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Mucky feet

WillowAndBiscuit

WillowAndBiscuit

Mama Doe
Hi all, one of my outdoor bunnies Biscuit seems to have a constantly dirty foot. Now, I know that it's not unusual for an outdoor bunny to have a dirty foot, but by dirty foot I mean one foot always seems to have a thick 'cake' on the bottom made up of mud, hay and poo. My question is, is this something I should be worried about and is there anything I can do to stop it? It doesn't cause any discomfort or anything like that but I'm worried it could do? I also worry that come summer, can he get flystrike on his foot?

Thank you for any advice that you can offer.
 
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Hi, I take it that you've checked said foot and aside from it being dirty it's perfectly fine and healthy?

If the answer is yes then I don't know, maybe he's just constantly standing in a dirty area in a certain way that gets that foot so mucky. I see your concern re the flystrike if the "cake" contains poo though, but don't know what to suggest, sorry :( but I didn't want to read and run.
 
Angie B said:
Hi, I take it that you've checked said foot and aside from it being dirty it's perfectly fine and healthy?

If the answer is yes then I don't know, maybe he's just constantly standing in a dirty area in a certain way that gets that foot so mucky. I see your concern re the flystrike if the "cake" contains poo though, but don't know what to suggest, sorry :( but I didn't want to read and run.
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Yes I have, and it is fine, which confuses me all the more, seeing as it's only one foot and it doesn't happen to either of my other bunny's feet.

I have never heard of a rabbit getting flystrike anywhere other than their bums, so I'm not even sure if it can happen anywhere else, but as I'm not 100% sure that it can't then I am worried. He has a check up this Friday with his sister though so I guess I'll have to ask them about it. I guess at least it protects his hocks from possible injury though...every cloud. [emoji23] Thank you for responding anyway :)
 
that's unusual. could be putting more pressure on one foot for some reason. i know with bisc's arthritis, one foot would get worse then the other sore hock wise because of the way he was standing. hopefully the vet can shed some light :)
 
biscandmatt1 said:
that's unusual. could be putting more pressure on one foot for some reason. i know with bisc's arthritis, one foot would get worse then the other sore hock wise because of the way he was standing. hopefully the vet can shed some light :)
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If he was an elderly rabbit then I would probably be thinking that it may be arthritis, however he isn't even a year old yet so I figured that was very unlikely. I did wonder if it were cecos that were going uneaten but that wouldn't explain why it's only on one foot. I don't feed them a huge amount of pellets either which also makes me feel like it's unlikely that he's not eating his cecos. I'm more concerned about it being caused by an underlying issue because as far as I can tell, the poo 'cake' isn't an issue on it's own.

Thank you, I'm hoping the vet may know what's causing it and how to control it better as I'm at a loss [emoji37]
 
Some sort of neuropathy could be involved meaning he has reduced feeling in one leg

There are several possible causes of this so a consultation with a Vet is a good idea
 
Jack's-Jane said:
Some sort of neuropathy could be involved meaning he has reduced feeling in one leg

There are several possible causes of this so a consultation with a Vet is a good idea
Click to expand...
Oh gosh, that sounds serious [emoji37] He doesn't show any symptoms whatsoever of anything though? Like, he's never been poorly and he charges around like a loony [emoji23] I also touch that foot/leg to get a proper look at it and he always kicks it just like the other two bunnies do when I accidentally touch their feet?
 
WillowAndBiscuit said:
Oh gosh, that sounds serious [emoji37] He doesn't show any symptoms whatsoever of anything though? Like, he's never been poorly and he charges around like a loony [emoji23] I also touch that foot/leg to get a proper look at it and he always kicks it just like the other two bunnies do when I accidentally touch their feet?
Click to expand...

I'm sure a Vet check will put your mind at ease, it doesn't sound as though there is anything seriously wrong :) Neuropathy was just a possibility and in no way a certainty. Probably very unlikely.
 
WillowAndBiscuit said:
Oh gosh, that sounds serious [emoji37] He doesn't show any symptoms whatsoever of anything though? Like, he's never been poorly and he charges around like a loony [emoji23] I also touch that foot/leg to get a proper look at it and he always kicks it just like the other two bunnies do when I accidentally touch their feet?
Click to expand...

To be honest I doubt there is anything serious :)

I have had this happen with buns as well, and it's never been anything to worry about in the slightest, so please don't get concerned!

It does happen sometimes, and whether it's the way they walk/hop, I just clean it up and all's well :D
 
Jack's-Jane said:
I'm sure a Vet check will put your mind at ease, it doesn't sound as though there is anything seriously wrong :) Neuropathy was just a possibility and in no way a certainty. Probably very unlikely.
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Oh OK, you had me worried for a second haha. I'll update you on Friday once he's seen the vet [emoji4]
 
MightyMax said:
To be honest I doubt there is anything serious :)

I have had this happen with buns as well, and it's never been anything to worry about in the slightest, so please don't get concerned!

It does happen sometimes, and whether it's the way they walk/hop, I just clean it up and all's well :D
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Oh right, at least I'm not the only one haha. How do you clean it up? Because it looks as if the only way it can be cleaned up is by cutting it out, but I want to avoid this for obvious reasons.
 
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