Help with Bleeding hock

[sheridan]

As I said in a previous post, 1 specific area of Ellies foot bleeds a lot. I think it is where a callous gets ripped off and then doesnt have time to heal.
I went downstairs to give veggies and they were binkying like mad. And I mean BIG ones. I go to put the bowls in the hutch and I notice large amounts of blood everywhere!!!
I pick Ellie up and it is the hock again!. So I semi trance her until I can stop the bleeding and then cuddle her until my mum can come down with some vaseline and plasters. I feel mean as I have put one of the long plastres on her foot, over part of her fur, but its the only thing I think she wont grrom off in a minute.
I cant take her to the vet until the weekend due to my new job so was wondering what else I can do in the meantime. The fact that she is suffering with this is killing me!!

This is a picture of Furbys feet which the vet has said are fine and they will harden up. This has come true to an extent and they are getting fur back in some areas that had been stripped

 

[Haley]

wow..they look pretty bad. Im not really familiar with your setup, do you have something on the bottom of your cage for her to stand on? Some straw mats would probably help.

Did the vet give you anything to put on the hock? I think neosporin would work. My vet gave me some cream to put on when Max had one. Ive heard that rexes are more prone to sore hocks.I would just make sure youre keeping the area clean and treating it with some antibiotic.

Someone else will know more...Good Luck. poor little girl :-(

-Haley

PS..that pic looks really cool, it almost looks like some sort of computer animation.

 

[Bo B Bunny]

Is the cage wire floors? Can you put something in there she can get off the wires? like a resting pad (Tractor Supply usually has these) or a piece of cardboard or coroplast? I also get grass mats at World Bazaar.

Bo got one little place and I made sure he always has his areas to get away from the wire. That one place healed.

 

[Bunnys_rule63]

Sorry to hear about poor Ellies sore hocks. Just noticing her hutch in the backround, is her run on concrete? I've heardthat being kept on concrete can cause rexes to get sore hocks so it could be that. Can you get her a piece of vet bed or something else soft like a fleecy rug to sit on in the mean timeas that will be more comfortable for her. Sorry I don't know much aboutsore hocksbut it might be wortha try moving her run on to grass.

 

[Pipp]

There's good info on Sore Hocks in the Resource Center.

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=11953&forum_id=10

Rexes are prone to Sore Hocks, and it can be a genetic problem. Soft and dry bedding will help,Neosporin to ward off infection, and a newer treatment,New-Skin, is said to work well.

There's an article about bandaging in there as well,I didn't lookat it though.

Good luck... Pass on a nose pat for me.

sas

 

[sheridan]

ABout the concrete, I have mentioned it to my vet a few times and they are convinced it will be fine. Furbys feet are fine and are hardening up. Fur is actually beginning to grow back in areas. Its just poor Ellie.

I cant even get to the vet until saturday due to work soI cant get the cream. Unless you can buy it over the counter?

 

[Pipp]

You should be able to get NewSkinat a pharmacy. It's just a liquid band aid. The main ingredient is collodion. I'm not sure if generic brands would be different or toxic (unlikely, seeing as they're all made to be on open wounds), but best ask the pharmacist. The main purpose I think is to seal in the ointment and provide a little padding while the sores heal.

sas

 

[Pipp]

As for the concrete, this info was in the above link:

The Causes:


Rabbits can be genetically predisposed to pododermatitis. Rexes, which have thinner fur pads protecting paw bottoms, are naturally more vulnerable to sore hocks. Larger breeds also inherently carry more weight on their hocks, and this can promote the development of sores. Genetic predispositions are greatly exacerbated by environmental factors, and even rabbits without any genetic inclination can suffer from sore hocks if exposed or subjected to the following conditions:

• extended periods of time in confined spaces,
  
• extended periods of immobility, prolonged time sitting on wired or hard surfaces with little “give” or pliability,
  
• damp or unhygienic surroundings,
  
• overgrown nails,
  
• obesity.

In order to better comprehend how or why the above factors can aggravate pododermatitis, consider your rabbit’s physical build, which has evolved for its “natural” living environment on earth and grass. Both of those naturally occurring surfaces are far more compliant and porous than wire, carpeting, wood and other indoor and synthetic surfaces. Our companion animals are descendants of rabbits who performed most or all of their daily activities (i.e., eating, sleeping, running, and playing) on surfaces into which nails and paws can sink. These more forgiving surfaces help reduce weight-related pressure and force on the rabbit’s hocks.

 

[sheridan]

The thing is , where my house its, I can only let them out on the concrete. Again, I asked the vet a lot of questions about it and they seem fine with it?!?! I have shown the hocks and they say it is fine?!?! EVery visit!!!!

I wish I could let them out on grass instead but there is no way I could properly stop them from escaping

As for their hutch, I have placed towels throughout it for them to sit on and sleep on, and they seem to love them(apart from when they try and eat them):?

 

[Haley]

I dont know, but if its bleeding that badly, its not fine. If its a hardened callus, its nothing to worry about, but if its ripping open and bleeding it needs treatment. I would put some neosporin on the area (clean it first if needed) and try the second skin that pipp suggested. You can get those at a pharmacy.

With regards to the concrete, could you maybe just put down an area of carpeting or that outdoor grass-looking stuff? Something with some cushion for them to run on? It would help their little feet.

Good Luck!

-Haley

 

[Bunnys_rule63]

You could try putting down rubber matting in her run, like what they put on stable floors for horses. Also I've heard that sudocream can help, nu-skin can also help but don't use it if the skin is ulcerated.

 

[Bo B Bunny]

Our poor little rex/mini-rex!! I wonder why they are so sensitive on their feet?

I'm glad to have read this thread, tho. I had no idea neosporin was acceptable - what if they lick it? and New skin is a great idea but again, what if they chew it off? Any clue as to the safety of it?

 

[sheridan]

I'm actually going to cut up my parents old rug and use that but the area I let them out in is big so I cant cover all of it. But atleast some of it will be. I have also seen a link about wrapping the bunnies feet up ina sort of bandage made for rabbits and that will give it time to heal. So I have ordered it on line and just need to wait for it to come.



Haley, I agree with you on the bleeding part. From the photo you can see that their toe areas have no fur on them. To begin with all these areas used to bleed but now the fur has started to grow back.

I went to check on them just now. Furby came running out of the hutch, but Ellie stayed in the hutch licking her foot:sad:

I feel so bad!!

 

[Haley]

Aww hun dont feel bad. Its not your fault, and youre doing everything right to help the little foot heal.

My max runs around on plush carpeting all day and he still managed to get a sore hock. I just rinsed it and kept it clean and put some neosporin on it...its healing nicely now.

Bo B Bunny, my vet said regular neosporin is fine, but not to use the "plus" kind (i think it has some sort pain reliever in it). Its handy for little scrapes and such

-Haley

 

[sheridan]

for anyone in the UK, do you know what the equivalent ould be for neosporin? I can only see it on us sites

 

[Haley]

Im not sure on the UK equivalnt, but I thought I would give you this link, its very informative on sore hocks:

http://www.rabbitnetwork.org/articles/sorehocks.shtml.

Another thing I just remembered, my vet recommended using desitin or any other diaper rash cream, which helped Max's sore hock.

Hope this helps!

-Haley

 

[sheridan]

Excellent. Thanks Haley. I will get some nappy rash cream tomorrow.:colors:

 

[Pipp]

Re: Nu Skin and Neosporin, what I've been told is that anything designed to stay in contact with the skin or an open wound is pretty safe (and most of it was tested on lab rabbits in the first place, sadly enough), but I wouldn't want to see them ingestingvery much of it. I'm checking around for a chemical report on Nu-skin, but nthing yet.

And Neosporin is Polysporin in Canada, but I think any 'triple antibiotic' will work.

sas


PS: The excerpt in my last post is from the article that Haley posted the link to, I forgot to credit it, my bad! (andGMTA!)

 

[sheridan]

I went and checked Ellies foot just now as this is the time that they like to come out and play:foreheadsmack:SHe is running about fine at the moment and the foot is fine. I tried putting a large plaster on it yesterday just to try and cover it and cushion it but she managed to groom it off in 15 mins!!!!!!

I will go to the pharmacist tomorrow and see what I can get

 

[rubysmom]

Hi there. When my rex, Ruby, used to have her sore hocks act up I would put a product called Bag Balm on it. I would gently clean the area with a little hydrogen peroxide and then apply a thin layer of Bag Balm on it with a Q-tip. It worked very well and she was housed on concrete. Don't overdo it on the hydrogen peroxide though because it does slough off skin cells so if you overdo it, it could be counterproductive. Just enough to clean the area. I also made sure to put some inexpensive sea grass mats down for her so her feet could have a rest. You should be able to find Bag Balm in your drug store in the lotion section. It is actually a product used for cattle but it is promoted for people's hands as well when they get chapped. Otherwise you might be able to get it at a feed store or pet supply store. Here itcomes in a green square tin. Good luck!http://www.bagbalm.com/