Missing fur and red sore on foot?

Hi all!


Not long ago about a few months ago i seen a very small red patch on Freelos foot which i thought looked fine as it was very small and it looked asthough it was normal, kind of like its fur parted a side. Which is why it never crossed my mind to think anything was actually wrong.

Now looking fully at its foot today i noticed it had gotten alot worse than i originally last seen it.

Problem: Red raw looking patch, fur missing in that area

Please could someone take a look at the photos of it and maybe suggest what could be wrong.

P.s Its hay thats on its foot incase someone asks and Freelo is an indoor bunny.

Thank you for all the help with my little Freelo

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Which area of the foot is it? I can't see too clearly from the picture. I.e. on the underside, inside near the groin etc.

It looks too contained to be something like a mite causing the issue as this tends to spread across the whole body.
Its common for bunnies to get small viruses which affect their skin.

Have you been applying anything to it, or have you noticed Freelo paying any particular attention to it?

It looks like your bunny has sore hocks

Yes as J&B says, it looks like sore hocks.

The best thing to do would be a visit to the vet, who will possibly give you a cream to help healing, and suggest (if the feet are actually bleeding) to bandage them. It's difficult to attempt this safely yourself, so I wouldn't try it at home or you risk making it too tight. If it's really bad the vet may prescribe pain killers, at least for the short term.

Carpet isn't the best for sore hocks .. you could perhaps try covering the area Freelo goes in and rests in most with a cotton sheet, a duvet cover or a piece of vet bed (really soft!). Carpet can be quite abrasive.

Keeping the nails trimmed is also important. Long nails will throw the weight onto the back of the foot, which you don't want. This will make the problem worse - as will being overweight of course (not that I'm suggesting this!)

Is it just one foot? The vet might be able to advise why it's happened - e.g. if excess weight is going on one particular hock than the other. It's important to get to the primary cause of the problem, if at all possible.

You might find some more info here:

https://www.vetstream.com/watkinsandtasker/html/Factsheets/Otherpets/24_295077.asp

Last of all, please don't worry! It's very common and it's nothing you've done wrong.

Thank you for all your replies! Much apprieciated

Sorry the pictures arent very clear, its on the base (underside) of the right foot (the part they stand on).

Haven't seen Freelo pay attention to it or even be botherd by it. I just happened to catch a glimpse of it when they was cleaning themselves, so i went and picked them up for an investigation and it looked quite red and sore.

Again though, Freelo isnt bothered by it e.g. doesn't mind being touched/ picked up ect and there's been no bleeding from what i'm aware of. It just looks quite sore and has all of a sudden just gone alot bigger of a patch then i seen a few months ago.

I haven't touched it with anything as of yet as i'm scared of making it worse or infecting the area as it looks quite raw.

That link you sent above helped thank you! I looked up sore hocks on google images and it looks bang on the same as what Freelo had a few months ago and also has now so that makes me feel alot better! Poor thing, whats the best way of looking after its feet whilst out of its sleeping area though as bless it, it loves to run around the whole house binkying so theres no stopping it other than keeping it in its sleeping area constantly, which i guess isnt fair. :roll:

p.s Freelo is of a normal weight for its size, so i'm guessing its about changing environment issues?

I'll also give the vets a ring tomorrow to see what they advise.

3LO said:

Hi all!


Not long ago about a few months ago i seen a very small red patch on Freelos foot which i thought looked fine as it was very small and it looked asthough it was normal, kind of like its fur parted a side. Which is why it never crossed my mind to think anything was actually wrong.

Now looking fully at its foot today i noticed it had gotten alot worse than i originally last seen it.

Problem: Red raw looking patch, fur missing in that area

Please could someone take a look at the photos of it and maybe suggest what could be wrong.

P.s Its hay thats on its foot incase someone asks and Freelo is an indoor bunny.

Thank you for all the help with my little Freelo

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Ouch, that does look like a sore hock It is necessary for a Vet to take a look-ie to actually examine Freelo- not only the actual sore area, but also to see if there may be a primary cause for the problem such as a thus far undetected mobility issue. Although as you have said that Freelo is extremely active a mobility problem such as arthritis seems unlikely.

If she does a lot of charging and skidding about on carpeted areas this can sometimes lead to the fur being rubbed away from the hocks. Then the constant pressure on the area during periods of rest can lead to soreness. In the photo there is evidence of the beginning of some ulceration and this does need to be promptly addressed as once the skin breaks down it can become a much harder problem to manage or resolve.

So in short I think the best course of action is to get a Rabbit Savvy Vet to examine Freeloo and also to make any alterations necessary in her living environment to minimise the amount of abrasive surfaces she has access to. Unfortunately I have had rather a lot of Rabbits who, for various reasons, developed sore hocks. Caring for them has taught me the importance of seeking attention from a Rabbit Savvy Vet -ie that the Vet actually examines the Rabbit as opposed to just giving advice over the phone.

The following links may provide some useful information:

http://www.sawneeanimalclinic.com/downloads/sore_hocks_pododermatitis_in_rabbits.pdf

http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00dis/Miscellaneous/Ulcerative_pododermatitis_rabbits.htm

http://www.towervets.co.uk/pet-factsheets/Factsheets/Otherpets/24_295077.shtml

Good luck at the Vets and I hope that Freelo's sore hocks will respond well to prompt Veterinary treatment .

3LO said:

Thank you for all your replies! Much apprieciated

Sorry the pictures arent very clear, its on the base (underside) of the right foot (the part they stand on).

Haven't seen Freelo pay attention to it or even be botherd by it. I just happened to catch a glimpse of it when they was cleaning themselves, so i went and picked them up for an investigation and it looked quite red and sore.

Again though, Freelo isnt bothered by it e.g. doesn't mind being touched/ picked up ect and there's been no bleeding from what i'm aware of. It just looks quite sore and has all of a sudden just gone alot bigger of a patch then i seen a few months ago.

I haven't touched it with anything as of yet as i'm scared of making it worse or infecting the area as it looks quite raw.

That link you sent above helped thank you! I looked up sore hocks on google images and it looks bang on the same as what Freelo had a few months ago and also has now so that makes me feel alot better! Poor thing, whats the best way of looking after its feet whilst out of its sleeping area though as bless it, it loves to run around the whole house binkying so theres no stopping it other than keeping it in its sleeping area constantly, which i guess isnt fair. :roll:

p.s Freelo is of a normal weight for its size, so i'm guessing its about changing environment issues?

I'll also give the vets a ring tomorrow to see what they advise.

Click to expand...

You may find the vet might clip away more of the fur around the area.
In some extensive cases they may bandage it lightly and apply steroid cream to speed up the healing process (provided the skin isn't broken).

I hope your little Freelo heals quickly and you can figure out what is causing it.

daphnephoebe said:

You may find the vet might clip away more of the fur around the area.
In some extensive cases they may bandage it lightly and apply steroid cream to speed up the healing process (provided the skin isn't broken).

I hope your little Freelo heals quickly and you can figure out what is causing it.

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Clipping away fur is usually not a good idea as it simply exacerbates the lack of padding around the already exposed skin. Steroid based topical treatments may also be inappropriate as it can actually delay skin healing/thin the skin and increase the risk of bacterial infection.

'Corticosteroids

Systemic or tropical preparations may severely exacerbate an infection.'

Full details here:

http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00dis/Miscellaneous/Ulcerative_pododermatitis_rabbits.htm

Jack's-Jane said:

Clipping away fur is usually not a good idea as it simply exacerbates the lack of padding around the already exposed skin. Steroid based topical treatments may also be inappropriate as it can actually delay skin healing/thin the skin and increase the risk of bacterial infection.

'Corticosteroids

Systemic or tropical preparations may severely exacerbate an infection.'

Full details here:

http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00dis/Miscellaneous/Ulcerative_pododermatitis_rabbits.htm

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I'm going from what they used to do in the exotic specialist vet I used to work in when I was a vet nurse.

daphnephoebe said:

I'm going from what they used to do in the exotic specialist vet I used to work in when I was a vet nurse.

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Always good to have a variety of opinions to enable the care giver to have various issues to discuss with the Vet treating the specific Rabbit Without discussion we cant keep learning and I know I have been on a learning curve for quite a few years !

daphnephoebe said:

You may find the vet might clip away more of the fur around the area.
In some extensive cases they may bandage it lightly and apply steroid cream to speed up the healing process (provided the skin isn't broken).

I hope your little Freelo heals quickly and you can figure out what is causing it.

Click to expand...

Yes, my vet did this on one occasion, to help speed the recovery of sore hocks. It worked and we had no further issue with that rabbit

3LO said:

Thank you for all your replies! Much apprieciated

Sorry the pictures arent very clear, its on the base (underside) of the right foot (the part they stand on).

Haven't seen Freelo pay attention to it or even be botherd by it. I just happened to catch a glimpse of it when they was cleaning themselves, so i went and picked them up for an investigation and it looked quite red and sore.

Again though, Freelo isnt bothered by it e.g. doesn't mind being touched/ picked up ect and there's been no bleeding from what i'm aware of. It just looks quite sore and has all of a sudden just gone alot bigger of a patch then i seen a few months ago.

I haven't touched it with anything as of yet as i'm scared of making it worse or infecting the area as it looks quite raw.

That link you sent above helped thank you! I looked up sore hocks on google images and it looks bang on the same as what Freelo had a few months ago and also has now so that makes me feel alot better! Poor thing, whats the best way of looking after its feet whilst out of its sleeping area though as bless it, it loves to run around the whole house binkying so theres no stopping it other than keeping it in its sleeping area constantly, which i guess isnt fair. :roll:

p.s Freelo is of a normal weight for its size, so i'm guessing its about changing environment issues?

I'll also give the vets a ring tomorrow to see what they advise.

Click to expand...

You're very welcome for any help I can give

I'm glad Freelo isn't bothered by it - that's the main thing, that it's not getting worse and the rabbit is not in pain at all.

Let me know what your vet says after you've spoken. There are several ways of approaching this issue, and altering the environment is just one of them. I would find that difficult though with my rabbits as they have the whole house to themselves