Advice needed! ~ sore hocks ~ :-(

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AwesomeBunnyBlossom

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Advice needed please 🐰

I was trimming blossoms nails a few days ago and noticed two sore small patches on her heels! It looks like the start of sore hocks to me 😞💔
I hadn't noticed it before because her fluffy feet were hiding it! However I had noticed she had been thumping her feet more than usual!

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Is this the start of sore hocks?
Is there anything I can do to prevent this from getting worse?
Is a vet visit necessary?
(Sorry for the abundance of questions! I'm just really worried)

I did some research and found that there can be several things that cause sore hocks such as weight etc!
Blossom is not overweight, her nails are kept trimmed and she uses a litter tray which is kept clean. I think it may be due to inadequate flooring. Her and her mate live indoor and are on laminate flooring.

To try and stop them getting worse I have put down more mats, blankets and soft beds to cover the floor.

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Will these be causing my little bun pain? :-(

Thank you in advance for the advice,
Chelsea xx
 
Is it just normal pink skin with a small dry callous? If that's the case, a small spot with fur rubbed off can be normal if it's just a bit of pink skin. For sore hocks you are looking for inflamed red skin, progressing to sores, open sores, bleeding, infection. If you are just seeing some slightly inflamed red skin, then flooring changes may be enough to clear it up, but if it doesn't or progresses, you need to get your bun to a good rabbit vet immediately.
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Skin_diseases/Mechanical/Pod/Podo.htm

Soft flooring often helps. For my buns prone to developing sore hocks, I use wood veneer foam puzzle mats(for non chewers) and some vet bed type fabric. A really soft fleece fabric or soft padded duvet/blanket can also be helpful. Soft hay is the best.

With hard flooring, rabbits tend to shift their weight back onto the heels because their toes/nails can't dig into anything to get traction. So this added weight to the heels can be a cause for sore hock development in rabbits with poor fur padding on the feet.
 
Yeah it is sort of like small callouses.
It is a little pink/reddish and puffy but isn't sore to touch.
I know it's not sore hocks but I am just worried that it will progress into sore hocks 😥

It's strange because she has super fluffy feet.
I really do think the flooring has been the problem though, however I'm surprised that my other bunnies feet are fine!

Do you know what the vet would do to get rid of the problem?

Thank you for your help, it's much appreciated.
 
Yeah my bun finds it much easier and much more comfortable on carpet rather than wooden/laminate flooring. Maybe the others haven't been affected because they might not run around as much as blossom? And it wouldn't of helped with the thumping��
 
Being more active, it might be from more friction with the flooring she's on. Is she overweight? Weight and long nails can also cause a rabbit to sit more on the back of their hocks, which causes more pressure there.
 
put some triple antibiotic salve on her feet. or some newspaper as the print will help heal that. Also give her a resting mat so she doesn't have her fur rubbed off and it can also be part of her genetics, to have badly furred feet.
 

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