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Feet problems - Pododermatitis/Sore hocks?

Oy_

New Kit
I was just wondering how this is treated and how to know identify this for definite? Are there any other problems that can occur with the feet that present the same symptoms? Product-wise, I'm in the UK.

Thanks :)
 
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There are a few threads on this already if you look back through this Health sub-forum, somewhere?!
The main points for treatment are firstly vet assessment of the hocks, and the bones and tendons of the feet, as chronic sore hocks can cause deformity to the tendons in severe cases and infection in the skin can spread to the bones of the feet and cause osteomyelitis. Not saying that your bun has this....this is just one of the long-term risks, so for this reason vet assessment is essential.
Normal treatment is often firstly pain relief if the hock is very inflammed and painful when weight bearing using anti-inflammatories - Metacam.
Antibiotics prophylatically in some cases to prevent any infection reaching the bones of the feet - depends on extent of sore hock (+probiotic)
A review of living environment - wire bottom cages, hard floors, abrasive surfaces, wood shavings are all considered to exacerbate the condition, as does wet/soiled litter. Other risks factors are obesity, lack of exercise and general poor health.
Long toenails also make the problem worse so keep nails well trimmed.
Somewhere deep bedded to rest up is very important - a lot of people find that the best thing for this is deep bedded hay. I found veterinary bedding very useful in our case, padded underneath to increase flexibility of the surface, as vet beds distribute weight/pressure evenly and sore hocks are pressure sores effectively. You need to experiment and find what works best for your bunny and where they seem most comfortable.
A soft area to exercise on is also important - a soft lawn/grass is very helpful if you have this as opposed to hard floors/concrete etc. Excericse helps circulation and healing.
Some people like to bandage the feet, others leave them open to the air, it depends, some breeds have less guard hairs on the sole of the foot and so in these cases bandaging can help. Some people find applying creams helpful. We decided not as it can squash any surrounding fur that helps act as a friction cushion and make the problem worse. Although keeping wounds wet promotes granulation tissue/healing, on weight bearing areas e.g. feet, this can cause the sores to break easily and get infected.
Apparently aloe vera gel can be soothing.
In our case we chose to not put anything on at all for fear of making things worse and kept our bun on a deep bedded and soft environment alongside pain relief/anti-inflammatories and antibiotics, it was very successful. But sore hocks are notoriously difficult to treat so it's all trial and error really and personal choice. I definitely recommend a vet visit though. Good luck:)
 
Thank you for the reply prettylupin :)

So it most likely will be pododermatitis/sore hocks? The rabbit is at a place I volunteer, so with her not being my own I can't say a vet trip is definite. She has scabs/sores on each foot and is a rex rabbit (apparently feet problems are more common with rexes??). She has also lost quite a bit of weight, when stroking her she feels bony.

I'm going to relay information to the place I volunteer at. I'm willing to go in extra myself to treat her if there's anything I can do to help the problem? I usually just go in on Saturdays.

She is in an enclosure that has a wooden floor and wood shavings are used. Unfortunately those that go to there during the week don't seem to always do what they're meant to :roll:... sometimes their bedding is rather wet underneath the top layer of shavings. I think the cleaning out of enclosures is now going to monitored more strictly.

I'm not 100% sure on this, but only from the last couple of months or so I've saw the rabbits in the outside run. I'm not sure if they've been out earlier in the year or if not due to the weather and damp grass etc. I am only there on Saturdays though, so I can't say for sure.

Could anyone advise me on how long rabbits nails should be? Some photos may be useful if anyone has any. To me some of their nails do look long, but I don't know how long they should be.

I'm not too sure how to go about the bedding. They do obviously have hay where I volunteer, so should I suggest they use hay in the enclosure she's in? Currently their hatch is open all the time (apart from night) for them to go into the run - so she's still okay to go outside? There are another 3 rex rabbits in with her on a night, then they mix with rabbits from another enclosure during the day. Or would it perhaps be best for her to be in her own hutch, as if she goes outside she'll be able to get into the other rabbits' enclosure which will have shavings.

I could easily get some aloe vera gel if it's recommended or get any creams you mention some people use.

Apologies for the long post! I've never owned rabbits and don't really know a lot about them.
 
So it most likely will be pododermatitis/sore hocks? She has scabs/sores on each foot and is a rex rabbit (apparently feet problems are more common with rexes??). She has also lost quite a bit of weight, when stroking her she feels bony.

She is in an enclosure that has a wooden floor and wood shavings are used. Unfortunately those that go to there during the week don't seem to always do what they're meant to :roll:... sometimes their bedding is rather wet underneath the top layer of shavings. I think the cleaning out of enclosures is now going to monitored more strictly.

Could anyone advise me on how long rabbits nails should be? Some photos may be useful if anyone has any. To me some of their nails do look long, but I don't know how long they should be.

I'm not too sure how to go about the bedding. They do obviously have hay where I volunteer, so should I suggest they use hay in the enclosure she's in? Currently their hatch is open all the time (apart from night) for them to go into the run - so she's still okay to go outside? There are another 3 rex rabbits in with her on a night, then they mix with rabbits from another enclosure during the day. Or would it perhaps be best for her to be in her own hutch, as if she goes outside she'll be able to get into the other rabbits' enclosure which will have shavings.

I could easily get some aloe vera gel if it's recommended or get any creams you mention some people use.

Yes it sounds like sore hocks, Rexes are very prone to them sadly due to their lack of guard hairs and a genetic predisposition through breeding. She absolutely needs to see a vet for this condition asap especially as she has weight loss, this could be something else but sore hocks can be very painful and pain may be putting her off her food. She certainly needs to see a vet.

Sounds like the environment she is kept on is making this condition worse - wet/soiled bedding will just add urine scald to the sores and make them much worse. As she is a hutch and run bun then blankets/vet beds probably aren't practical, she therefore needs DEEPLY bedded hay on top of any shavings. I think you need to keep the shavings in this case to absorb any urine, but have it under the deep piled hay. She needs to be cleaned out daily.

Sore hocks occur when the angle of the foot puts too much weight on the heel/hock. In the wild, soft ground/sand/grass allow toes to sink in further and lift the weight off the heel. Hard surfaces push the weight back onto the hock. Toenails need to be trimmed to just above the 'quick' if you look at her nails in the light - you'll see the blood supply (pink living part of the nail) and you need to trim them to a few milimeters above this but not cut the quick itself. It's better to do a little at a time or get a vet to do it.

Exercise is very important, I would not keep her confined. It's only when she is resting (sitting) that she needs the deep hay. Buns that are hopping hop on their toes so the hock is rarely in contact with the ground. But sore hocks can also affect the front feet so in these cases a flexible surface for exercise is also important. If she's used to other rabbit company she could get depressed from being isolated. I'd let her exercise as normal and focus on altering her own sleeping/resting quarters to be cleaner and deep hay on top of the litter. Someone else with more experience may say otherwise - this is just my opinion.

I'd personally avoid putting anything on the hock until the vet has looked at it. I'd also personally not use any creams except aloe vera gel if vet agrees.
If there is any infection present you could seal it in, so she needs a vet first.
It's nice to see someone looking out for this little girl:)
 
I'll have to check the other rexes too. Yeah, I think the wood shavings probably would still be needed. Just hay had been used occasionally when no shavings have been available and it's not very absorbent.

Her nails are dark, so I'll have to take a small bit off at a time and take along something to stem the bleeding should any occur by accident. Is the quick still visible in dark nails? I've only ever trimmed rats nails before - one of my boys (Spike) has just the one nail that has a habit of growing a bit curled!

Is it unusual for every foot to be affected? The scabs/sores aren't just at the back of each foot either, some are at the front. When I did a quick google yesterday all of the photos came up just showed the hind legs. Just wondering as you mentioned they hop on their toes, so the hock is rarely touching the ground - even if it's not confined to only the back of the feet, should exercise still be okay?

I'll be relaying all the info back when I've got it all sorted in my head :). I had no idea rabbits could get sore hocks until I looked into it - hopefully she'll get sorted one way or another, even if it means myself trying to treat.

Anyone input from anyone else also appreciated :D
 
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I'll have to check the other rexes too. Yeah, I think the wood shavings probably would still be needed. Just hay had been used occasionally when no shavings have been available and it's not very absorbent.

Her nails are dark, so I'll have to take a small bit off at a time and take along something to stem the bleeding should any occur by accident. Is the quick still visible in dark nails? I've only ever trimmed rats nails before - one of my boys (Spike) has just the one nail that has a habit of growing a bit curled!

Is it unusual for every foot to be affected? The scabs/sores aren't just at the back of each foot either, some are at the front. When I did a quick google yesterday all of the photos came up just showed the hind legs. Just wondering as you mentioned they hop on their toes, so the hock is rarely touching the ground - even if it's not confined to only the back of the feet, should exercise still be okay?

I'll be relaying all the info back when I've got it all sorted in my head :). I had no idea rabbits could get sore hocks until I looked into it - hopefully she'll get sorted one way or another, even if it means myself trying to treat.

She will need shavings underneath 'deep' hay as much as you can put down daily in order to give us much cushioning as possible. If someone can help you, shining a light from behind the nail will help identify the quick e.g. torch or daylight.
Bad cases of sore hocks can run the length of the foot and affect the front feet as well. In these cases the bunny really needs an entire environment that is soft or padded to exercise on, exercise will be uncomfortable if there are sores on the toe pads as well but it is essential in moderation for keeping bunny mobile and gut motility amongst other things. As long as somewhere soft to rest up.
Yes you can change the environment as much as possible to help, but in my opinion these cases NEED a vet check up as prescription medication is normally the way to treat this and as they can be painful or get infected both painkillers in the form of NSAID's and antibiotics are helpful, if not essential. Whoever is running this rescue is obliged by law to seek veterinary treatment for a sick animal. Good luck:)
 
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