Possible sore hocks?

Just been looking at morphs feet and seen he has two small red circles appearing on his hocks. Any advice on how to treat? I've searched the topics but not found one relating entirely to sore hocks only extreme cases.

Is there some way I can prevent this getting worse? Indi looks fine and has never suffered so it makes me doubt that it's unsuitable flooring :/ they have fleece blankets on top of a rug in their pen which is where they spend most of their time. Thanks in advance :wave:


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Alibunbun said:

Just been looking at morphs feet and seen he has two small red circles appearing on his hocks. Any advice on how to treat? I've searched the topics but not found one relating entirely to sore hocks only extreme cases.

Is there some way I can prevent this getting worse? Indi looks fine and has never suffered so it makes me doubt that it's unsuitable flooring :/ they have fleece blankets on top of a rug in their pen which is where they spend most of their time. Thanks in advance :wave:


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It may be that the soreness won't get any worse. Over the years my rabbits have presented with varying degrees of sore-hock-ness, and in a lot of cases when I looked the next time it was gone.

There are creams that you can put on but they may be licked off just as fast. I prefer not to put anything chemical on my buns that they might ingest, such as F10.

Thanks that's useful to know! I've been monitoring the redness with his moult so I will see if it does get worse. I've found a topic Jacks Jane made now which proved useful!

If it gets any worse I'll take him to the vets for diagnosis and treatment :thumb: I've heard that sudocrem (spelling ugh) is good, and I use that for my horses so know it won't cause them any damage


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Alibunbun said:

Thanks that's useful to know! I've been monitoring the redness with his moult so I will see if it does get worse. I've found a topic Jacks Jane made now which proved useful!

If it gets any worse I'll take him to the vets for diagnosis and treatment :thumb: I've heard that sudocrem (spelling ugh) is good, and I use that for my horses so know it won't cause them any damage


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Yes a lot of people use Sudocrem. It's still got stuff in there that I wouldn't want my bunnies eating though! Buns would lick it off their hocks - not sure whether a horse would in the same way, and the quantity with a horse would be smaller (presumably!)

I tend to make my own out of natural ingredients (all vet approved too!)

Hm yes I did think that after posting haha. But I assume if it's used on babies and with horses who are very sensitive in a similar way to rabbits that it would be okay. If I do use it, I will supervise! I thought maybe baby socks would be useful?

Ooo what do you use to make it? If you're willing to share your secrets!


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Alibunbun said:

Hm yes I did think that after posting haha. But I assume if it's used on babies and with horses who are very sensitive in a similar way to rabbits that it would be okay. If I do use it, I will supervise! I thought maybe baby socks would be useful?

Ooo what do you use to make it? If you're willing to share your secrets!


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Yes it's sensitive for babies' bottoms, but then on the whole they don't tend to lick it off :lol:

For severe cases of sore hocks I made my rabbits some cotton socks. I had a big rabbit with large feet and slim ankles - none of the baby socks would fit him :lol: I have also bandaged them up - but be careful doing this as you don't want to cut off the blood supply or impede movement.

In order to allow him to run around the garden (which he loved) I made him some waterproof overshoes. Not all rabbits would be tolerant of this, and you'd have to watch he didn't chew the socks off in irritation at them :shock:

Personally I would leave well alone until the situation becomes more necessary (it may never get worse!).

My pot of magic cream is currently in the fridge .... I would have to consult my 'Health' book to remind myself what's in it

Alibunbun said:

Just been looking at morphs feet and seen he has two small red circles appearing on his hocks. Any advice on how to treat? I've searched the topics but not found one relating entirely to sore hocks only extreme cases.

Is there some way I can prevent this getting worse? Indi looks fine and has never suffered so it makes me doubt that it's unsuitable flooring :/ they have fleece blankets on top of a rug in their pen which is where they spend most of their time. Thanks in advance :wave:


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Can you post a photo of the hocks ? What to do about them depends on the degree of fur loss

I will try and get a photo later on today, but he really hates being held so it may take some convincing :lol:


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I've FINALLY managed to get some bad quality pics of his hocks! He hated it bless him


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That is the start of sore hocks. Is it both hocks that are effected ?

Sometimes sore hocks are a symptom of a mobility problem relating to the hips, so I would want a Vet to examine Morph to try to establish if there is a primary cause. I would not apply anything to the hocks at the moment, but I would want to get the Vet check sorted ASAP.

I assume that Morph's toenails are kept short ? Does he charge about on a carpeted area ? Carpet can be very abrasive and it can exacerbate hock problems.

This is an informative read

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

Alibunbun said:

I've FINALLY managed to get some bad quality pics of his hocks! He hated it bless him

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Ah poor boy - but well done you for getting the photo!

I can't quite see from the photograph, but is the skin broken? If not, it's a mild case but would need attention. Are his nails short? What kind of flooring is he on?

I've had rabbits with hocks as sore as those (but with no skin breakage) and they have healed themselves.

How long has it been going on? Has a vet seen him at all?

Thank you for your replies! I will get him to a vet ASAP. I trim his nails regularly yes, he's not on carpet - he's got a padded fleece mat and then fleece for the playpen floor. Do you think that would be abrasive? So far there is no broken skin.


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Alibunbun said:

Thank you for your replies! I will get him to a vet ASAP. I trim his nails regularly yes, he's not on carpet - he's got a padded fleece mat and then fleece for the playpen floor. Do you think that would be abrasive? So far there is no broken skin.


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Fleece doesn't sound at all abrasive. There have been many discussions on here and fleece has been pronounced good to use I use it for my bunny who currently has sore hocks. People use all sorts of things which are fine such as foam matting, vet bed, thick layers of hay.

So long as you can take the pressure of his heels it will help.

Your vet will prescribe a cream if he thinks it's appropriate. Keep us posted :thumb:

Alibunbun said:

Thank you for your replies! I will get him to a vet ASAP. I trim his nails regularly yes, he's not on carpet - he's got a padded fleece mat and then fleece for the playpen floor. Do you think that would be abrasive? So far there is no broken skin.


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Fleece can sometimes be a problem, having kept Rexes for 16 years (Rexes can be prone to sore hocks due to the lack of guard hairs in the Rex coat) I have found that synthetic materials can be an irritant if the skin is already exposed. If deep soft hay is not an option to use as a main substrate then you could try covering the fleeces in a 100% cotton sheet. Also, I use a hypoallergenic washing powder to wash bedding, again to minimise irritants.