Help!! My bunny has a sore hock...

[Chucksmommy]

Hello! I have a 10 yr young male single mane lionhead rabbit with a sore left hock. He has seen our vet twice in the last month...he was put on an antibiotic to avoid infection and also a pain reliever. I didn’t see any improvement and on the 2nd visit for this issue I was given a tube of silvadene and more pain meds...I still don’t see any improvement and he is still posturing different...he is avoiding that foot as much as possible. On Monday I bought some betadine and dabbed a bit of the diluted solution on with a cotton ball...then put on the silvadene...and then some bag balm...I have been doing this 3 times per day and I thought I was seeing some improvement but now tonight it looks worse...we aren’t supposed to see the vet again for 3 more weeks...has anyone else dealt with this and do you have any suggestions that might help my sweet baby? He is not overweight...he weighs 3.4 lbs...his appetite is great! Thank you for any advice!

 

[Blue eyes]

What flooring is he on?

 

[JBun]

What pain med, concentration per ml, dose, and weight of your bun? If the dosing isn't adequate then it won't help much. Especially at his age if he has any arthritis contributing to the problem.

Did the vet mention wrapping the foot? In some cases it's needed to help give the foot a chance to heal. But it needs to be done correctly and carefully as to not injure the foot by inadvertently cutting off the circulation with the bandage, as well as preventing bacterial growth with regular bandage changes and using an antibacterial ointment/cream when there are open sores, so should be done under direction of your vet. I wouldn't be applying any type of ointment if I wasn't also wrapping the foot as the ointment will only soften the skin and make it more prone to irritation. Here's some info on bandaging.
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Surgery/Bandaging/band_foot.htm

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

There are also these links that might have some helpful info.
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/sorehocks.html
http://www.disabledrabbits.com/sore-hocks.html

And like Blue eyes mentioned, flooring might be an issue. Abrasive carpet and hard floors can greatly contribute to hock issues.

 

[Chucksmommy]

What pain med, concentration per ml, dose, and weight of your bun? If the dosing isn't adequate then it won't help much. Especially at his age if he has any arthritis contributing to the problem.

Did the vet mention wrapping the foot? In some cases it's needed to help give the foot a chance to heal. But it needs to be done correctly and carefully as to not injure the foot by inadvertently cutting off the circulation with the bandage, as well as preventing bacterial growth with regular bandage changes and using an antibacterial ointment/cream when there are open sores, so should be done under direction of your vet. I wouldn't be applying any type of ointment if I wasn't also wrapping the foot as the ointment will only soften the skin and make it more prone to irritation. Here's some info on bandaging.
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Surgery/Bandaging/band_foot.htm

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

There are also these links that might have some helpful info.
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/sorehocks.html
http://www.disabledrabbits.com/sore-hocks.html

And like Blue eyes mentioned, flooring might be an issue. Abrasive carpet and hard floors can greatly contribute to hock issues.

 

[Chucksmommy]

Actually he has a cage with an attached play yard...he is not in the cage any longer than it takes for him to go potty. The flooring is a tight napped carpet and I was concerned...he has a fleecy bed and a fleece hut...and also I put a plushy fleece throw blanket over the carpet. His pain med is .054 mil and he weighs 3.4 lbs. I am not going to wait to take him to the vet...I am going to take him sooner. His appetite is very good!

 

[Chucksmommy]

Oh and my vet did not mention wrapping his foot...I read about it online but I would not attempt it without her recommendation and instruction! He does have some arthritis too...