• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

  • Please Note - Medical Advice

    Please keep in mind that posts on this forum are from members of the public sharing personal opinions. It is not a replacement for qualified medical advice from a veterinarian. Many illnesses share similar symptoms but require different treatments. A medical exam is necessary for an accurate diagnosis, without which appropriate treatment cannot be given.

    You should always consult your vet before following any suggestions for medication or treatment you have read about. The wrong treatment could make your rabbit worse or mean your vet is unable to give the correct treatment because of drug interactions. Even non prescription drugs can do harm if given inappropriately.

    We are very grateful to members who take time to answer other members questions, but please do be clear in your replies that you are sharing personal experience and not giving instructions on what must be done.

    Urgent Medical Advice: If you need, or think you might need, urgent medical advice you should contact a vet. If it is out of working hours phone your vet's normal number and there should be an answer phone message with instructions on what to do.

Unlucky Rabbits Foot - please help!

J

Joanneg22

New Kit
Hi All,

This is my first post on here.

I just noticed the other day that my rabbit has what i can only describe as a dried out sore on both his back feet on the heel. There is no fur on this area apart from the surrounding fur which acts as a bit of a comb over which means it is quite well hidden.

He doesn't seem to be having any trouble getting around and as far as i can see is paying these lumps no attention. They haven't changed (for better or worse) since i noticed them a couple of days ago.

Can anyone shed any light on what it might be? I would take him to the vets but it isn't causing him any discomfort so id rather avoid paying loads for no point.

I've attached a pic, sorry the quality isn't very good.

Any help would be greatly apprieciated! :)

picture058.jpg
 
He's probably worn the fur away and then been picking at it! I know my buns have done this in the past, like dogs that lick sore paws and make them worse! I'm not sure what you can use direction on the foot to heal it, but I'd make sure you keep it dry and clean to stop infections. JCO is the lady for rabbit pills and potions!
 
Is he a rex or does he have quite short fur? What litter do you use on the base of his hutch/cage?
Bunnies do get sore hocks, and there's not really a 'cure' - just keeping it under control in the aim of preventing it from splitting open and bleeding, because then there's the risk of infection and further damage.
Vetbed is meant to be quite good and I've used this with success with my mini rex who gets sore hocks. I now use newspaper though as one of the buns in the cage doesn't like to use a littertray :roll: so the Vetbed was getting wet very quickly which obviously wasn't hygenic, especially for the bun with sore hocks. They now live on newspaper, which doesn't agitate the hocks but can be replaced daily to keep it clean (I didn't have time for washing the Vetbed daily as the washing machine is almost permanently washing everyone's clothes!)
If the skin's just rough/hard and not broken, he shouldn't need to see the vet, but if it is he may need antibiotics or a cream/antibacterial lotion or something to prevent infection
 
My last rabbit had those too. The vet said those are calluses on the skin due to contact w/ rough surface. And my last rabbit also has it on the rear feet. (it's always on the rear).

Your bunny must be sitting on hard surface, like vinyl or hardwood floor. As she tries to get up after lying down on the surface, she uses her rear feet to contact the hard wood floor to push her body up. As time goes by, it develop calluses.

The trick is to avoid having your bunny sits on hard wood surface.
 
My free-ad bun has these. Vet said just to keep an eye on them. He binkys like the best of them, so i'm not too worried.
 
My giant Thumbelina gets them quite badly - she has a large paved run which is why she gets them. Thing is, I can't provide her with the space without the paving as she could dig to China in about 10 minutes :roll: Carpet can cause them too and to be honest I have yet to meet a rabbit that has been allowed freedom to run about that doesn't at least have thinning of the fur. I have only seen perfect furred pads on show bunnies that haven't got a run to play in :(

You just have to keep an eye on them really
 
All rabbits have a bald circle there (a calluse), usually you can't see it because its covered by fur.

Keep an eye on it, make sure the fur on her feet doesn't get matted and her nails aren't too long.

Onlt need too wory if it goes scabby or bleeds :)
 
And if the fur get matted, shave all the matted fur off, they grow back quickly. If you don't, the matted fur can't allow the skin to breathe, as well, the matted fur, since it is uneven padded, can cause more calluses.

You want to make sure the calluses doesn't break and causes a cut and blood, if so, it yields infection as their rear feet contact any urine or other unclean items in the cage.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

hazelthebun18
Need help Rabbit has fur loss on foot
Replies
3
Views
217
Babsie
B
a reader of books
Unlucky Casper
2 3 4
Replies
69
Views
4K
a reader of books
a reader of books
L
Babies
Replies
2
Views
79
InspectorMorse
InspectorMorse
Back
Top