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Sore Hocks & Possible Arthritis

bs189

bs189

New Kit
Hi!

I have a couple of questions so please bear with me!

Firstly, over the last month or so I have noticed my bun Bertie (8 years old) to be stretching (as if stiff) and not quite as bouncy round his hutch eg, not running up down when I go out to him of a morning, he went for his health check just last week and I mentioned this, Bertie does have sore hocks although only grade 1/2 and he did mention that there was the potential that he may be getting stiff on his left hind leg as he was reluctant for the vet to move it, the vet said at the moment he doesn't see the need to put Bertie on pain relief. Bertie is happy to hop round the garden and will run around outside however i am worrying over the stretching and wouldn't want him to be in pain, should i perhaps contact the vets again or am i just worrying too much?

Due to the information I was told at the vet appointment I am currently in the process of converting a shed so everything is more accessible to him as he gets older, therefore I was looking for recommendations for the best flooring for sore hocks, would it be lino?

Thank you:wave:
 
Last edited:
bs189 said:
Hi!

I have a couple of questions to please bear with me!

Firstly, over the last month or so I have noticed my bun Bertie (8 years old) to be stretching (as if stiff) and not quite as bouncy round his hutch eg, not running up down when I go out to him of a morning, he went for his health check just last week and I mentioned this, Bertie does have sore hocks although only grade 1/2 and he did mention that there was the potential that he may be getting stiff on his left hind leg as he was reluctant for the vet to move it, the vet said at the moment he doesn't see the need to put Bertie on pain relief. Bertie is happy to hop round the garden and will run around outside however i am worrying over the stretching and wouldn't want him to be in pain, should i perhaps contact the vets again or am i just worrying too much?

Due to the information I was told at the vet appointment I am currently in the process of converting a shed so everything is more accessible to him as he gets older, therefore I was looking for recommendations for the best flooring for sore hocks, would it be lino?

Thank you:wave:
Click to expand...

Personally I would want to start him on a non steroidal anti-inflammatory to see if there is improvement in his mobility.

I have found this to be very useful for sore hocks, do ask your Vet about using it first though

https://www.vetuk.co.uk/veterinary-...re-c-141_169/derbymed-scp-spray-200ml-p-41660
 
bs189 said:
Hi!

I have a couple of questions to please bear with me!

Firstly, over the last month or so I have noticed my bun Bertie (8 years old) to be stretching (as if stiff) and not quite as bouncy round his hutch eg, not running up down when I go out to him of a morning, he went for his health check just last week and I mentioned this, Bertie does have sore hocks although only grade 1/2 and he did mention that there was the potential that he may be getting stiff on his left hind leg as he was reluctant for the vet to move it, the vet said at the moment he doesn't see the need to put Bertie on pain relief. Bertie is happy to hop round the garden and will run around outside however i am worrying over the stretching and wouldn't want him to be in pain, should i perhaps contact the vets again or am i just worrying too much?

Due to the information I was told at the vet appointment I am currently in the process of converting a shed so everything is more accessible to him as he gets older, therefore I was looking for recommendations for the best flooring for sore hocks, would it be lino?

Thank you:wave:
Click to expand...

Ideally buns need something to sink their claws in to but I've never had outside rabbits so not sure what to suggest. A good cover of soft hay would prob do the trick

Lovely you're adapting his home to meet his requirements as an older bun
 
Hi,

I agree with joey&boo, a thick layer of hay would be good for sore hocks. I have a free ranging indoor rabbit who has got sore hocks and I have tried a lot of different things. For us the best alternative to hay (since we can't cover our livingroom in hay :) is thick vet beds covered in cotton sheets in the places he likes to sit. And in the litterbox we have carefresh ultra covered with hay.
 
Flooring: we've got lino but don't have experience with sore hocks. Ours is pretty slide-y, not as bad as plain wood but still not very tractiony. My littlest bun Chibbs has a problem with slidy floors but seems OK with the lino: she doesn't like the plywood in our hutch and puts hay down for herself if I've been too stingy. I think rubber stable matting would be pretty good as they can get their claws into it enough to get traction but not too much to damage it or themselves.
 
For our sore hocks bun we had safety lino which had fairly decent grip.

Then we added a towel/fleece/vetbed layer (depending on if you have a chewer) for her sleeping spots and hay and straw everywhere else.

Even with that we had to use cream fairly regularly. We'd just started using F10 ointment recommended by our vet not long before we lost her.


Sent from my SM-A705FN using Tapatalk
 
Great, thanks for the suggestions. I think I will do a selection of the floorings suggested so he can have the choice of what is most comfortable. I will also look to ask my vet again for recommendations on the products for sore hocks however he did suggest aloe vera gel if anyone has had experience using that?

Thank you:D
 
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