it. Click on browse and find the folder where you store photos. Click on the one you want then click Upload.  Then the attchment box will display the pictures details and there is an option called Insert Image. Click it and you picture should load up in the mainn body text box.

Hope that helps.  I’ve tried to enlarge the picture slightly but it loses quality, so if you could repost it, that would be great.

   Ok, now to your rexes paw. So this is his front paw?  One thing I noticed straight away is the lack of fur on the base.   Is the pimply area you referred to back at the base of the toes (middle of picture) ?  I cannot tell very well but is that two of his nails I can see on right hand side of picture?  If so, that would be a major factor in his feets condition.  They need to be kept short, particularly for Rexes.  Can you have your vet or vet tech trim them for you?  Forgive me if it isn’t his nails. It’s hard to see.  Hopefully you can repost the photo via the instructions I gave – if they make sense!!!

[Manuela]

 

 

   Ok, now to your rexes paw. So this is his front paw? YES FRONT PAW

  One thing I noticed straight away is the lack of fur on the base.  THE VET RIPPED OUT HIS FUR TO TEST FOR RINGWORM….

 Is the pimply area you referred to back at the base of the toes (middle of picture) ? YES AT BASE OF TOES and VET JUST CUT THESE 5 days ago…. so they are still too long???? then he obviously has no clue of bunnies as he claims he does

any suggestions?
 

[Manuela]

[Manuela]

[Sarita]

His nails are pretty long I would start by trying to slowly trim those down.

Are you certain too he is a mini-rex? Because 6 pounds is too large for a mini. I have to say too that rexes (standard or mini) have a tendency to gain weight and I wonder too if perhaps she needs to slim down a little in order to not have so much weight on her paws.

My suggestion is to find another vet at this point too.

[Manuela]

i was assuming from looking at internet picture he was a mini rex…. no clue but yes he weighs 6 lbs….. you mean I should cut his nails myself? how do I know i dont hurt him? do I do that with regular sissors???

[BinkyBunny]

With the nails – because they have been rather long, the quick (flesh inside the nail) will have grown long, and you will need to do what Sarita suggested and just trim slowly down – slowly meaning over time, just trim them more often, check every few weeks and trim. The quick will then slowly recede. (So that is why your vet probably did not trim too much off)

His feel look calloused, and though there could be something else going on besides just nails, it definitely will help though to keep his nails shorter.

Check out

https://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/Mon…fault.aspx

and scroll down to find out how to clip nails.  With darker bunnies, it can be harder sometimes to spot the quick (the part you don’t want to cut), and so the flashlight will help illuminate that so you can stay away from it.

There are different kinds of clippers you can use, (don’t use scissors), ones that are good would be for cats are usually just fine.

 

[MooBunnay]

I’m sorry to hear you are having a tough time finding a vet. It isn’t always easy.

I’m wondering if maybe something in your grass is affecting your bunny’s feet? Are they out there a lot? I would recommend getting your bunny some extra fleece blankets for their area. If you are looking for a cheap place to find fleece blankets, try Ross or Marshalls. While I’m not sure what could be causing the issue, I think that helping your bunny keep her feet clean and dry and on soft surfaces is the most important thing. I think she will take care of the cleaning part, but you can monitor the soft and clean parts. Does your bunny sit in her pee when she is sitting in the litterbox a lot? If so, try putting a layer of hay over the litter because urine can really burn a bunny’s feet.

[Beka27]

Poor thing. Those toes look like they are uncomfortable. How long have you had your rabbit and when was the last time (before the vet just now) that her nails were trimmed? Nails should be trimmed a small amount, often. Some rabbits need it every 3-4 weeks, some rabbits every couple months, but it does need to be done regularly. You can trim with small pet nail clippers at the petstore, or even nail clippers made for cats or small dogs will work. I like the guillotine style where there is a small circle and the clipper comes down.

She looks like she may be a rex/mini rex (does she have impossibly soft, very short fur?) She is maybe a little overweight. I have a mini rex and I need to be very careful that she is kept thin (she’s at 3.75 pounds) and her nails are trimmed often b/c rexes are more prone to sore hocks. How do her back feet look, particuarly her heels?

What does her daily diet consist of? What type and amount of hay, pellets, and veggies, as well as treats if any?

What kind of cage, condo or pen is she housed in, what are the dimensions, and how long does she get out of her enclosure for exercise each day? Is she on a wire, plastic, or carpet flooring, or something else? When she has exercise time, does she have an entire room to run around in and what is the flooring like in that room? What kind of litter are you using in her litterbox?

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

OUch! Yes that looks painful.

You want to be careful about what you post on the internet but are you able to tell us what area/city you live in or near-then we can suggest some vets for you.

If your not comfortable doing that-perhaps you’d like to privately email Binkybunny herself-then she could hook you up with a list of vets in your area (very likely) and do it that way?

I think a new vet is the first thing to do-that in no way looks like ringworm so I don’t see why he’d even be considering that.

On the rex thing-If your bunny has curly whiskers that’s the dead give away that they are a rex or minirex

[Deleted User]

KK posted : On the rex thing-If your bunny has curly whiskers that’s the dead give away that they are a rex or minirex

 

my mini rex has no whiskers at all… is this not normal??

[BinkyBunny]

No whiskers at all?? hmmmm.

[Beka27]

My mini rex has the teeny, tiny little whiskers. If you don’t look closely it looks like she doesn’t have any at all. (I joke around that she looks like an old lady with stray chin hairs here and there… lol!)

I’ve also heard of/seen pics of mini rexes with longer, less curly whiskers, so I guess like ALL THINGS BUNNY, it varies from bun to bun. ;o)

[MooBunnay]

How is your little guy’s foot doing today? I was just wondering if he is walking funny because it hurts? If he is hopping around normally then maybe it isn’t bothering him too much.

[Deleted User]

Beka, thanks for the illustration of likening rex’ whiskers to an old lady’s chin hair. I did find a total of 1 curly whisker on Lint, I would have never classified it as a whisker, though… I thought he needed to shave!

Sorry for the off-topic rambling — is there an update on the sores on the paws?

[RabbitPam]

Are his paws, or his movements, any better today?

(And
Spockie’s whiskers were so short and curly that I thought Samantha had a Mark Twain mustache, hers are so long!)

[Author]

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