Bleeding Sore Hocks

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Happi Bun

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My 8 year old Himalayan Dwarf Mix named Dunkin seems to have pretty advanced sore hocks :( He's pretty much always been missing hair on his hocks and they always look pink. Sometimes there will be a callus. There was an incident a few years back with his hocks bleeding. That was back when he was on bare linoleum though. Ever since then I make sure he's got a few layers of fabric over the majority of the linoleum (especially where he sits and spends the most time). There hasn't been anymore problems until now.

I was cleaning out the bunny pen when I noticed this where Dunkin likes to sit and sleep. It was partially covered so I missed seeing it until now:

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Yes, those are blood stains and I majorly freaked when I saw them! :nerves1 I was ready to rush him to an emergency vet thinking something truly awful must be wrong, but then I remembered his history of sore hocks. I picked him up and looked at his feet. Sure enough, they looked very inflamed with varying shades of red, some spots light and some very dark. I was a bit relieved he wasn't in immediate peril, but I knew it was still dangerous and of course painful. I applied some Bag Balm as a protective layer and to help soothe, then I got on the phone.

I immediately contacted the owner of the rabbit rescue I volunteer with for advice. Tomorrow morning right when the vet opens I'm going to try and hopefully get a same day appointment. We agreed that at this stage it needs vet treatment. The risk of infection is apparently really high when sore hocks break open and start bleeding. The worst case scenario is infection going into the bone. I'm bringing Dunkin over to the rabbit rescue in an hour. The owner has pain meds on hand and she's going to help me take care of his feet. He must be in a lot of pain. :cry1:

Could an x-ray be helpful? I'm concerned since he is 8 years old that he might have arthritis pains which are causing him to sit improperly and put excessive weight on is hocks. I just don't understand how it could get so bad with him being on soft fabric. Suggestions on fabrics that are good for bunnies prone to sore hocks or just advice in general is greatly appreciated!
 
Update:

When I got to the rabbit rescue I found out his hocks are even worse than I thought :cry1:

Each foot had a pocket of pus that we were able to get out. We cleaned up his feet and disinfected. One of them started bleeding very badly, but we were able to get it to stop. That foot had to be wrapped to prevent further bleeding. Dunkin was given some Metacam for the pain. When I got home I made their cage smaller since he needs to not move around as much.

First thing in the morning I will be calling the vet. Hopefully he can be seen tomorrow. Fingers crossed the infection hasn't gotten into the bone. :nerves1
I'm amazed and horrified at how quickly it got this bad. It was only a week or two ago that I noticed his hocks looked a bit irritated.
 
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We are sending our love for a smooth and speedy recovery for you guys!

My female rabbit sits and stands in a way that is very conducive to sore hocks (she's a dwarf, so it's a little odd!). The one thing I have found that works VERY well in preventing them (although it's expensive) is those memory foam kennel pads. We line the top two floors of her cage (she has a three story cage) with these guys over carpet and it has completely cured her pododermatitis at this time. She is potty trained, so she doesn't mess on them and she doesn't chew them (neither does my male rabbit), so they were a very good investment for us. She does currently also get free roam of the house, so she isn't on them all of the time, just when we aren't home to monitor her.
 
I hope everything works out for your little one! Thanks for posting this because it's a great thread for me (a semi new bunny mom) to learn from. Please update us on how he is doing and everything. Sending you my prayers
 
I've got some experience with sore hocks, as I had a lop who had 'bad posture' too and hairless patches under his back paws. From what you're saying, you've got a stade 3 on your hands. It means that your rabbit will need antibiotics, and possibly a surgery to clean the wounds and check the bone is not damaged. Also, when it's that bad, it tends to come back. When your rabbit recovers from it, you'll have to check his paws often so that you can cure it from an earlier stage if it deteriorates again (when you treat a stage 1, a cortisone cream often does the trick after a dozen of days - in my experience, it's the only thing that really works).
Nevertheless, it's weird you didn't notice anything was amiss before seeing blood because it must be mightily painful for your rabbit to stand. When my rabbit got pododermatis, he was jumping differently from before and tended to stay laying down to avoid putting weight on the hurt part of his feet. Maybe yours is toughter than mine was?
 
Well, Dunkin saw a vet today. Not one I usually use but supposedly experienced with rabbits. I was very disappointed and feel it was practically a waste of $67. The vet barely even looked at Dunkin's feet even after I told him about the pus and bleeding. He prescribed TMS which was good, but wouldn't prescribe Metacam due to Dunkin's age. He's only 8! Hardly a super old bunny :huh Does a senior age mean he should be just left in pain? I sure wouldn't want sores and infection on my feet without some pain meds. They didn't even clean his feet any or apply anything to them. He prescribed Mupirocin but they didn't have any so I would have to pick it up.

Seriously, it was terrible. They didn't do anything to help his feet or pain! :grumpy:

The rabbit rescue called a different vet for me after I told them about this bad experience. This other vet has treated sore hocks with great success and done it properly from the sounds of it. I tried going there first but they didn't have space. Thankfully the rescue owner was able to get them to squeeze Dunkin in tomorrow morning. They even said they would help me with costs if I need assistance in paying, which is wonderful.

I bought a huge polyester fleece mat for the bunny cage. Very soft and cushioned. I'm confident it should help with arthritis and sore hocks! :)

Aki ~ It's pretty crazy really... Dunkin wasn't showing any signs of discomfort before. He always sits a bit funny, so that doesn't help. Now he's starting to show some signs of pain. Not eating as much and laying on his side with back feet tucked close to his body. That is why he's going to be seen by a second vet, to get the treatment and pain meds he obviously needs.
 

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