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Sore hocks

vee-jay

Mama Doe
Hi
Well my little Shaun has sore hocks. The fur has been missing for a while but wasent actually broken skin so i have just been monitaring it.
Today I was having a wee look and they looked a bit broken. I was just wondering if there was anything i could do to try and make sure it dosent get any worse.
He is on very soft and very deep bedding. His problems are due to I think either his thin fur or because his legs are slightly odd.
Anyway here are some pics
IMG_1212.jpg

IMG_1211.jpg
 
:wave:i dont think its too much to worry about...
our 3 have similar looking hocks and they are indoor buns!!
i think so long as they dont bleed or become infected they will be ok:)
 
Oscar has same as first pic, his fur is quite thin and rough on his feet and not thick fluff, I think it's the concrete in the kennel run area that has triggered his, so have put a thick foam flooring down.
I also found when I bedded him on hay his toileting went out of the window which wouldn't have helped.

Try and cover the bald over with the surrounding fur, just to protect it and keep it dry as possible.
 
thank you very much for your reply's :)

The first pic of the left leg I wasent too concerned, that was what it was like in the begginging. Its the second pic of the right leg that was warrying me. It seems to have a little scab on it. Wierd thing is that one has fur covering it...as you can see i has to part the fur to see the sore. with out me parting it you wouldnt be able to see it :?
I think it must be because of his dodgy legs creating pressure points...
I just dont want it to get any worse to the point were the scab comes off and it bleeds etc

thanks :)
 
:wave: At this point with them like that, I would increase the hay quantity under foot - I wouldn't put anything on them at the moment as there is still fur around the sore area which is cushioning it a bit, Jingle had sore hocks very similar and the vet checked and told me to just ensure his surface area was as natural as possible - thick thick hay or out on grass as much as poss it's worked a treat the hair round the two little sore area's has got longer, and the callouses have gone down. I can only see one on one paw now as the fur has grown over the other one completely - like a comb over :lol:
 
Dudley recently had this but they were a little red with 1 having a little scab. He had 1 week of baytril and is now on vet bed. They improved and were still a little red so I put a tiny amount of sudocrem on. I checked with the vet and they said this was ok if a small amount was put on. This cleared the redness and they look fine now.
By the look of the second pic I would say you need to really keep an eye on it as it looks like a small ulcer so can become infected. If gets any worse I would advise a vet trip to advise if any antibiotics are needed as Dudley's weren't as bad as the second pic.
Just check atleast daily as sore hocks can become such an awful problem if left untreated. :wave:
 
Dudley recently had this but they were a little red with 1 having a little scab. He had 1 week of baytril and is now on vet bed. They improved and were still a little red so I put a tiny amount of sudocrem on. I checked with the vet and they said this was ok if a small amount was put on. This cleared the redness and they look fine now.
By the look of the second pic I would say you need to really keep an eye on it as it looks like a small ulcer so can become infected. If gets any worse I would advise a vet trip to advise if any antibiotics are needed as Dudley's weren't as bad as the second pic.
Just check atleast daily as sore hocks can become such an awful problem if left untreated. :wave:

:wave: Yes sudocreme or Savlon advanced healing gel have been mentioned, someone told me on here and it stands to reason that when you apply cream or gel you are flattening the surrounding fur and stopping it cushioning the hock, if it's just to clean it then a saline solution (salt in cooled boiled water) and then dry it may be better. I suppose the best thing is to take on board all the options and see how it goes on a softer surface etc - be careful aswell that the bun doesn't ingest anything you apply.
 
:wave: Yes sudocreme or Savlon advanced healing gel have been mentioned, someone told me on here and it stands to reason that when you apply cream or gel you are flattening the surrounding fur and stopping it cushioning the hock, if it's just to clean it then a saline solution (salt in cooled boiled water) and then dry it may be better. I suppose the best thing is to take on board all the options and see how it goes on a softer surface etc - be careful aswell that the bun doesn't ingest anything you apply.

Yes, that is why I put a tiny amount on. Just enough to cover the redness. I would not advise it unless your vet says it is ok as it depends on different cases I suppose and if too much is put on it may not help the situation. :wave:

ETA yes, as said, you would have to be careful that your bunny doesn't ingest it. I watched Dudley after applying it for hours and he never bothered with them. I only applied it twice also.
 
Last edited:
Thank you everyone for your advice.
problem is he is on a very very soft bedding. Very deep Megazorb and Lots of hay. The reason it is like this is because his feet dont sit on the floor like a rabbits should.
Do you think I could bandage it or put a sock on it or something? :lol:
I do have some tea tree animal cream I could put on to sooth.
 
With the hocks as they are I would be inclined to just monitor them and not bandage or put any cream on at this stage. The surrounding fur looks like it's doing its job and putting cream on will just squash this protective barrier and weaken the sores when bun weight bears on them making them prone to fracture and then risk of infection. Right now I would leave well alone!
 
Does he get any exercise ? Buy a lead and take him for walks. How would your feet feel if if you spent your entire life unable to move.

Er... leads are not recommended for a prey species such as a rabbit, they can do serious injury if they bolt or scare unexpectedly. I think it is also a bit much to assume the OP does not exercise her rabbit? She has not said this at all! :?
 
Thanks :) I'll just continue to keep a good eye on it, doesn't seem to bother him yet.

Does he get any exercise ? Buy a lead and take him for walks. How would your feet feel if if you spent your entire life unable to move.

Yes he does get exercise...he gets out in his run every day if it's nice and if it isn't he runs around a covers area...
 
Er... leads are not recommended for a prey species such as a rabbit, they can do serious injury if they bolt or scare unexpectedly. I think it is also a bit much to assume the OP does not exercise her rabbit? She has not said this at all! :?

Think JaredJay is just posting lots of SPAM, SPAM, SPAM
 
With the hocks as they are I would be inclined to just monitor them and not bandage or put any cream on at this stage. The surrounding fur looks like it's doing its job and putting cream on will just squash this protective barrier and weaken the sores when bun weight bears on them making them prone to fracture and then risk of infection. Right now I would leave well alone!

:thumb:

With regards to bedding, I have a rex and she has fleece underfoot, however it is a pain in the backside to keep clean and she's still wound up with bleeding hocks. :( The best fleece I have is from here http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?t=216424 it's lovely and padded and tends to stay on the floor instead of getting all bunched up.
 
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