Bare skin plus what looks like a scab on bottom of foot near heel :(

[willrobinson1229]

Hi Folks,

Anybody seen that on their rabbits? When I touch it he doesn't flinch.It's pink and the scab is dry. I think his natural skin tone is pink.Doesn't seem to be infected, yet I don't want topay a vetbill right now.

Maybe it's just a bald spot??

 

[pamnock]

Might just be a pressure sore -- our BelgianHare had one recently. I put a little Desitin on it andplaced a feed bag in the cage (she's already on a board).I've also found that the plastic e-z mats work well.

Pam

 

[willrobinson1229]

What's Desitin? Can I get that at a regularpharmacy? Timmy is a free roaming bunny without a cage so it's not cagewires that would have caused the bald spot.

A litterpan that isn't cleaned frequently enough, would that cause it??? (ooops....)

 

[naturestee]

Sounds like sore hocks. It doesn'tsound like it's too bad yet, though. Is he kept on a wirefloor, carpet, or any other abrasive surface? Some rabbitsare more prone to sore hocks than others and will need morecare. Rex rabbits, giant breeds, and overweight rabbits aremore likely to have problems.

Give him something softer to sit on, such as a soft grass mat or, if he's on a wire floor, something like this:
http://www.leithpetwerks.com/prodpage.cfm?prod_code=MS930

Put some ointment on it such as Neosporin (not Neosporin Plus!)or bag balm. If it looks like it may be a little swollen, youcan put Preparation H on it.

Check out the Rabbit Health References thread on Sore Hocks for more information.
Sore Hocks

 

[naturestee]

willrobinson1229 wrote:

What's Desitin? Can I get that at a regular pharmacy? Timmyis a free roaming bunny without a cage so it's not cage wires thatwould have caused the bald spot.

A litterpan that isn't cleaned frequently enough, would that cause it??? (ooops....)

Desitin is diaper rash cream. If the litter is soaked with urine, it could have caused some scalding.

 

[pamnock]

willrobinson1229 wrote:

What's Desitin? Can I get that at a regular pharmacy? Timmyis a free roaming bunny without a cage so it's not cage wires thatwould have caused the bald spot.

A litterpan that isn't cleaned frequently enough, would that cause it??? (ooops....)

Desitin is available over the counter (baby butt cream).Sticks well to irritated skin and has antibacterial/healingproperties. Great stuff even if you don't have babies

There can be any number of reasons that the tissue would break down leading to a sore. Pressure sore/injury.

Pam

 

[willrobinson1229]

He runs around on these cheap area rugs I got atKMart, but I bet it's the dirty litter box. I'll try the Desitin andkeep the litterbox clean every day.

Thanks so much for the prompt replies and thorough answers. This forum is a wonderful resource!

 

[willrobinson1229]

Wanted to share some pics of Timmy that I've made recently.

http://willrobinson1229.googlepages.com/gallery.htm

Funny, that in these pics you can't see the sore hock, no wonder I wasa little shocked to see it today. All that fluffy fur hiding his littlesore spot. :?

 

[maherwoman]

Question for you: Just how often doeshis litterbox get cleaned? How soaked with urine is it by thetime you clean it out? Is it still dry in places, orcompletely sopping wet, or damp all over?

 

[willrobinson1229]

It's sopping wet throughout. But going forward I'm going to change it every day.

 

[maherwoman]

Hmmm...Naturestee's probably right...it could beurine scalding. How long has it been wet like that?(Don't worry...we won't judge...we're just trying to help you figureout what's goin' on with your bun. We all make mistakes,don't worry...)

You'll want to take your bun in to get looked at to be sure of what'swrong before doing anything topical for it. Just to be sureyou're doing the right thing, and not exacerbating theproblem. Ya know?

 

[pamnock]

Desitin can also be applied if it is a bacterial infection due to urine scald.

Pam

 

[naturestee]

What a cutie! We definately need more pictures.

Pam, I didn't know that Desitin could be used with bacterialinfections. Would it be best to use something like Neosporinfirst and then put Desitin on top of that?

 

[maherwoman]

Oh, cool. I don't know much aboutmuch (lol) so I thought the vet trip would be best eitherway. Not that you wouldn't recommend that,too.

pamnock wrote:

Desitin can also be applied if it is a bacterial infection due to urine scald.

Pam

 

[JimD]

willrobinson1229 wrote:

It's sopping wet throughout. But going forward I'm going tochange it every day.

I was just wondering....
What kind of litter do you use?

~Jim

 

[willrobinson1229]

I just put paper towels down with hay in thecorner. Paper towel is probably not the best, but if I change iteveryday I would think it will be alright.

 

[maherwoman]

That's probably a part of theproblem. I would suggest getting a bedding called Care Fresh(or at least something non-wood that's actual bedding).Towels are absorbant, but not enough...the bedding would bebest. Also, I would suggest cleaning it out at least everyother day. Maisie has two litterboxes (one upstairs in hercage, and one downstairs), and I clean them every other day.This way, there isn't enough urine for her feet to get wet at all, andthe Care Fresh is great at absorbtion. I haven't tried anyother kinds of litter, but you should read up on this site aboutthat. There are many different brands, but there are somethings you should be aware that would be bad.

Here's a link to one thread here on litter and such (PLEASE be sure to read it before purchasing anything):

Litter and Litterboxes
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=12084&forum_id=17

Litter Training
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=12213&forum_id=17

I hope those help! There areMANY more things you could read about on this site...I would suggestchecking the setup you currently have for your bun against what thissite suggests. The information is EXCELLENT!!

Are you able to take your baby to the vet? You should really have her leg checked out.

 

[willrobinson1229]

I really like to say that I'm going to take himto the vet, but I don't want to spend the money right now. I'm going tofix his litter pan bedding and use desitin and see ifthe baldspotimproves. I'm not sure what else a vet could do at thispoint.

The bald spot is not sensitive to touch and it doesn't look swollen at all.

 

[JimD]

It's probably the paper towels that caused the problem. And now that he's got some scald, you want to be extra careful.

You may want to think about looking into a decent litter for the little guy.

There are a variety of litters availible out there...paper pellets(Yesterday's News), wood pellets (Woody Pet, Guardian, Magnum), recyledpaper (Care Fresh), even kiln-dried aspen shavings can beused. I use Woody Pet for all 8 of my buns and am verysatisfied.

DO NOT use cedar shavings or regular kitty litter.

We had two cases of sore hock and were able to treat them with Neosporin. "Bag Balm" is another product that some people use.

~Jim

 

[willrobinson1229]

what about the paper towels with a full layer of hay?