sore hocks

[mygrl2k3]

I took roger out and found blood on his feet.Looks like where the fur is missing has devolped sores. I have readtopics on this and am i correct with i can use perizide on his feet?Should i mix it with water. I have very little money to spend tillfriday. Sure i got perizide or can get some. Heeats good still. The shelter that he came from used a box for him torest on. I keep one there two but he pee's on it. Should i remove thator just keep replacing it. Sorry i have to askcause i am sure its been covered before but i dont have alot of timebefore i go to work and want to be able to figure out what is the bestto do as soon as possible.

Cristy

 

[mygrl2k3]

went back and read more.. I can use a anitbotic cream. Do you use peroxide and then the cream??

Cristy

 

[Carolyn]

Hi Cristy,

Yes, you can use the peroxide to clean and disinfect thearea. No need to dilute it with water.You'll definitely want to keep it cleaned out. You'll have tobe careful of inflammation. You can also use an antiobioticcream. Use the peroxide first, then the antibioticcream. Some folks have used human anti-fungal powder from adrug store.

Because pain causes stress and candepress theimmunesystem, I would get some NutriCal for Roger. It can bepurchased at a pet supply store, or a feed store for under$10. It will help boost Roger's immune system, as well askeep his appetite going and get the nutrients he needs in case he slowsdown on his food.

Definitely keep a resting mat down for Roger, be it cardboard or aplastic resting mat with draining holes in it. Stay away fromrugsor towelsand anything that can holdbacteria. He'll need a resting mat of some sort. Ifyou must, you can use hay to line an area of the cage with, but youreally have to stay on top of cleaning it regularly because you don'twant Roger ingesting hay he's used as a bathroom. Be surethat Roger has a place to rest his feet on and disinfect and clean itdaily.

You might wish to treat for parasites or be on the lookout for them ifyou haven't checked. Ivermectin (a greenpea-sizedamount) can take care of a lot of bugs except for fleas in their adultstages.

Keep us posted.

-Carolyn

 

[pamnock]

Penn G (injected)is often used to treatsore hocks that are open and bleeding. Often times, theinfection has begun to spread in the foot and up the leg, so topicaltreatment may not be enough.

Ideally, it would be a good idea to have a vet check it out.Peroxide is good for the initial cleaning, but slows healing so shouldnot be used every day. "Wonder Dust" available for horses isa caustic wound treatment that is excellent for drying up and healingopen sores.



Pam

 

[Sarah]

A plastic type of placemat for Roger to rest on is inexpensive & easy to clean.

 

[mygrl2k3]

I treated Rogers feet with perozide and thecream. He didnt get mad at me but pee'd on me. I lined most of his cagewith cardboard for now. Will keep a close eye on his foot and going tocall a feed store and see if they care the nuti-cal and that medicenefor mites just in case he has them. Will keep a close eye onhim. Want to see if i can treat it myself before going to thevet. He seems happier now that the cardboard is down.

He does potty on the cardboard and the litter box.But his litter box is a different kind than the shelter used. Anyonethink he might train better if i did half and half?Would table placemats be good for his cage. I can see those being easyto clean once or twice a day if he got them dirty.

I posted his picture finally. Isnt he cute!!!

Cristy

 

[Carolyn]

Thanks Pamnock,

Didn't realize that Peroxide would slow the healing process andshouldn't be used daily. I'll definitely look into "WonderDust" as I've never heard of it and sounds like something I might liketo have in my rabbit emergency kit. Penn G issomething I'd rather have the vet administer as it must beinjected. Is that the only form that the medicine comesin?

I'll say a prayer for little Roger that it hasn't become more infectedand that he canget by without the Penn G,butdoesn't sound good from your note.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Cristy,

At this point, with his feet being so sore, I'd go with cardboard or aplastic mat as Sarah had mentioned. The plastic mat idea isideal for cleaning and it will provide the strong support Roger coulduse. Placemats are a pain in the neck because you have towash them daily and I don't believe they'll provide Roger with enoughof cushion or protection from the wire that his feet need at this point.

I missed his picture. Can you post it here? I'dlove to see whatthe little guy looks like that stole yourheart from the minute you saw him. Sounds like he did get alittle upset with you by urinating on you. Little Devil!

-Carolyn

 

[mygrl2k3]

Roger's picture is futher down. Undermy new bunny Roger. As of right now he is running around andwont let me catch him. He seems full of energy. I will call avet and see what they say. Since i cleaned it up theres beenno more blood. I will use cardboard until i can findsomething different. What do you guys mean by plastic mats?Is it something for bunnies?

I will take him to the vet if i need to but i hope i can avoidit. This week i wanted to admit that i have a cat and pay apet deposit thats over 200. If i get caught then they give me 5 days topay or remove the cat. IN my case it would be 3 cats. but i might holdoff to see what a vet says and if i need to bring him in. Itsweird they let me have bunnies no extra money or deposit but for a catthey want over 200 and then 50 a month.

Thanks for all the help. It makes Roger baby happy so manypeople care. He likes to be held like a baby. Thats where he gets thenick name roger baby!!!

Cristy

 

[Carolyn]

Understand about bills, Cristy.

One type of resting mat looks like this:



-Carolyn

 

[Carolyn]

Cristy,

The picture didn't show up of Roger. Might want to try it again.

I'd still get some Nutri-Cal if you're able. It's good tohave on hand, and will help with kicking his immune system up abit. Glad to hear that he's running around and seemshappy.

You might want to go through the Herbal Remedies list.http://islandgems.net/herbalremedies.html

A little comfrey to help his stress might not be bad and it does help to speed up the natural healing process.

-Carolyn

 

[mygrl2k3]

Thanks.. i will check out that site and try andget some nutri-cal. Where would i get a resting mat that was shown onthe picture??

Cristy

 

[dmmcnair]

I have only found those mats at the Tractor Supply Co. They might have them in Petsmart or Petco.

I hope Roger foot is better soon.

Dawn

 

[mygrl2k3]

Update on Roger baby. I called a vetquite a few days ago and they said you the anitbotic cream and thenvasoline on his feet. I been doing that two times a day. Ihavent seen anymore blood since the first time. He seems ok.He is eating and drinking and going potty. But sometimes the way hesleeps worries me.. I never see Luv sleep really. He sleepsso peacefully that i have touched him to make sure he is alive. Ofcourse he just looks at me like did you have to do that.

I went to petsmart and petco and niether of them have the resting matlike was pictured about. Tomorrow i am going to drive to the feed storeand get the nutri cal to have on hand and see if they have the matthere. If i dont find it there, Any suggestions on where to find it.Any websites maybe i can get online.

How long do i have to put the stuff on his feet?

Cristy

 

[Carolyn]

Hi Cristy,

Thanks for the update. It sounds as if things are improving. Keep up the good work!

If the feedstore doesn't have resting mats, you can find them on leithpetwerks.com for $4.99. They call them floor mats.

I'm so glad you're getting the NutriCal. You might want to call thefeedstore before you head out just to make sure they have it there. Ifthey don't, your veterinary's office should be able to tell you whereyou can get it. I think every bunny owner should have some on hand.

As to the continuation of the cream, are his feet completely back to normal or are they still raw but just not bleeding?

-Carolyn

 

[mygrl2k3]

his feet are just the color pink. i have to move fur around to seewhere was hurt. it looks like there is more hair grorth but not surecause the vasoline may just be holding what he did have in place. thenuri-cal they had was for cats and dogs so i didnt buy it but iboughta better quality food for the bunnies. its called.complete plus made by purina. says it has extra fiber in it.Should i mix the two to start with? i forgot to look for the mats willcall and ask about them.

roger has his active times but when he sleeps he sleeps hard. i thinkhe is dead. is that a good sign or a bad one. typing with onehand cause i am holding him.

thanks for all the help.

Cristy

 

[Carolyn]

That's so sweet you're holding the little guy as your typing.

Many folks do mix in their new brand with their old to get the rabbitgradually used to it. People have also said that it doesn'tmake a difference. I do it. It's really a personalcall, I think. Buck Jones originally told me that it was a good idea todo that.

Just to be on the safe side, if the feet are still pink, I'd continue abit longer with the treatment just to get them as far along, healthwise, as you can.Although it looks betteronthe outside doesn't necessarily mean he's out of harmsway. Have alerted Pamnock on this and she'll answer morethoroughly.

The NutriCal you saw for cats and dogs is the one that you can use forrabbits. You only need a small bit because it's so high incalories.

As to his sleep, Fauna sleeps like that. Nothing to worryabout. Like people, some are heavy sleepers, some arelight.



I'm constantly checking to see if Fauna's little body is moving or notbecauseshe passes out so quicklyandcompletely.When Mrs. Buck Jones hadher the first fewweeks, she was constantly poking at her tobe sure she was alive.

-Carolyn

 

[pamnock]

Sounds like his recovery is going well.You can also use Critical Care for herbivores, but I've had such goodluck with Nutri Cal that I'm sticking with that. I believeit's also boosted the immune system of Matthew's little hamster, who isvery old for a Dwarf Hamster, but still getting around rather well.

Keep a close eye on the sores. In some cases, the infectionspreads up the foot, so surface healing doesn't always indicate success-- it just seals in the bacteria that thrive with the lack ofoxygen. This is why I recommend Penn G injections for seriouscases of sore hocks. Penn or any variants should never begiven orally to rabbits.

He's probably just sleeping deeply as he feels safe and relaxed



Pam

 

[mygrl2k3]

How do i know if he needs the injections?? How would a vet know if he needs them or not?? I dont want to lose him.

Cristy

 

[pamnock]

Watch for swelling, indication of continued infection or thesores opening back up.



Pam

 

[mygrl2k3]

Ok so far so good. No swelling or bleedinganymore. Its kinda amazing how much Roger trust me since ionly had him for a short time. Thanks for all thehelp, i been a little paranoid over him.

Cristy