Treating Sore Hocks

Hiya all,

Jamie and Sapphire are kept in my massive dog kennel I have had converted... the floor is just a wood base. Kitt and Cleo (Cleo is a rex and therefore prone to sore hocks) live on a vinyl tile flooring and they are both fine.

Jamie and Sapphire have a number of small bald spots on their feet and the vet has advised that I put shavings on the floor of the shed?! Would this be the best course of action? Also, she mentioned putting vaseline on the sore spots.. again, would everyone else do this?

Thanks,

Lou x

My vet recommended witchhazel as it toughens the skin. Don't know about vaseline. The best things for sore hocks afaik are thick hay or something spongy but not abrasive so an old duvet or vetbed plumped up with towels underneath and something gentle on top like a sheet.

loobie_lou said:

Hiya all,

Jamie and Sapphire are kept in my massive dog kennel I have had converted... the floor is just a wood base. Kitt and Cleo (Cleo is a rex and therefore prone to sore hocks) live on a vinyl tile flooring and they are both fine.

Jamie and Sapphire have a number of small bald spots on their feet and the vet has advised that I put shavings on the floor of the shed?! Would this be the best course of action? Also, she mentioned putting vaseline on the sore spots.. again, would everyone else do this?

Thanks,

Lou x

Click to expand...

Hi, I would do NEITHER of those things. :wave: I don't think your vet has a very good grasp of the concept of sore hocks.

Are they actually sore and red and/or broken skin/bleeding/infected? Or are they literally bald spots which look like pale pink callouses?
At this stage I would be addressing the basics:
Appropriate flooring - as Schuette has said - something non-abrasive and something which 'gives' under the foot to relieve pressure as this is what sore hocks are - pressure and friction sores.
I would also be checking for any risk factors - bun being overweight, long toenails (these should be kept short to tip the weight back on to the toes), and any mobility problems e.g. arthritis, spondylosis, missing limbs etc.
Wet and soiled bedding is also another risk factor.
Sawdust/shavings is terribly abrasive and also felt by many to be a risk for respiratory and liver disease - definitely a no-no. If your buns are used to litter then I would switch to megazorb and deeply piled soft hay. If they are indoor buns you might prefer to used piled up blankets/vetbeds/fleece and towels etc. as it is less messy and equally cushioning.

I would NOT put anything on the feet cream wise UNLESS the skin is broken or bleeding in which case you would need to bandage anyway to prevent infection and counteract the effect of squashing the protective fur of the feet.

My buns have pink bits were the fur has worn away from friction on my carpet which I really need to change. We have the towel/vetbed/sheet combo but they like to sleep either behind the door :roll: or on the carpet :roll: