Sore hocks

[ZoeStevens]

My English angora and his lionhead wife (both fixed) live together in a 42" x 24" hutch with 6-12 hours of free time around the house daily. Penny isn't quite litter trained and will pee on the floor of the hutch, and she peed on the seagrass mats I had in there for them so I threw them away. They have no other bedding because it gets caught up in the angora's fur.

I slacked on cleaning for a couple days and noted a red sore spot on one of the angora's hocks, with a small scab that is coming off this morning. It looks clean, not deep (I groom him every 2-3 days so it hasn't been there long), and I have applied polysporin last night and this morning.

I have been cleaning vigilantly so he's not sitting in urine any more than necessary, and have been clearing the hay off the floor to discourage Penny's use of the entire hutch as a litterbox. I am picking up some more seagrass mats tonight - if I need to replace them periodically that is fine.

I also laid out some mats on the floor of the living room so he wouldn't be on the hardwood.

Any other ideas? I haven't scheduled anything with the vet yet because it's not looking particularly bad and I am hoping that it will improve with these measures.

Thanks!

Zoe

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

It sounds like you're taking appropriate steps. Some rabbits are more prone to sore hocks than others for various reasons. I have heard that Preparation H is good for clearing up sore hocks quickly, and I've used bag balm to soften and heal minor irritation.

 

[ZoeStevens]

Thanks for confirming that I'm doing the right thing! I really need to get some Bag Balm, I keep hearing how great it is. I have my doubts that polysporin does anything more than plain old vaseline.

 

[ZoeStevens]

Ugh so it's not looking any worse, but it's not looking any better, either. It still looks raw and red, not bleeding but looks close. He is still eating and walking normally and I plan to bring him to the vet after the weekend (everything's closed tomorrow - perfect timing, huh?).

Is there anything else I can do in the meantime? I've been using polysporin and keeping the cage clean. I bought grass mats which I have been peed on. Is there anything I can put in the bottom of the cage? I am afraid to use anything like rubber mats or blankets, I'm afraid they'll eat them and that'll be much worse.

I have a good first aid kit here and many supplies, just wondering if there's anything else I could put to work to help him.

 

[JBun]

Have you tried laying some fleece fabric down. That worked well for my bun. You may also need to cover the feet to keep the ointment on and protect the feet. Another RO memeber used baby socks secured with vetwrap, for her bun.

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/f27/bunny-trouble-69718/index2.html

When you take him in, you may want to have the vet check Penny for a urinary tract problem. Something like a UTI or sludge problems, can cause a rabbit to have pee accidents. Might be good to be able to rule it out as the cause of her lack of litter box habits.

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

Flooring for Angoras can be difficult because of their coats. Have you tried a wire-floored cage? You can also purchase plastic-slat resting mats to cover the floor. I know that it's often said that wire floors cause sore hocks, but that isn't generally true.

Sore hocks are usually caused by something genetic: thin fur on the feet, uneven weight distribution (heavy breed on smaller feet), or something environmental: rough, irritable flooring, dirty bedding, urine scald, etc.

In some breeds, wire floor can increase problems, but in others, it alleviates the problem. In general, Angora breeds do well on wire. If the problem seems to be that your rabbit pees and sits in it or is often on a damp/soiled surface, raising him off a solid floor may help. For the time being, plastic resting mats or a fleece blanket would be good in the cage while he heals.

Just an idea...you can probably gauge for yourself how it may work in your situation.

 

[ZoeStevens]

Thanks for the advice! I don't think it's a uti because the rescue I got her from said she peed outside her litter and they had her vetted and spayed and stuff, but I will bring them in together anyway - cant hurt to check!

I put a fleece blanket down last night and it looks less angry today, but still raw.

 

[Happi Bun]

Bag Balm does work wonders for sore hocks. I have a little container of it in my bunny grooming kit for my boy Dunkin. He is a dwarf mix and as he has gotten older he's developed sore hock problems. He has always been kept on linoleum without issue. It was highly suggested to me by other bunny parents that I try SnooZZy mats by Precision. They come in all kinds of different sizes. My bonded pair is housed in a NIC cage and they had a mat in the perfect size to fit.

No sore hock problems since! The buns have chewed some holes in it, but thankfully they have no interest in ingesting it. Of course it helps my bunnies are fully litter box trained. These mats can be washed quite easily though.

So my suggestion is try Bag Balm and something padded to sit on. See if it improves.

 

[ZoeStevens]

Well, I have been using the socks and stuff but today I noticed a small pus spot, and it seems a bit swollen, so I am calling my vet tomorrow. I suspect/fear he has the beginnings of an abcess there, and he has pasteurella, so it's time to stop the home remedies and bring or the big guns, I think! Will keep y'all posted.

 

[ZoeStevens]

The says no abscess! If there ever was a small pus cavity, it burst. She prescribed a cream (fucilam or something). Good stuff.