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Is this a sore hock? What should I do?

V

Vic

Young Bun
Hi all
While clipping claws I spotted this on Sally's hind leg. Is this what is called a sore hock? She is a rex, so I know she could be prone to it, but being new to rabbits I don't know how bad is bad, or what/when to take action. All advice welcome.
Sally160108.jpg

Vic
 
Yes it is, but doesn't look too bad. It's worth make a vet appt just in case it's infected and needs antibiotics. In the meantime, try using sudocreme to sooth it.

Jack's-Jane has a lot of rexes, so I'm sure she will offer lots of good advice about caring for rexes hocks when she comes on-line

Amy
 
Rabbits do have a tiny bald spot on their heel but it's usually got a comb over. It could be the start of sore hocks in which case changing things now could help e.g soft flooring, cutting nails, checking weight
 
Sally is an outdoor bun. They have a Thistle hutch at night and go out in their run all day. The run is on the lawn, with a small hutch joined on which has a vetbed inside. In the big hutch they have megazorb, vetbed and a little bit of bare hutch floor.
It is not open or infected at the moment and it does have a "comb-over", which I am holding back in the photo.
I'll try Sudacreme.
Vic
 
You seem to have a very similar set up to mine. One of my buns is a rex and she is prone to sore hocks. I wouldn't worry too much about Sally's hock as it doesn't look at all bad.Just keep an eye on it and if the skin starts to change from pink to red then you can try to give it a bit of extra protection with Sudocream, or Flammazine(from vet..prescription only). You are doing everything right at the moment..as much grass time as possible and some vetbed in the hutch.. I've a series of photos of Floss's hocks in various stages of healing..would you like me to PM them to you?
Hilda
 
Hilda - Yes please, do send me the photos. It would be good to have a reference point.

Are sore hocks anything to do with wet? It is wetter here in Cornwall than the rest of the UK. There seems to be two schools of thought, that wet ground causes it or hard floors and carpet do. It can be very confusing trying to find out stuff on the net, even books seem to contradict themselves!

Vic
 
Wetness definitely causes sore hocks.

In buns with normal fur, it tends to be secondary to underlying problems like arthritis or obesity. The type of surface doesn't usually cause problems, as long as the buns claws are kept short and the bedding isn't soiled/wet.

In rexes it can also be caused by the surface they are kept on. On one hand they shouldn't be kept on hard surfaces which have no 'give' (e.g. concrete/lino) and on the other they shouldn't be kept on surfaces which can cause friction burns (e.g. carpet)

For outside rexes the ideal surface is probably a deep layer of hay or straw in the hutch and a run on well-drained grass.

Amy
 
i can't believe you managed to take a picture holding your buns back foot like that! preston would have kicked my head of!! :shock::D
 
It's a shame no one took a picture of me doing it! Sally was burrito-ed, on a table top, with her head under my armpit, that arm is squishing her against my side and the hand is in the photo pulling her leg directly backwards out of the towell and holding back the fur from the sore bit. The camera is set to macro (close up) and is just a few inches from her hock. The kids thought it was hilarious. Sally is a feisty bun and is not shy about kicking out. I have many scratches on my arms and tummy!
Vic
 
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