What causes sore hocks?

Vegan_Bunny · Apr 18, 2012

I have had Fiver for 4 and half years for the passed few weeks his hocks have been sore. I've not changed anything in his room and I've clipped his nails but the problem is persisting. They aren't bleeding but they are very red and he reacts if you touch them.

Now Xena is getting them too and I feel so bad because it's obviously something in their environment that's causing it.
The bedroom is done out in laminate flooring but I have a rug which covers the majority of the floor, I've also put down some fleece and lots of pillows for them to sit on. I've banned them out of the cage because I thought maybe the ramps covered in carpet were causing it but there has been no change and if anything they are getting worse. I'm going to get some sudocreme and put that on their feet but I would rather know what could be the underlying cause so I can prevent it in future.

Thankyou!

Elena · Apr 18, 2012

I wouldn't put anything on it. Is it just pink skin? Or is it red? If it's red or weeping best to have a word with a vet, if it's just pink then the fur has rubbed off through something. I found carpet made it worse, and rough rugs. I have lino with fleeces down for Mini, she gets it bad because her leg it slightly out of kilter due to a previous injury. Dvets work well too but will probably need regularly cleaning.

Vegan_Bunny · Apr 18, 2012

Ah, I would take the rug up but Xena hates walking on the laminate flooring. His feet are red with a callous kind of thing on them :/ Xena only has one foot which is sore. I've heard the sudocrem really works and I've put off using it for a few weeks but it's not getting any better on their own even with being banned from the cage and having things down to sit on.

Wouldn't the vets just give them a cream?

Elena · Apr 18, 2012

The thing is, if it's just the fur which has rubbed away putting cream on can make the situation worse as it flattens the fur that is there. Whats the rug like? Mine seem ok on some carpets but rough ones rub away those essential hairs. Soft plush carpets seem better as the nails sink in and the fibres dont wear away the fur.

Mackers · Apr 18, 2012

Parsnip has recently developed sore hocks but it's due to age (he's 9). He suffers from arthritis and struggles to groom himself sometimes. He'll sometimes sit in a poo which gets stuck to his hocks which in turn causes soreness. All I can do is keep him as clean as possible and cover his entire enclosure in a deep layer of hay or vet bed.

lucy24 · Apr 18, 2012

dont mean to high jack but charlie has a blister like spot on his back foot- does it need anything or shall i just keep an eye on it?

Vegan_Bunny · Apr 18, 2012

Thats how Fiver's started, as a sort of callous. It's not just the fur rubbing away I don't think. I will ty to get a pic and post it so that people can see what I mean. Hopefully it isn't something to worry about but it clearly hurts him when I touch his sore bits

Elena · Apr 18, 2012

I've been trying to find a pci of Mini's but this is the best I can come up with...

You can just about see the pink patch on her right hock. Mini's never got too bad because I sorted out the flooring quickly. They got like that and red, now they are like that and pink as they are no longer aggrevated but the fur has never really grown back. I believe as they get worse it grows and starts weeping.

lucy24 · Apr 18, 2012

thats what charlies is like but i dont know what is causing it. i will check his nails though. is lino ok?

Elena · Apr 18, 2012

lucy24 said:
thats what charlies is like but i dont know what is causing it. i will check his nails though. is lino ok?

I've found lino better than the carpet I had before. i still provide a soft area for sleeping though.

lucy24 · Apr 18, 2012

thanks, im having lino in my new shed with some blankets too:wave:

Vegan_Bunny · Apr 18, 2012

These are his hock, sorry the pics aren't very good but he wouldn't stay still. They don't look as red in the pics because of the flash but they are actually redder in real life and larger, some of the sore parts are covered by his fur.

hot cross bun · Apr 18, 2012

i would get the vet to check it out

rachylou · Apr 18, 2012

Ooow poor Fiver! They look really sore.

I would recommend taking him to the vet as I could be wrong but to me they look infected and he may need antibiotics. The vet will probably prescribe Medical grade manuka honey which works wonders.

Vegan_Bunny · Apr 19, 2012

Oh I didn't realise they may be infected :shock:. They don't weep or anything but I will definitely get him to the vets tomorrow after work. Poor buns have been to the vets nearly every week for a month!

Anybody know what could be causing this? The rug is just a standard rug, not exactly rough and he has been on it for about 2 years with no problems. Can laminate flooring cause it? People seem to think that lino is ok for their feet but laminate flooring is harder and so could be causing it? I have put more pillows around the rug just in case but they are rather enjoying ripping them open and pulling the stuffing out everywhere :roll: What else could I use? Treating the hocks will be useless if I can't figure out the route cause.

Elena · Apr 19, 2012

It could be that the laminate is slippy and so the friction is wearing the fur but that's the only thing I can think of as you've said that nails are kept short.

Vegan_Bunny · Apr 19, 2012

I will have a chat with my vet tomorrow. My poor baby

I wish I knew what was causing it! If only he could tell me what hurt him most, that would make life a hell of a lot easier for all animal owners :lol:

prettylupin · Apr 20, 2012

Vegan_Bunny said:
These are his hock, sorry the pics aren't very good but he wouldn't stay still. They don't look as red in the pics because of the flash but they are actually redder in real life and larger, some of the sore parts are covered by his fur.

That looks infected to me (potentially). He needs to see a vet and it would be advisable to have a course of antibiotics and a course of anti-inflammatories. It still may not be appropriate to apply anything directly to the hock wound itself, but if you do you might want to consider a hock bandage. Personally, at this stage I would just leave it open to the air provided it is not bursting and bleeding at all. The crucial thing for flooring is where bunny is resting up - it is at this point only really that the hock is in contact and pressure with the ground aggravating the wound when the wound is only on the heal. Wherever he likes to sit and rest (bunnyloaf or upright) this is where you need to have a deeply padded surface. One layer thick of rug/blanket is not enough - what works rather well is a piece of vet bed with a blanket/pillow case on top - both washable.

There are quite a few risk factors as well as flooring and nail length but your vet can run through these when you see them.

Vegan_Bunny · Apr 20, 2012

prettylupin said:
That looks infected to me (potentially). He needs to see a vet and it would be advisable to have a course of antibiotics and a course of anti-inflammatories. It still may not be appropriate to apply anything directly to the hock wound itself, but if you do you might want to consider a hock bandage. Personally, at this stage I would just leave it open to the air provided it is not bursting and bleeding at all. The crucial thing for flooring is where bunny is resting up - it is at this point only really that the hock is in contact and pressure with the ground aggravating the wound when the wound is only on the heal. Wherever he likes to sit and rest (bunnyloaf or upright) this is where you need to have a deeply padded surface. One layer thick of rug/blanket is not enough - what works rather well is a piece of vet bed with a blanket/pillow case on top - both washable.

There are quite a few risk factors as well as flooring and nail length but your vet can run through these when you see them.

Thank you for that advice! I will certainly chat to my vet about anti-inflammatory and antibiotics. I figured where he sat would be where the irritation occurs since when he hops/runs the heel doesn't touch the floor. I have put pillows down where he sits and a fleecey thing but perhaps they aren't thick enough? What about his litter tray? I use megazorb in the tray and they tend to pick their favourite bits of hay and leave the rest so the tray usually has a layer of hay in it, I empty their tray every other day or when it looks like it needs doing. They are NEVER sat in urine. His hocks have never been weepy and are hard to the touch (although, I avoid touching them). Would you advise painkillers? I would prefer to leave his feet without cream/bandaging because I think it may irritate him and he would certainly pull off the bandaging.

This morning he was doing bunny 100's around my bedroom. :lol: I'm hoping his feet a feeling better because of all the extra padding.

Vegan_Bunny · Apr 20, 2012

Back from the vets. She said they aren't too bad compared to some she has seen. She has given me some baytril (they had no septrin) and metacam to take home. 1ml of baytril a day and 0.4ml of metacam a day. He is currently sulking on the windowsill. :roll:

She also said that hay can irritate his hocks because of it's abrasive nature. I think I will have to take the excess hay out of the litter tray so they are only stood on the megazorb and buy lots of padded things for them to sit on. They are going to look so spoilt! :lol:

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