Sore Hocks

Hello everyone!

Learning every day about rabbits, but I've now had mine for about a year. Both are Rex rabbits. I'm still not confident enough in clipping my rabbits nails, so I take them to the vets to get it done and it allows them to give them a check over too. But awhile back, I noticed that my Storm had a fading patch on his rear foot and immediately got on the internet! While his was not as bad as I saw with cases with sore hocks, I was concerned enough to take him to the vet. They didn't seem overly worried, said it might just be wear. But since then, his got more patches, which are red!! I again took him to the vet and she acted surprised that I even noticed, saying " Not many people pay attention to their rabbits feet " ...I was just like, uh, well I do and what can I do for him? She poo poo'd it off, saying it wasn't much to worry about. But I AM worried. What can I do to treat these sores, if they are indeed sore hocks?

Also, any recommendations on the best type of flooring for max cushioning for their feet? Currently they have their own room, but eventually they'll be outside in their own shed. Any advise would be great, thanks!

Kind regards,
Owner of Poppy & Storm

We've had sorehocks here. Daily spot of sudocream and keeping the litter as dry as you can helps a lot. Rexs are more prone to sorehocks as the fur on their feet is not as thick my vet was saying.

I can't recommend shed flooring as mine is an indoor bun. We have carpet tiles, area rugs and fleeces here.

What sort of flooring do they have at the moment? Ideally you want something with a little give to it so their nails sink in and the weight is distributed correctly, something that's not so slippy they slide but also not too rough. Natural floorings like grass or hay tends to be good, or I think some people like the rubber stable matting designed for horses.

Sore hocks can be notoriously difficult to treat. Sometimes they resolve on their own.

Keeping nails short can sometimes help, as can a padded flooring, as Tamsin has suggested.

I use a drop of pure vitamin E oil on the feet, and occasionally calendula, which helps to heal the redness. Good that you keep an eye on them, but try not to worry too much :wave:

PoppyTheRex said:

Hello everyone!

Learning every day about rabbits, but I've now had mine for about a year. Both are Rex rabbits. I'm still not confident enough in clipping my rabbits nails, so I take them to the vets to get it done and it allows them to give them a check over too. But awhile back, I noticed that my Storm had a fading patch on his rear foot and immediately got on the internet! While his was not as bad as I saw with cases with sore hocks, I was concerned enough to take him to the vet. They didn't seem overly worried, said it might just be wear. But since then, his got more patches, which are red!! I again took him to the vet and she acted surprised that I even noticed, saying " Not many people pay attention to their rabbits feet " ...I was just like, uh, well I do and what can I do for him? She poo poo'd it off, saying it wasn't much to worry about. But I AM worried. What can I do to treat these sores, if they are indeed sore hocks?

Also, any recommendations on the best type of flooring for max cushioning for their feet? Currently they have their own room, but eventually they'll be outside in their own shed. Any advise would be great, thanks!

Kind regards,
Owner of Poppy & Storm

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I am assuming from your username that your Rabbit is a Rex ? This breed are very prone to sore hocks due to the lack of guard hairs in their fur. In Rexes if they get to the age of about 1 year with no fur loss at all on their hocks then 'breed related' hock problems are less likely to occur. But if there is fur loss very early on then the problem may be a life long one and will need careful management. This would include things like keeping them on a suitable substrate-eg soft deep hay and grassed areas. Concrete floors, carpet, lino/wood/vinyl flooring is not appropriate. Keeping nails trimmed short and making sure the Rabbit does not become over-weight is also important. Anti-inflammatory analgesia may be required at times. Putting various creams on the hocks is not always agood idea as it can sometimes actually make things worse.If topical treatment is deemed to be necessary then I have had some degree of success using Flamazine Cream, Savlon Advanced Healing Gel, F10 Germicidal Barrier Ointment amongst other things. If the skin begins to ulcerate/break down then there is a risk of infection setting in. So it is always essential to consult a Vet straight away rather than to try lots of 'home treatments' first. If infection gets in it can cause very serious issues such as osteomyelitis (infection in the bones) and destruction of the tendons.

Whilst I dont want you to go into panic mode about Sore Hocks I feel it is important to state that the condition is potentially serious and you are absolutely right to be keeping a check on your Rabbits hocks. In some cases whilst full fur regrowth may not occur the skin hardens and does not ulcerate/break down. With my Rexes I have seen both ends of the 'Sore Hocks Spectrum'. I had one Standard Rex who's hocks were bald by the time she was 12 months old. But with careful management all her life, including treatment with prescription medication when having a bad flare up she coped well and lived to be 13

Jack's-Jane said:

In Rexes if they get to the age of about 1 year with no fur loss at all on their hocks then 'breed related' hock problems are less likely to occur.

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I love this forum! Especially when i read something by chance that directly relates to my worries about my bunnies!
So if Waffles is 50andahalf weeks old, and her hocks look like the below, she probably doesn't have breed related hock problems? Will still keep a close eye on both of them, and keep them on grass and keep their claws short but

dumblepaws said:

I love this forum! Especially when i read something by chance that directly relates to my worries about my bunnies!
So if Waffles is 50andahalf weeks old, and her hocks look like the below, she probably doesn't have breed related hock problems? Will still keep a close eye on both of them, and keep them on grass and keep their claws short but

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Her hocks look fine at the moment and the fur is nice and dense. It is no guarantee that she wont develop a problem in the years ahead, but it is less likely if she still has good dense fur coverage at the age of 12 months. I notice she is lying on carpet. Personally I avoid allowing my Rexes onto carpet as it is very abrasive. So if she just has that piece to rest on I'd cover it with an old cotton sheet/duvet cover. That way there will be less risk of fur being removed as the hocks rub against the carpet.

Responsible Rex Breeders would not continue to breed from a Rabbit who had thin fur over their hocks. It is possible to eradicate the problem from a breeding coloney, but sadly the majority of Breeders dont take it into account

She lives outside most of the time so spends 22 hours a day on grass, wooden platforms, hay/vet bed hutch

But she (& her brother) come and play with me in the unheated conservatory every night and it has a tiled floor which she slips on so the carpet was to give her more grip.

Will try swapping it for a double duvet instead and see if they pee on ot or not!

Thanks Jane x

Thank you everyone for your wonderful replies!

Right now, they're on a mixture of wooden flooring, carpet and hay. Their set up in the room allows them to get on top of their hutch, which has a rough surface, so that's always covered in straw/hay. I did look into the 'horse flooring' and might go with that, until I can get their shed up and ready, with a grass 'flooring'. Poppy is 2 years old and Storm is 1 years old, both are Rex rabbits. I always seem to go into panic mode when ever I think something is wrong with them, I guess because I'm a 'new' rabbit owner and want only the best and start beating myself up if I've done or doing something wrong. Such delicate little creatures that they are.

I was worried about putting any kinds of creams on his feet, 'cause he cleans them a lot and I was worried the chemicals might hurt his tum-tum.

In comparison to beautiful Waffles feet, Storm's is a lot worse....oooh my baby!!! The Vet doesn't seem to think anything is wrong, but it looks sore and red, so... I'll give those ointments a go, see if they settle and get the flooring corrected ASAP.

Thanks again, rabbit lovers.

PoppyTheRex said:

Thank you everyone for your wonderful replies!

Right now, they're on a mixture of wooden flooring, carpet and hay. Their set up in the room allows them to get on top of their hutch, which has a rough surface, so that's always covered in straw/hay. I did look into the 'horse flooring' and might go with that, until I can get their shed up and ready, with a grass 'flooring'. Poppy is 2 years old and Storm is 1 years old, both are Rex rabbits. I always seem to go into panic mode when ever I think something is wrong with them, I guess because I'm a 'new' rabbit owner and want only the best and start beating myself up if I've done or doing something wrong. Such delicate little creatures that they are.

I was worried about putting any kinds of creams on his feet, 'cause he cleans them a lot and I was worried the chemicals might hurt his tum-tum.

In comparison to beautiful Waffles feet, Storm's is a lot worse....oooh my baby!!! The Vet doesn't seem to think anything is wrong, but it looks sore and red, so... I'll give those ointments a go, see if they settle and get the flooring corrected ASAP.

Thanks again, rabbit lovers.

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Agreed. This is why I don't put ointments on that cannot be ingested safely

PoppyTheRex said:

Thank you everyone for your wonderful replies!

Right now, they're on a mixture of wooden flooring, carpet and hay. Their set up in the room allows them to get on top of their hutch, which has a rough surface, so that's always covered in straw/hay. I did look into the 'horse flooring' and might go with that, until I can get their shed up and ready, with a grass 'flooring'. Poppy is 2 years old and Storm is 1 years old, both are Rex rabbits. I always seem to go into panic mode when ever I think something is wrong with them, I guess because I'm a 'new' rabbit owner and want only the best and start beating myself up if I've done or doing something wrong. Such delicate little creatures that they are.

I was worried about putting any kinds of creams on his feet, 'cause he cleans them a lot and I was worried the chemicals might hurt his tum-tum.

In comparison to beautiful Waffles feet, Storm's is a lot worse....oooh my baby!!! The Vet doesn't seem to think anything is wrong, but it looks sore and red, so... I'll give those ointments a go, see if they settle and get the flooring corrected ASAP.

Thanks again, rabbit lovers.

Click to expand...

I only used the creams listed on the advice of my Rabbit Savvy Vet. So I would not apply anything without seeking professional advice. As I mentioned before, applying topical treatment can, in some cases, make the hocks worse. If you are concerned that your Vet may not be that Rabbit Savvy you could post a thread in 'Rabbit Chat' asking for recommendations for a Vet in your area.

Thanks Jack's-Jane!!

Sometimes a specialist is the only answer, eh. I'll get on it! Thank you!

We're using sudocream on the advice of our RVC hospital, exotic vet specialist. It's the hospital any vet in area sends rabbits to for specialist treatment, so I trust their advice. Came from the head of the department. One paw has healed already and other sore is almost gone in month and a week. They were not that bad to start with mind you.