Sore hocks...When should I go to the vets?

Hey first post!!! Eeek

So im pretty concerned for both of my buns. I took them to the vet 6 months ago for a general check up and was told that my buns had the very early stages of sore hocks. They were slightly pink and the size of a drop of water. I immediately stressed and did everything I could to try and prevent it getting worse.

I clipped nails more frequently. Changed their enclosures to soft foam floor. Gave them vet bed, hemp mats and a layer of hay to try and cushion their little feets.

None of it has seemed to work. Their hocks are now red and shaped like a tear drop and spreading up their feet.

Is there anything else I can try? Should I pop them to the vet? How long can it take before improvements?

Bunny info: 1 boy and 1 girl. Live apart in runs approx 6ft x 4ft. Completely indoor. Both neutered. One full size bun and one dwarf.

Welcome to the forum.:wave:

It sounds like you have done most of the things to help them by cutting nails and changing flooring. Are they and OK weight i.e. not overweight?

One of my buns had fine fur and my vet told me to rub a thin layer of sudocrem on if they looked red (making sure they are clean before putting it on or it can trap bacteria). I only had to do this occassionally but you may want to check with your vet before putting anything on yourself.

If you are worried, it is always best to get them checked out by your vet.

My vet told me the same thing when she first was seen. I will keep trying the sudocreme. Just annoying that I cant seem to pin point the problem. No vet has ever highlighted to me that my buns are overweight, but I have never weighed them myself :/

thank you for the reply

I have a bun with very stubborn sore hocks. They are just pea-sized sore bits, right on his heels. I did EVERYTHING to try to prevent them getting worse, like you. Foam mats, short nails, regular sudocreme, course of pain relief and antibiotics..nothing worked. I found that he has arthritis in his hips, and this was probably what was causing them. At the moment they have not gotten worse, he is on pain relief twice a day and they do improve in the Summer.

Is it possible to use a thick layer of hay in the bottom of their enclosures? I understand if not; my buns live in my room, so it is impossible to do this.

I find that the bes thing to keep nails short and place towels and vet beds everywhere. Buns tend to have a favourite place to sit, try putting lots of padding there and seeing if he lays on it. If your buns are anything like mine, they will try their hardest to avoid the nice soft places. :roll: :lol:

Sore hocks are a pain. They take a long time to heal up, and often we never find out what causes it. If both your buns have it, I'd be keen to assume that it is the flooring. Sometimes it can happen if bunnies are not very active and sitting in one position a lot. Are your buns let out of their pens?

Erm they dont get let out as much as they used too because of my working hours which I feel guilty fori aim for a couple of times a week but they get stressed and mardy and just want to go back to their run. Nala my girl is a proper chewer shes into everything so I have to be clever with her. I had to cover the vet bed in hay so she wouldnt chew it. She got the foam floor up too lol so I cant go nuts on blankets for her but the little one loves sitting on soft stuff so it really boggles me how two different buns cans have the same problem unless im missing something.

Can you post some pictures of their hocks and also some pictures of the position of their back feet in relation to the ground when the Rabbits are at rest ?

I can give it a go tonight after work. This shud be fun lol

Are they related? Some breeds, particularly rexes, are prone to it as they have thinner fur on their feet than normal.

Sore hocks are, as people have said, very difficult to get rid of.

Sudcreme was advised to me as well. When a big lop of mine had severe sore hocks I put the cream on and bandaged his feet. You have to be careful you don't cut off the circulation when you do that though, and it's a last resort. I changed the bandage twice daily.

Also, because he was so very keen on going into the garden, I made him boots which elasticated at the ankle. He's not with me any more, but his boots are

The lengths we bunny folk go to, eh?

Picture warning!!

Right so I could only get pics of my girl tonight. Shes full sized, normal fur and completely mental <3

Sitting:


Left:

Right:


like butter wouldnt melt

Personally, I really wouldn't worry too much about those. Do they lick them at all? Some buns do get little bald patches on their feet..like callouses. You could try using the sudocreme, but I wouldn't at this point in case it makes them worse. Manuka honey is also apparently great for sore hocks..but still, nothing has worked for my boy. I think if they stay at this stage, there won't be much of a problem. If they start spreading further, getting scabby-looking or bleeding..then I'd try putting sudocreme or manuka honey on them.

Are they not able to be bonded? Thinking you could merge their two enclosures to give them a bigger setup.

It looks as though she might be sitting back on her hocks a bit when she's at rest. My bun Mimi does that too and has callouses exactly the same as your buns on her hocks as a result.

I don't worry much about them while they're at this stage to be honest. I keep her nails short and put a bit of sudocrem on them when I trim her nails, so only once a month or so.

Thats super reassuring thank you I will jus keep an eye on them I suppose. I always wanted to bond them but nala is such a big girl and hea so little and timid im scared she would kill him :/ they both chew the skirting board where their runs meet and I cant tell if they want to cuddle or fight to the death lol. Nala is extremely territorial and he setup is fixed atm so I have no permanent new home for them.

vickyface__x said:

Thats super reassuring thank you I will jus keep an eye on them I suppose. I always wanted to bond them but nala is such a big girl and hea so little and timid im scared she would kill him :/ they both chew the skirting board where their runs meet and I cant tell if they want to cuddle or fight to the death lol. Nala is extremely territorial and he setup is fixed atm so I have no permanent new home for them.

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They will probably benefit from being bonded. Most rabbits are happiest with a friend. Size doesn't matter either, I have known people have nethies bonded with giants :lol:. If you ever decide to bond them, it needs to be done on completely neutral ground. There are many threads and tips on bonding in the bonding and behaviour section, you can also send them away to be bonded by a rescue (for a donation) :thumb: Bigger housing may help their feet...and they may be more active if they are bonded. Just something to think about for the future. :thumb:

As for now, I think if you keep their flooring soft, then there shouldn't be a problem. It is something you will have to check regularly just to make sure they don't start getting worse.

Awh cheers guys I feel so much better about the whole situation now. Cheers everyone for your tips and advice

With bonding at the moment the buns live in a room divided by a chipwall. If I bonded them could they live in the same room if I took the wall out? Even tho they had half each before? Or does their permanent house have to be completely unfamiliar? After bonding

vickyface__x said:

Awh cheers guys I feel so much better about the whole situation now. Cheers everyone for your tips and advice

With bonding at the moment the buns live in a room divided by a chipwall. If I bonded them could they live in the same room if I took the wall out? Even tho they had half each before? Or does their permanent house have to be completely unfamiliar? After bonding

Click to expand...

I've had 3 bonds where one of the buns has moved in to what was the others sole territory after bonding and it was fine. Just start with a small space and slowly expand by a foot or so a day :wave: