Sore hocks (and front paws)

This week i noticed my dwarf lop has developed sore paws, there are small patches with out fur that are red on all four paws and a small scab on one of her hocks.

She's never had this problem before so i'm trying to figure out the trigger, they are housed on a mixture of concrete, carpet and fleece but she has been on that for the past 5 years with out problems so i dont think that is it.

The only thing i can think of is she was recently bonded so is now sharing a litter tray with my boy who has kidney issues and has had two courses of anti -bis recently due to infection so therfore his urine is very strong smelling and there is alot of it (when he has the infection, which is currently cleared up). I've been changing the litter tray twice a day and trying to keep it as dry as possible, so could it be urine scald rather than classic sore hocks? but if that was the case wouldn't both of them be sore ?

I'm not sure how to treat it, i've read a few of the many threads on this subject, i don't think she's at the stage of needing dressings so i'm going to pop some sudocream on for now but other than that i'm unsure what to do?

Edited to add - i'm taking her to the vet tomorrow anyway and she's on daily painkillers for an unstable fracture so please don't worry about her being in discomfort.

shannon321 said:

Recently my dwarf lop has developed sore paws, there are small patches with out fur that are red on all four paws and a small scab on one of her hocks.

She's never had this problem before so i'm trying to figure out the trigger, they are housed on a mixture of concrete, carpet and fleece but she has been on that for the past 5 years with out problems so i dont think that is it.

The only thing i can think of is she was recently bonded so is now sharing a litter tray with my boy who has kidney issues and has had two courses of anti -bis recently due to infection so therfore his urine is very strong smelling and there is alot of it (when he has the infection, which is currently cleared up). I've been changing the litter tray twice a day and trying to keep it as dry as possible, so could it be urine scald rather than classic sore hocks? but if that was the case wouldn't both of them be sore ?

I'm not sure how to treat it, i've read a few of the many threads on this subject, i don't think she's at the stage of needing dressings so i'm going to pop some sudocream on for now but other than that i'm unsure what to do?

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Firstly it is essential you take her to a Vet to be thoroughly examined. Until you know the *cause* of the problem you wont know the most appropriate way to treat it. In some circumstances using any creams can make things much worse. If there is active infection she may need systemic antibiotics. She probably needs a non steroidal anti inflammatory such as Metacam too.

So the best place to start is to consult your Vet

Good Luck.

thank you, my rabbit specialist isn't in till tomorrow and the other vets are useless, would it be a problem to wait till tomorrow?

SHe's on a daily dose of metacam for the unstable fracture (shoulder blade) anyway so doubt she's in pain. Which leads onto another question of will daily use of metacam not ruin her kidneys ? The vet feels this is the best med to give in the long term but i'm worried, is there another pain killer that would be more appropriate for long term pain relief. There is no treatment for her break other than amputation and she's lived with it for 5 years with no problem and only recently started to show signs of discomfort/limping hence why she's now on the pain killers so he feels operating is more risk than its worth.

shannon321 said:

thank you, my rabbit specialist isn't in till tomorrow and the other vets are useless, would it be a problem to wait till tomorrow?

SHe's on a daily dose of metacam for the unstable fracture (shoulder blade) anyway so doubt she's in pain. Which leads onto another question of will daily use of metacam not ruin her kidneys ? The vet feels this is the best med to give in the long term but i'm worried, is there another pain killer that would be more appropriate for long term pain relief. There is no treatment for her break other than amputation and she's lived with it for 5 years with no problem and only recently started to show signs of discomfort/limping hence why she's now on the pain killers so he feels operating is more risk than its worth.

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I have numerous Rabbits on longterm Metacam for a variety of reasons. It is the most appropriate NSAID in most cases

I suspect her sore hocks are related to her shoulder problem which may now involve osteoarthritis

You may like to read this thread re Metacam and the new recommendations re dose rates

http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/s...t-Alter-Dose-Without-CONSULTING-YOUR-OWN-VET-!!

Perhaps the Metacam dose your Vet is prescribing now needs to be increased to provide better analgesic/anti-inflammatory cover.

hm that's interesting, i shall mention it tomorrow when i go to the vets. SHes on a very low dose, 1kg mark on the syringe of cat metacam once a day as the vet felt it was best to stay as low as we can seeing as it will be a long term thing. It seems to of been doing the trick but i am now wondering if it is enough and she's just very good at hiding her pain.


Basically she's had the shoulder problem since being taken from a 'fox proof' pets at home run by a terrier dog when i first owned her 5 years ago. The non rabbit savvy vet never noticed the shoulder break when we took her in (breaks my heart to think of it as she had no pain relief after day one of the attack and i didn't know any better ) and it healed its self slightly over lapping, for the past 4 years she has been fine showing no signs of pain hopping/running/jumping but she then rebroke the old fracture so her shoulder blade is in two and one half is effectively 'floating' around. This is when we started her on the long term pain meds as while still showing no major signs of pain she started to loose condition. Since she's been on the meds she's put the weight back on and seems fine in herself considering. Is there anything else i could be doing or feeding her to help ?