Rose's Sore Hocks (RIP)

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Fancy77

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So I have already talked to Dave (Wabbitdad) and he has gotten me on my way to taking care of the problem but I wanted to post pics just in case anyone else wanted to share their 2 cents :) He came to the conclusion that she has urine scald, I have to agree. even tho i feel i am extremely thorough with keeping her cage floor clean she is still sitting in pee and she just reaks of urine.

And I want to give a HUGE thank you to Dave for his help it helped a lot!!!!!


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My rabbit, Molly has sore hocks. She has hers because of her breed (mini rex) and she thumps. 6 months ago, we were pumping her full of antibiotics to try to get rid of the abcesses that kept appearing on her hocks, and she was getting thinner and her coat was losing condition. She was basically going downhill, and it was a choice between putting her to sleep, or leaving her alone for a while, without antibiotics, without vet visits, without pain relief or anything. 6 months later, she is enjoying life better than she ever was. She still has sore hocks, but no where near to the extent that she had it. She hasn't needed vet treatment for 6 months and she's as happy as a daisy. To be honest, when she was in her worse state, I didn't think she was going to last until Christmas, but she showed us all by fighting it herself and I'm so glad I decided not to put her to sleep but to give her a chance at life.

I don't know if that was much help, but just wanted to show you that there is a life for a rabbit with sore hocks.
 
Milly_Molly2 wrote:
My rabbit, Molly has sore hocks. She has hers because of her breed (mini rex) and she thumps. 6 months ago, we were pumping her full of antibiotics to try to get rid of the abcesses that kept appearing on her hocks, and she was getting thinner and her coat was losing condition. She was basically going downhill, and it was a choice between putting her to sleep, or leaving her alone for a while, without antibiotics, without vet visits, without pain relief or anything. 6 months later, she is enjoying life better than she ever was. She still has sore hocks, but no where near to the extent that she had it. She hasn't needed vet treatment for 6 months and she's as happy as a daisy. To be honest, when she was in her worse state, I didn't think she was going to last until Christmas, but she showed us all by fighting it herself and I'm so glad I decided not to put her to sleep but to give her a chance at life.

I don't know if that was much help, but just wanted to show you that there is a life for a rabbit with sore hocks.
thx for sharing your story. Rose didnt have sore hocks till she had babies. which i think plays a huge part in her peeing habits she was a jem b4 the babies came and i have been told it will go back to normal once the babies r bigger. But i still dont like seeing her in this state.

So Dave suggested me getting a wire bottom cage to help make sure that she doesnt sit in her pee. Well I just wish i could borrow one until the babies are gone and Rose gets back to normal. I am not a fan of buying one and then not using it again. But in my area i think that is going to b a fruitless effort lol so i will have to buy one i guess.
 
I personally wouldn't use wire bottomed cages if your rabbit has sore hocks. I realise that they are quite popular in the US, but I heard that wire bottomed cages make sore hocks worse. Is she litter trained?
 
Milly_Molly2 wrote:
I personally wouldn't use wire bottomed cages if your rabbit has sore hocks. I realise that they are quite popular in the US, but I heard that wire bottomed cages make sore hocks worse. Is she litter trained?
Oh yes she has the best litter habits b4 the babies came. And I would take precautions to give her something in the wire bottom cage to sit on so she wouldnt b on the wire all the time
 
poor rose! i've had a similar thing with roxy - doesnt help being a rex who likes to dig thru the nice soft flooring and chill out on the concrete:X im sure dave would have mentioned it but udder cream works on rexy sore hocks - think it's bagbalm in your neck of the woods:)

bunnies!:p
 
I would try trimming the hair down or shaving it off where it is getting pee soaked.

I had a rabbit that had his genitals reconstructed after a bad bite during bonding, and he peed sideways after that. If I let the fur grow long, his skin would start getting irritated and start to bald. But if I kept the fur nice and short where he would normally get wet with pee, his fur was nice and thick and no bald spots.

I used a pair of small but sharp scissors to trim away the fur. I was lucky because Zeke would sit very still for me while I was doing it, I think he felt better after his butt was trimmed.

You can also use fleece blankets to help pull moisture away from her. Just have a bunch of them and change them out through out the day or every day depending on how much she is peeing. And then wash them with some vinegar in the water along with soap, and they come out smelling very fresh. Fleece is cheap, you should be able to get some at a fabric store and just cut to size or get baby blankets at the dollar store.

-Dawn
 
OK I will be buzzing her tonight then, it doesnt hurt to try.

She is peeing so much tho that I tried the blankets and I am changing it about every hour.

Since I do daycare the smell is very important for me to keep at a minimal. I for one dont wanna take my kids someplace that smells
 
Have you considered just buying wire and fixing in her cage? Here you can easily get wire at the amount you need without buying full rolls. Get the 1/4 inch by 1/2 inch, bend it so it props it's self up about half an inch in her cage, add a small block or something in spots that need reinforced and wala! Depending on how big her cage is it could cost way less than $10. Sounds great to me :)

Edit: The 1/4 x 1/2 is more expensive but it is what is suggested and it is much stronger than the cheaper 1/2 x 1/2.
 
LOL Samantha. Hubby and I are thinking of things like that. We have wood and wire but still figuring out how i would clean it...she is housed in an XL dog crate and its longer than my arms lol
 
You could do it with wood, since you have it, and make it light so you could pull it out without to much trouble. Maybe? I had a cage I did that to, the 4-h show required wire bottom so I had a part made to sit down in the solid bottom pet store cage. I just used it for transporting to the show but it worked.
 
i only remembered this waay after i'd replied but what about a piece of vetbed - when my dog had puppies i used this in their box. vetbed is a brand name here of a thick fleece sort of like a sheepskin rug. it's designed by vets and the urine soaks thru without the top layer becoming sodden. great for delicate little paws.

poor rose - childbirth does absolutely nothing for your body:hug:
 
I agree with what Dawn said. The vetbed would also be good. I have also used "plastic canvas" from the craft section at Wal-Mart to keep bunnies' feet out of dirty litter.
 
Well I cut her rump and her under area tonight which took longer than i thought I tried a clippers...that was a joke lol so i used a sharp pair of scissors and I was so scared to cut her skin.

I also gave her a butt bath after I was done with the trimming. then I applied Udder balm. We'll see how this goes.

I did call the vet but they said just bring her in, well that is 70.00 just to walk in the door. I like that vet cuz they know there stuff but HOLY Heck r they spendy. so I will try the home remedies first.

When I was clipping her i did notice a few of the spots I previously applied neosporin to had healed and normal hair has grown back in. that made me feel good.


 
tonyshuman wrote:
I agree with what Dawn said. The vetbed would also be good. I have also used "plastic canvas" from the craft section at Wal-Mart to keep bunnies' feet out of dirty litter.
where wud I get this vetbed stuff???

I use egg grate for the litter pan...but the litter pan has not been used since the babies came. Rose is peeing in the nest box and on the floor of her crate
 
hi denise! in the uk 'vetbed' is the brand name. the petshops also have their own versions. it's also easy to wash and tumble dry. it was a godsend with the pups.

know what you mean about walking thru the doors - i swear our vet charges the minute you drive into the carpark:p
 
See any diffrence since you cut her hair and rubbed the udder stuff on her? I do not remember if you said but is her flooring solid? Have you tried laying fleece down until her feet are better so the pee is soaked up? I know fleece is very absorbent and the stains always come out :)
 
There's a fairly new product here in the U.S. made just for this problem. They're called EZ Mats. Basically it's a sheet of plastic that the rabbit can comfortably rest it's feet on, but it also allows urine and feces to drop through the bottom and is just as easy to clean as a wire cage if not easier.

Here is a link to a site that provides this product-

http://www.westcoastcages.com/restingmatsrisers.htm

Good luck with your baby!
 

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