sore hocks!?

[BlackMiniRex]

i'v worried about this ever since i got Andy... and I think it has started... :s
today when i was walking Andy he was lying down in some dirt, when i took a look at his hocks i saw the pink skin, it wasn't irritated or anything, but there was just a tiny bald spot! for cushion in his cage, Andy has a spot in the back, a towel and some cloth (sorta fleece sorta not) over the towel, then he has a cushion that he likes to sleep on on top of his hidey hut. his play area is basically tile with a few small rugs and a spot with a big piece of fabric underneath hidey houses (and cushion on top of them) i like to call it his playground lol,
but i really want to stop the sore hocks before they get worse.
could i put him in the bath tub with a towel at the bottom with a thin sheet of water (just enough to cover his feet) with Epsom salt?
should i add more cushion to his cage?


-thanks BMR

 

[Blue eyes]

I would not use epsom salt unless approved first by some rabbit expert.

Here is an article about sorehocks. Rexes are more prone. Do you have any wired flooring in the cage? IF so, I'd remove it or be sure it is totally covered. Other than that, the article should help.

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Skin_diseases/Mechanical/Pod/Podo.htm

 

[BlackMiniRex]

no wire flooring

 

[RavenousDragon]

Does he like to sit in his litterbox? What sort of litter do you have if so?

 

[whiskersdarabbit]

it might not be sore hocks.my rabbit had the same problem but she also had swelling on some of the fingers(paws?whateves) so i took her to the vet and it turned outthat she had a skin infection.the vet said that she needed 3 injections(she will do the first one at that time,second one next week and the 3rd the next week).the skin infection can become veryy serious so i advise you to take her to the vet.

 

[BlackMiniRex]

he has carefresh he used to sleep in his litter box, not anymore though.
@whiskersdarabbit was it just pink? or did it turn red or anything?

 

[BlackMiniRex]

i just checked it, it looks just a tiny bit red

 

[Happi Bun]

If a bunny has a pink spot with fur missing on their feet, that isn't sore hocks. Usually there will be a callus as well, again not sore hocks. You definitely want to watch those areas and putting something like Bag Balm on them wouldn't hurt at all. What you need to watch out for is those areas getting inflamed, turning red (sometimes very dark) and ulcerating/bleeding.

I've found Bag Balm works really well for my boy Dunkin, who is prone to sore hocks due to his unusual posture when sitting.

 

[BlackMiniRex]

Would coconut oil help on the bald spot ?(lol coconut oil is great for everything )
Its not on his feet though, on his hock (I think that's what its called) I'm not shure what big balm is?

 

[Aki]

I wouldn't use oil on possible sore hocks - it would often the skin and thus making it easier to hurt it. Honestly, I would keep an eye on it but as long as it's just pink skin with no sign of ulceration / scabs and that your rabbit shows no sign of discomfort I wouldn't do anything about it except making sure that the feet stay dry by using a good litter and changing it often. Don't sweat it too much - if taken early, sore hocks can be treated with a cortisone based cream (of course, that's prescription only - so if your rabbit's hocks end up needing to be treated you'll have to see a vet). My previous rabbit had a bad posture, which seems kinda common in dwarf lops, and he developped sore hocks (you could see he had a problem because he sometimes avoided putting on weight on the injured part while jumping). With the right treatment, it was gone in 10 days. After that you could see a patch of pink skin on his feet but it never got sore again.