I have a 1.5 year old mini rex. He was 5 months when I got him and he has had 2 small pink areas on both feet from the day I got him. They haven't gotten worse or better over the year I have had him. He walks normally and doesn't seem in pain. Is this sore hocks? If so how do I treat him? Thanks!
Sore Hocks?
- Thread starter Helix5
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Mariam+Theo
Well-Known Member
No, it isn't sore hocks yet but the fur is super thin so it could become sore hocks. I would put baby socks on him or change to a softer flooring until the fur grows back.
I know @Apollo’s Slave dealt with sore hocks, so maybe she can help.
I know @Apollo’s Slave dealt with sore hocks, so maybe she can help.
Apollo’s Slave
Well-Known Member
Mariam+Theo is right, it’s not sore hocks yet, and they look quite similar to my boys hocks.
Indoor Rex bunnies seem to get sore hocks often and deal with them with no problem and act as if they don’t exist.
Try to get him off of abrasive flooring though - carpet is a main one. It’s quite hard to find a good flooring for rabbits so whatever works best. I would just offer a few different types of flooring - at the moment I have carpet, fleece, towels, a pillow case, wooden tiles on my floor just to make sure that he can chose to lay where ever feels best for him.
And to try and treat them, you can try coconut oil, f10 ointment, bag balm or even just plain old Vaseline, this is just to protect it a little. You can also try putting baby socks on him if he’ll let you, and if you take him to the vet, you could get them to wrap them for him, but usually they only do that for actual sore hocks. My vet saw Apollo (my rabbit) four times and had to keep telling me that they couldn’t do anything about it
But other than that, just keep an eye on it. If it’s gets worse or causes him problem, take him to the vet
Indoor Rex bunnies seem to get sore hocks often and deal with them with no problem and act as if they don’t exist.
Try to get him off of abrasive flooring though - carpet is a main one. It’s quite hard to find a good flooring for rabbits so whatever works best. I would just offer a few different types of flooring - at the moment I have carpet, fleece, towels, a pillow case, wooden tiles on my floor just to make sure that he can chose to lay where ever feels best for him.
And to try and treat them, you can try coconut oil, f10 ointment, bag balm or even just plain old Vaseline, this is just to protect it a little. You can also try putting baby socks on him if he’ll let you, and if you take him to the vet, you could get them to wrap them for him, but usually they only do that for actual sore hocks. My vet saw Apollo (my rabbit) four times and had to keep telling me that they couldn’t do anything about it
But other than that, just keep an eye on it. If it’s gets worse or causes him problem, take him to the vet
Thanks! Currently, I have him on soft carpeting, a blanket, sometimes wood floor, and he has a ceramic tile he enjoys laying on from time to time. I don't think I would ever be able to get baby socks on himMariam+Theo is right, it’s not sore hocks yet, and they look quite similar to my boys hocks.
Indoor Rex bunnies seem to get sore hocks often and deal with them with no problem and act as if they don’t exist.
Try to get him off of abrasive flooring though - carpet is a main one. It’s quite hard to find a good flooring for rabbits so whatever works best. I would just offer a few different types of flooring - at the moment I have carpet, fleece, towels, a pillow case, wooden tiles on my floor just to make sure that he can chose to lay where ever feels best for him.
And to try and treat them, you can try coconut oil, f10 ointment, bag balm or even just plain old Vaseline, this is just to protect it a little. You can also try putting baby socks on him if he’ll let you, and if you take him to the vet, you could get them to wrap them for him, but usually they only do that for actual sore hocks. My vet saw Apollo (my rabbit) four times and had to keep telling me that they couldn’t do anything about it
But other than that, just keep an eye on it. If it’s gets worse or causes him problem, take him to the vet
I have this, VETERICYN Plus Antimicrobial Wound & Skin Care Pet Spray | Chewy (Free Shipping) would that help him? Thanks!
Socks can up his street cred!
I love it!
My bun hates having his feet handled and he would most likely find a way to get the socks off of himself
I would not apply any ointment or gels at this stage, where the hocks aren't even sore yet. Applying ointment unnecessarily may actually cause the problem to worsen as it will soften the skin and cause the rabbit to over groom the area to get the ointment off. You actually want the skin to callous to help protect it, and ointment does the opposite of that.
Since it's not to the point of being inflamed yet, the best thing to help prevent it from worsening is to change the flooring to be less abrasive and softer for more impact absorption, particularly the main areas your rabbit hangs out. Think of it like friction causing blisters on us, and the best way to prevent that is to stop the friction from occurring.
And keep the nails trimmed. Long nails will cause a rabbit to put more weight back on their hocks, increasing pressure there.
https://therabbithaven.org/rabbit-h...ore, inflamed or,to maintain a healthy weight.
http://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Sore_hocks
Since it's not to the point of being inflamed yet, the best thing to help prevent it from worsening is to change the flooring to be less abrasive and softer for more impact absorption, particularly the main areas your rabbit hangs out. Think of it like friction causing blisters on us, and the best way to prevent that is to stop the friction from occurring.
And keep the nails trimmed. Long nails will cause a rabbit to put more weight back on their hocks, increasing pressure there.
https://therabbithaven.org/rabbit-h...ore, inflamed or,to maintain a healthy weight.
http://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Sore_hocks
Thank you. What is the best flooring to have him on to help him heal? I try to keep his nails trimmed and I always trim them up to the quick (I don't cut the quick just right below it) but the quick of his nails seem pretty long and I don't want to cause him to bleed.
Diane R
Well-Known Member
I have a combination of duvets, soft mattress protectors, memory foam mats, bath mats, fleece, soft blankets... Looks ridiculous but... The fur will not grow back but you can prevent it from getting worse. Flooring is a nightmare!
