Sore hocks help!!

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DutchRosiesMom

DutchRosiesMom

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Joined
Feb 8, 2021
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My 5 year old Dutch rabbit, Rosie, has been having some sore hock issues. She often sits with her left foot propped up, almost like she was grooming her toes then just left it up. It’s like she props her foot up on her heel. Initially we thought she was having some arthritis pain, but it looks like the hocks are really the problem. She hops around, but doesn’t seem to put her full weight down. The vet has seen her before and said her hocks don’t look too bad, but the left one is definitely worse than it used to be.

Rosie is kept in an ex pen + dog crate combo on carpeted flooring. Over the carpet we had a flannel sheet. In the dog crate, we have a memory foam bath mat and a towel down. Her bedding inside her litter box is recycled newspaper bedding.
I’ve attached a picture of her hocks. The more angry looking one is the left hock, the less angry one is her right hock.

In attempts to make her more comfortable, I’ve switched her flooring to 1/2” foam from Joanns covered in super soft silky short length faux fur and a soft microfiber sheet. We have put bag balm on her left hock a few times, but I’m not sure if I’m doing the right things to help her! Let me know what you all think!1553C068-B88F-42FC-9BB4-916D2B078AF2.jpeg9ED2E8BE-2521-4CFE-9D4C-76BE10C16AF4.jpegDA1C621E-F0B1-4F72-8AE0-23B33D4B8FF8.jpeg
 
Ah it does look quite sore and red. Because she is tiptoeing and not putting all her weight on her feet, I think it’s causing her a bit of pain, so I would try to get pain medication from the vet if you can.

Some carpets are really abrasive on a rabbits feet, so can cause sore hocks (this is also why my rabbit has them). I know a lot of people recommend foam puzzle mats, and duvet sheets. Try to make the areas where she spends the most time the softest, beds, towels, blankets etc. I’ve also given my rabbit a large box of hay, as it’s really soft on his feet. Hay and grass is the ideal flooring but not able to do very easily for indoor buns lol.
I would also avoid using fleece too.

Most vets seem to not think it too big of a problem until it starts to split and bleed. But if you figure out the best flooring and keep her nails short (also make sure she’s not overweight), then they may not split at all. But yeah, I would try to get your vet to prescribe a pain medication or give another look, if you can.

I’ve also tried a few ointments, F10 ointment, coconut oil, bag balm, Vaseline - which seem to have helped a bit :)

I hope she gets better!
 
Apollo’s Slave said:
Ah it does look quite sore and red. Because she is tiptoeing and not putting all her weight on her feet, I think it’s causing her a bit of pain, so I would try to get pain medication from the vet if you can.

Some carpets are really abrasive on a rabbits feet, so can cause sore hocks (this is also why my rabbit has them). I know a lot of people recommend foam puzzle mats, and duvet sheets. Try to make the areas where she spends the most time the softest, beds, towels, blankets etc. I’ve also given my rabbit a large box of hay, as it’s really soft on his feet. Hay and grass is the ideal flooring but not able to do very easily for indoor buns lol.
I would also avoid using fleece too.

Most vets seem to not think it too big of a problem until it starts to split and bleed. But if you figure out the best flooring and keep her nails short (also make sure she’s not overweight), then they may not split at all. But yeah, I would try to get your vet to prescribe a pain medication or give another look, if you can.

I’ve also tried a few ointments, F10 ointment, coconut oil, bag balm, Vaseline - which seem to have helped a bit :)

I hope she gets better!
Click to expand...
I
Apollo’s Slave said:
Ah it does look quite sore and red. Because she is tiptoeing and not putting all her weight on her feet, I think it’s causing her a bit of pain, so I would try to get pain medication from the vet if you can.

Some carpets are really abrasive on a rabbits feet, so can cause sore hocks (this is also why my rabbit has them). I know a lot of people recommend foam puzzle mats, and duvet sheets. Try to make the areas where she spends the most time the softest, beds, towels, blankets etc. I’ve also given my rabbit a large box of hay, as it’s really soft on his feet. Hay and grass is the ideal flooring but not able to do very easily for indoor buns lol.
I would also avoid using fleece too.

Most vets seem to not think it too big of a problem until it starts to split and bleed. But if you figure out the best flooring and keep her nails short (also make sure she’s not overweight), then they may not split at all. But yeah, I would try to get your vet to prescribe a pain medication or give another look, if you can.

I’ve also tried a few ointments, F10 ointment, coconut oil, bag balm, Vaseline - which seem to have helped a bit :)

I hope she gets better!
Click to expand...
 
Apollo’s Slave said:
Ah it does look quite sore and red. Because she is tiptoeing and not putting all her weight on her feet, I think it’s causing her a bit of pain, so I would try to get pain medication from the vet if you can.

Some carpets are really abrasive on a rabbits feet, so can cause sore hocks (this is also why my rabbit has them). I know a lot of people recommend foam puzzle mats, and duvet sheets. Try to make the areas where she spends the most time the softest, beds, towels, blankets etc. I’ve also given my rabbit a large box of hay, as it’s really soft on his feet. Hay and grass is the ideal flooring but not able to do very easily for indoor buns lol.
I would also avoid using fleece too.

Most vets seem to not think it too big of a problem until it starts to split and bleed. But if you figure out the best flooring and keep her nails short (also make sure she’s not overweight), then they may not split at all. But yeah, I would try to get your vet to prescribe a pain medication or give another look, if you can.

I’ve also tried a few ointments, F10 ointment, coconut oil, bag balm, Vaseline - which seem to have helped a bit :)

I hope she gets better!
Click to expand...
I have also used polysporin on my mini Rex continuesly and that cleared it up
 
It does look bad, to the point where an abscess or infection could form, if it hasn't already. If a rabbit is reluctant to put pressure on the foot, that means it's quite painful and bad enough intervention is required. If it is infected now, your rabbit needs to be put on systemic antibiotics. Your rabbit should also be put on the anti inflammatory pain med, meloxicam.

It's at the point where the foot probably needs wrapping to protect it from further irritation and also some padding and relief for your rabbit. Which wrapping needs to be done under vet supervision, as incorrect wrapping could cut off blood circulation and lead to permanent damage.

If after treatment and changing flooring, the sore hocks still continue to be a problem, you may need to keep protective socks on your rabbit permanently. I know of one member that had to keep baby socks on her rabbit, to prevent sore hocks from occurring.

If your vet saw it when it was this bad and is saying that isn't bad, you need to find a different vet. Otherwise, just get an appointment with your vet right away. I can't tell from the photo whether or not it could be infected, but if it is then antibiotics need to be started immediately.

MediRabbit (sore hocks in rabbits)

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Skin_diseases/Mechanical/Pod/Socks_rabbit.pdf
https://rabbit.org/vet-listings/
 
JBun said:
It does look bad, to the point where an abscess or infection could form, if it hasn't already. If a rabbit is reluctant to put pressure on the foot, that means it's quite painful and bad enough intervention is required. If it is infected now, your rabbit needs to be put on systemic antibiotics. Your rabbit should also be put on the anti inflammatory pain med, meloxicam.

It's at the point where the foot probably needs wrapping to protect it from further irritation and also some padding and relief for your rabbit. Which wrapping needs to be done under vet supervision, as incorrect wrapping could cut off blood circulation and lead to permanent damage.

If after treatment and changing flooring, the sore hocks still continue to be a problem, you may need to keep protective socks on your rabbit permanently. I know of one member that had to keep baby socks on her rabbit, to prevent sore hocks from occurring.

If your vet saw it when it was this bad and is saying that isn't bad, you need to find a different vet. Otherwise, just get an appointment with your vet right away. I can't tell from the photo whether or not it could be infected, but if it is then antibiotics need to be started immediately.

MediRabbit (sore hocks in rabbits)

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Skin_diseases/Mechanical/Pod/Socks_rabbit.pdf
https://rabbit.org/vet-listings/
Click to expand...
Thank you so much for the response. Rosie had an appointment at a rabbit savvy vet on Thursday. I also added a pic of how she is sitting (and her new super soft flooring) in the comments.
 
Apollo’s Slave said:
Ah it does look quite sore and red. Because she is tiptoeing and not putting all her weight on her feet, I think it’s causing her a bit of pain, so I would try to get pain medication from the vet if you can.

Some carpets are really abrasive on a rabbits feet, so can cause sore hocks (this is also why my rabbit has them). I know a lot of people recommend foam puzzle mats, and duvet sheets. Try to make the areas where she spends the most time the softest, beds, towels, blankets etc. I’ve also given my rabbit a large box of hay, as it’s really soft on his feet. Hay and grass is the ideal flooring but not able to do very easily for indoor buns lol.
I would also avoid using fleece too.

Most vets seem to not think it too big of a problem until it starts to split and bleed. But if you figure out the best flooring and keep her nails short (also make sure she’s not overweight), then they may not split at all. But yeah, I would try to get your vet to prescribe a pain medication or give another look, if you can.

I’ve also tried a few ointments, F10 ointment, coconut oil, bag balm, Vaseline - which seem to have helped a bit :)

I hope she gets better!
Click to expand...
Thank you so much! I added a pic of how she is sitting in the comments and also made her an appointment at the rabbit savvy vet she sees for Thursday.
Here is another pic of her flooring situation. What do you think? image.jpgimage.jpg
 
DutchRosiesMom said:
Thank you so much! I added a pic of how she is sitting in the comments and also made her an appointment at the rabbit savvy vet she sees for Thursday.
Here is another pic of her flooring situation. What do you think? View attachment 53031View attachment 53032
Click to expand...
It looks soft. Hopefully it helps them! It’s definitely worth that checkup though as JBun said (which I know you’ve got an appointment already). Yeah I’d just wait until you hear what they say!
 
To be holding her foot like that, it indicates a significant amount of discomfort to me. I would suspect it's possibly become infected.
 
Hi everyone! Rosie's overall checkup at the vet was good, besides her sore hocks, she is in good health! She is 4.2 lbs, lighter than she used to be and right near the breed standard ideal weight. Her hock is definitely sore, but her vet does not seem to think it is infected at this time. (Thankfully.) The vet seemed pleased with the new updated bedding situation we have created for Rosie (1/2" thick padding with soft faux fur over it). The plan is to make sure her litter boxes are extra clean and keep her on her extra padded floor for a few weeks. Pain medicine (meloxicam) as needed. If the current sore hock doesn't improve, the veterinarian wants to potentially take xrays to see if arthritis or other issues in her foot or leg are leading to the sore hock problems.
 
Small update:

Rosie has been taking meloxicam every 24 hours and is, unfortunately, still sitting with her foot propped up occasionally. The toes on the left side seem more curled up than the right side. Could this be stemming from a toe injury (past or new??) that she is holding up that is leading to a sore hock? :-( Or could this be just because she is trying to take pressure of her hock? I attached a picture. I think I am seeing the curled up toes both while she is lying down and while she is hopping around. I've also added a picture of the bottoms of her feet (you can see her fur *sort of* covers her hocks) and her cute little bunny bum.

Rosie still binkys and zooms around outside her enclosure when we open it up and runs circles around our feet at breakfast time, so she doesn't seem too unhappy/too painful. I know for rabbits it can be hard to tell though, so we are trying to keep a close eye on her.

Since the apartment is carpeted, I tried making her a tiny heel sock out of the finger of a glove for while she is out so she doesn't rub her heel any more, just in case the carpet is abrasive. She promptly removed it and zoomed away like a little racecar.

1613667924459.png
1613668178754.png
 
Is the skin looking any less red and inflamed? If the toes really are curled up, that would be an indication of some pain to me. Obviously not severe or she wouldn't be remotely tempted to run around on that foot.
 
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