Sore hocks?

[lynnbunn]

So yesterday as Tigerlily was stretching I saw a redish mark on her foot. I was like “Oh no, what could that be?” so I picked her up and looked. She has one small pinkish redish circle spot on each of her feet. They look almost exactly like this picture I found on the web

I had no idea what it was so I figured it might be normal. I checked Romeo’s feet too and it’s the same thing.

I searched all day on the internet and found that it’s sore hocks. Noooooo. ; o ;

I can’t figure out why though. The carpet we have underneath their cage is almost identical but softer looking than the one in the picture and their area is very clean. I figured it might be because of long nails because I had been a little scared to cut them. I conquered my fear and cut them this morning as well as cleaned their area and changed their litter again.

The sore hocks aren’t bleeding and they don’t bother them much. I pressed on the area and they didn’t fidget or anything. They’re hard and callousy looking. They’re also covered by surrounding fur that still growing so that’s probably why I never saw them until now. I put a mini fleece blanket in Tigerlily’s area for her to sit on that may be softer.

Is there anything else I can do? Should I apply Neosporin or tea bags to the area? Do you think rabbit “booties” made from VetWrap are necessary? (http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/sorehocks.html)

 

 

Thanks so much!!

[LoveChaCha]

I believe that a vet visit is warranted.

Sore hocks can get really bad if left untreated, and I don’t think that at home remedies will help. I’m not so sure about neosporin (help me out here other members ).

Some rabbits are more suspectable to sore hocks than others, even with the soft flooring.

[Sarita]

Those are callouses and not yet sore hocks. Sore hocks would be an actual inflammation. Not sure you need to rush to the vet just yet. Some things you need to do are to keep her toenails cut short so that she rests her feet properly. You could put some lotion on them to keep them soft so they don’t start cracking. I would not do the feet wrap – it will just make her uncomfortable – that would be if she had some severe problems, then maybe you would want to resort to that.

[Hannah]

I’ve been recommended NuSkin and… um, I can’t remember what it’s called– A&D Lotion or something along those lines? Before for a big rex who came into foster care with callouses like that already (it’s been about 4 years and they don’t look much different). Has anyone here had experience with either of those things/think they might work?

[lynnbunn]

Ohhhh okay. That’s actually quite a relief. I read somewhere that once they get this the fur will never grow back in that spot. Is that true?
Also, should I still let them out to play? The flooring would be tile or brick.
Should fur be growing back? About when would I expect that?
Do you know how long it takes for these things to develop?

Okay, thank you guys sooo much! Sorry for so many questions. :’ (

[Sarita]

I’ve seen it grow back on some rabbits, but there isn’t a guarantee. I think brick or tile is not the best choice for them as it’s rough, softer is better.

[lynnbunn]

Urgh. So I’ll just have to hope for the best then. At this point there’s not much I can do, right?
I’ll go ahead and rub some lotion on the area. I’m just scared they’ll lick it off.

Thanks so much. : )

 

Edit// Also, how will I know when they’re good to play on tougher surfaces (i.e. brick, tile, wood, etc.), or will they never be able to? Thanks again. :&#160

[Sarita]

I just don’t think that brick or tile is ideal or the best surface – if that’s all you have though on your floors, you’ll just have to monitor them better. Definitely check the nails as I suggested as well.

[lynnbunn]

Okay. : ) I guess I can block the areas underneath the sofa and have them play in the living room carpet instead of their bunny areas.

I will cut the nails every week! Thank you very much!

Also, how will I know they’re getting better?

[KatnipCrzy]

I think that these small calluses are actually quite common. Rabbits do not have paw pads- only fur to protect their feet and hocks. So a callus is actually a good healthy response. I don’t think you need to do anything other than to keep an eye on the area.

Things that will help avoid an actual case of sore hocks- keep your bunnies at a good weight (overweight bunnies will have more pressure on those calluses), trim nails monthly (to allow bunnies to hop normally on their toe/foot area without discomfort) and house them with proper litterbox so they are not constantly exposing their calluses to urine which will irritate the skin. I bet you are doing all these things already. : )

You can use a lotion or ointment as recommended- but remember a callus has a purpose- toughened skin to protect the area. So you don’t want to soften it too much. But on the other hand- you don’t want the callus to dry or crack. So I think you just need to keep an eye on them- and treat if needed. But I don’t think it is a major worry especially if the calluses don’t change. And I don’t recommend vet wrapping the feet unless directed by a vet- a wrap could cause more harm than good if the bunnies tries to get it off and only manages to tighten it and restrict blood flow to the feet.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Hard and pink are okay. Red, puffy or sore is bad. Get in a habit of checking the sores at least once a week. If they do become sore they can get bad rapidly. If you ever notice bleeding or ulcer-looking, inflamed hocks you need to go to the vet asap.

In my experience the best flooring to keep them from getting worse is thick hay (I give Stormy hay mixed with paper shreds because he hates blankets), fleece blankets and furry “snoozy pads” (made for dog kennels). Carpet can actually exacerbate the sores.

[lynnbunn]

Ohhh I seee. That’s great~
How much should a little 9 month rabbit weigh? Romeo’s about 4.5 lbs and Tigerlily is a little more.
The last time I went to the vet for Romeo’s stasis, she said he was 4.2 but I forgot to ask if that was healthy.
They’re little bunnies.

I will keep a very good eye on the calluses.
Snoozy pads look very comfortable! I will look into them~
Tigerlily has a little fleece blanket on top of the carpet. I will look into getting more for them.
It’s not soft enough to be the flooring on tile on it’s own so it’ll have to go on top of the carpet.
I don’t like the idea of hay because it’s messy. They currently have Cat Country litter and I change their litterboxes every other day.
Should I switch to a softer litter like Carefresh? The problem with this is that my friend’s rabbit who uses it often gets it stuck on his butt and it clumps. I’m also scared my rabbits will kick it eevverryyywhhheeerrreee.

Romeo spends tons of time in his litterbox and sometimes sleeps there. Should I kick him out? Haha.

Thanks soo much. This is comforting news. : )

[LittlePuffyTail]

I use Yesterday’s News with no problems. I don’t have any experience with Cat Country Litter. As long as the litter is thick enough for the feet to sink into. With bedding for sore hocks, you want to mimic what their floor would be in nature. In wild bunnies, their toes sink into the grass and dirt and this takes the pressure off the hocks. That’s the problem with artificial flooring, like flat tiles or wood, all the pressure goes onto their hocks so it’s unnatural and the sores develop.

[lynnbunn]

Oh okay. I think Yesterday’s News and Cat Country are similar.

Ohh. That makes a ton of sense. I will try my best to change the flooring.
Thank you very much!

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