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Sore hocks - can't cope! BLOOD RESULTS BACK

fluffiebunnie

fluffiebunnie

Warren Veteran
Sparkle has had sore hocks for about a year. I have tried everything but he is getting no better. He is under Trinity vets and is on loads of meds but Sparkle is now refusing it all. He is scared of me and has got to the stage where he cannot walk properly. I am allergic so all this handling is making me ill. He is supposed to have metacam, tramadol and a med to help blood flow plus a cream. It's all getting too much for him and me. What can I do???
 
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fluffiebunnie said:
Sparkle has had sore hocks for about a year. I have tried everything but he is getting no better. He is under Trinity vets and is on loads of meds but Sparkle is now refusing it all. He is scared of me and has got to the stage where he cannot walk properly. I am allergic so all this handling is making me ill. He is supposed to have metacam, tramadol and a med to help blood flow plus a cream. It's all getting too much for him and me. What can I do???
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Sore hocks is usually secondary to something else. What flooring does he have? Have you changed his flooring?

Has arthritis been considered? My bun, Fiver, has sore hocks and it's due to pretty bad arthritis in his lower spinal area, causing him to sit back on his heels.
 
He is on vet bed. Vet said this was better than hay. It started with his partner peeing everywhere and his feet were wet and fur fell out. Vet bed makes floor drier. He didn't have any other issues but now he is struggling all due to fur loss :(
 
fluffiebunnie said:
He is on vet bed. Vet said this was better than hay. It started with his partner peeing everywhere and his feet were wet and fur fell out. Vet bed makes floor drier. He didn't have any other issues but now he is struggling all due to fur loss :(
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Why was his partner peeing everywhere?

Vet bed can actually make things worse, so I would put down deep, soft hay. What's their accommodation like?
 
His partner refuses to litter train. She pees and poos everywhere. Accommodation is summerhouse and aviary all covered in vet bed. Vet recommended this.
 
fluffiebunnie said:
His partner refuses to litter train. She pees and poos everywhere. Accommodation is summerhouse and aviary all covered in vet bed. Vet recommended this.
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How savvy is your vet? Vet bed is good but deep hay or grass is the best. If, after a year, cream and meds are not working, I would think something else is going on. Has your other bun been tested for E.C or kidney problems etc? Is she spayed? E.C could cause problems with hocks because it can cause hind leg weakness, although I would expect that after a year there would be other symptoms.

Are the hocks open and bleeding?
 
Vegan_Bunny said:
How savvy is your vet? Vet bed is good but deep hay or grass is the best. If, after a year, cream and meds are not working, I would think something else is going on. Has your other bun been tested for E.C or kidney problems etc? Is she spayed? E.C could cause problems with hocks because it can cause hind leg weakness, although I would expect that after a year there would be other symptoms.

Are the hocks open and bleeding?
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Mark is very rabbit savvy - he is a great vet. He has been treating Sparklle for about three months as before I was trying to keep him comfortable myself.

Other rabbit is spayed - she is just a messy bunny.

Sparkle has no other issues - just bad feet . They are not bleeding

Thanks x
 
Would it be possible to post some photos showing the exact extent of the problem and also a side on photo showing how Sparkle places his feet when at rest
 
I will try and get some photos. I am getting ready for work now but will post some ASAP. When he walks he is lopsided as he walks on side of one foot I think :(
 
No advice re your actual bun, but when I had a bun here (a conti) with severely sore hocks (regular bleeding), we did try bandaging them for a little while - just to get the healing underway, but as far as complete recovery, I had him on a double king-sized duvet - under that was hay, under that equine rubber matting & under that newspaper. Overkill maybe, but a few months down the line, no sore hocks. Also, a diet helped as he was overweight when he arrived.

Asda were doing a deal on duvets at the time, so I literally had 4 that I rotated (washing every few days).
 
Here are the photos of his feet; please help!! He is now refusing all meds and cream on his feet.



This foot has a spot on his heel only.



This foot has the worst sores on his heel and also has a patch on the length of his foot:



Whole foot showing heel and length of foot problems:



Any tips or advice greatly appreciated.
 
I would say that the pain is actually in the lumbar spine and the sore hocks, which are actually no-where near as bad as I expected, are a secondary symptom

Has he had Xrays of his spine ?
 
No x rays Jane.

History is he was perfectly fine then one day I noticed his feet were dirty with wee and poop. Washed his feet and lots of fur disintegrated and fell out and this has been going on for months since. I assumed the fur loss caused all this as it happened overnight. I can mention x rays tho
 
He has been given metacam and tramadol but now won't take the meds. When he did take painkiller he didn't walk any easier so assumed he still in pain?
 
He may have a collapsed vertebrae so even with analgesia he would be likely to still have an odd gait. I strongly suspect a spinal problem. When is he due back at the Vets ?
 
bisc has sore hocks and he had the slanted tail and sat funny, like his feets were too far forward. the vet wanted to take an xray of his spine so i definitely would recommend that. turns out that bisc's spine was normal, with no signs of arthritis anywhere else either. his only symptom now is that they crack and bleed if i'm not quick enough to keep on top of it, and he also isn't completely clean underneath ever.

definitely agree with jane about the spine xray and go from there. the actual sore hocks don't look bad to me. i know there is less fur than there should be, and they look dry and could crack, but at the moment i think they might not be the main issue. :wave:
 
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