Sore hocks?!?

[Jaryleen]

So I checked my rabbits feet and I found two pink calluses ( he is a. Rex btw) then I noticed that one of the calluses had a bit of what seemed like dry skin so I came here for advice on what I should do. It’s a light pink callus with tiny bit of white stuff

 

[Blue eyes]

The following article shows photos of various stages of sore hocks. You can use those, perhaps, to better compare with what you are describing on your rabbit.
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Skin_diseases/Mechanical/Pod/Podo.htm

And here is other info.
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/sorehocks.html

If you could post a photo, that could help too. Rex rabbits are more prone to sore hocks.

 

[Jaryleen]

My rex rabbit (chip) let’s me touch his calluse or hock and he won’t get like scared or hurt or even flinch. He has some calluses on his paws too. But those I’m not worried about because they are light pink and very small. I am currently switching his litter box to and large cat one so I’m using his old litter which are like hard spheres but I will be switching to bedding as litter. He has a couple of fleece blankets as flooring please help idk if it’s sore hocks!?

 

[nickbun]

The following article shows photos of various stages of sore hocks. You can use those, perhaps, to better compare with what you are describing on your rabbit.
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Skin_diseases/Mechanical/Pod/Podo.htm

And here is other info.
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/sorehocks.html

If you could post a photo, that could help too. Rex rabbits are more prone to sore hocks.

I'd like to share a wonderful product that I used when I was a Breeder of Show Rabbits. It is called " Happy Jack Pad Kote". It is a purple liquid you paint on their pads of their feet that is medicine and also kind of a barrier to help protect so they will heal, it's orginally made for hunting dogs that put their pads through rough territory at times while hunting. It can be messy when you put it on so be careful while putting it on as whatever it gets on your clothes your skin or whatever will be purple and clothes it will ruin, but it is like a Miracle Medicine for Rabbits Soar Hocks and saved so many of my rabbits while I was raising rabbits! Soar Hocks is a serious problem and the infection sets up so quickly because they are constantly stepping in bacteria from their urine and feces so they can Die from this very quickly if left untreated. Rex rabbits are a breed that don't quiet have as much fur covering on their pads on their feet as some other rabbits. Another product that will help tremendously is what is called Resting Pads that you can get at rabbit supply places online and most Tractor Supply Stores also carry them if you have one where you live. They are plastic and attach to the floor of the wire rabbit cage giving your rabbit a place to get off the wire to rest his or her feet as the cage wire is hard for them to stand on 24/7. If you only have 1 or 2 rabbits you may want to get at Tractor Supply but if you have a bunch like I had over 200 buying online is cheeper. It allows poop to still fall through but as with anything some poop may still get stuck and stepped on so removing and cleaning and disinfecting will still be needed to be done to them to help prevent worsening of ones already with soar hocks but can help prevent new ones from getting it. Hope this info helps save ton of rabbits as it did for me...

 

[stephanie83]

My rabbit recently had a sore hock.
I took him to the vet and they put on a topical antibiotic cream and he had a round of antibiotics and some pain relief as he was grinding his teeth. I also changed his flooring in his cage to soft memory foam bath mats and I made sure to keep his area clean and dry whilst his hock healed. The fur grew back and he doesn't have the sore hock anymore.

 

[Jaryleen]

Here is chips calluse. I don’t know if it is serious and needs meds but just to let everyone know

 

[Jaryleen]

This is how his cage looks like. Has a couple of fleece blankets bedding as litter and you can’t even hear where he is when he is hopping around cuz it’s so cushiony.

 

[Jaryleen]

Whe

I'd like to share a wonderful product that I used when I was a Breeder of Show Rabbits. It is called " Happy Jack Pad Kote". It is a purple liquid you paint on their pads of their feet that is medicine and also kind of a barrier to help protect so they will heal, it's orginally made for hunting dogs that put their pads through rough territory at times while hunting. It can be messy when you put it on so be careful while putting it on as whatever it gets on your clothes your skin or whatever will be purple and clothes it will ruin, but it is like a Miracle Medicine for Rabbits Soar Hocks and saved so many of my rabbits while I was raising rabbits! Soar Hocks is a serious problem and the infection sets up so quickly because they are constantly stepping in bacteria from their urine and feces so they can Die from this very quickly if left untreated. Rex rabbits are a breed that don't quiet have as much fur covering on their pads on their feet as some other rabbits. Another product that will help tremendously is what is called Resting Pads that you can get at rabbit supply places online and most Tractor Supply Stores also carry them if you have one where you live. They are plastic and attach to the floor of the wire rabbit cage giving your rabbit a place to get off the wire to rest his or her feet as the cage wire is hard for them to stand on 24/7. If you only have 1 or 2 rabbits you may want to get at Tractor Supply but if you have a bunch like I had over 200 buying online is cheeper. It allows poop to still fall through but as with anything some poop may still get stuck and stepped on so removing and cleaning and disinfecting will still be needed to be done to them to help prevent worsening of ones already with soar hocks but can help prevent new ones from getting it. Hope this info helps save ton of rabbits as it did for me...

Where can you get this purple liquid? Do you have to go to vet or what?

 

[Blue eyes]

This is how his cage looks like. Has a couple of fleece blankets bedding as litter and you can’t even hear where he is when he is hopping around cuz it’s so cushiony.

A few thoughts... I see the larger litter box in the lower left of photo. It looks like a paper bedding which is ok. If the hard litter you were referring to is the compressed paper pellets or wood pellets (not shavings) like in my attached photo, those are fine and aren't going to cause sore hocks. In fact, they work great for odor absorption. However, it's a good idea to put more hay in the litter box.

I assume the corner litter box inside the cage is what you are transitioning away from. I'd suggest that the entire cage be removed. It isn't serving any purpose other than providing a confusing 2nd litter box. Actually the triangle corner box and the rectangle cage both have litter in them and so act as a 2nd and 3rd litter box. The ramp door is dangerous as paws can get trapped. I'd remove the rectangular cage altogether.

In its place, you could put down a couple squares of porcelein tile. That will provide a cool, solid spot on which to lay. The trick with preventing sore hocks isn't only to provide soft flooring (as you clearly have done). It is providing multiple surfaces on which to be. By providing some ceramic tiles, bunny has the option of getting off of blankets. It provides an alternative for his paws.

 

[Jaryleen]

A few thoughts... I see the larger litter box in the lower left of photo. It looks like a paper bedding which is ok. If the hard litter you were referring to is the compressed paper pellets or wood pellets (not shavings) like in my attached photo, those are fine and aren't going to cause sore hocks. In fact, they work great for odor absorption. However, it's a good idea to put more hay in the litter box.

I assume the corner litter box inside the cage is what you are transitioning away from. I'd suggest that the entire cage be removed. It isn't serving any purpose other than providing a confusing 2nd litter box. Actually the triangle corner box and the rectangle cage both have litter in them and so act as a 2nd and 3rd litter box. The ramp door is dangerous as paws can get trapped. I'd remove the rectangular cage altogether.

In its place, you could put down a couple squares of porcelein tile. That will provide a cool, solid spot on which to lay. The trick with preventing sore hocks isn't only to provide soft flooring (as you clearly have done). It is providing multiple surfaces on which to be. By providing some ceramic tiles, bunny has the option of getting off of blankets. It provides an alternative for his paws.

I use the small cage like when I go to vacation and bring my rabbit to a family member. I’ll put more hay and close the smaller cage. He gets time out of his cage and goes on my wood floor. The old litter was a clay litter so that’s why I wanted to change to bedding instead but the problem with transitioning to a larger litter box is that he doesn’t want to actually use the bathroom in it. So I eventually just let him go in triangle one to use the bathroom. I know this sounds like I’m mad I’m not I’m just saying a few extra background details I’m not hating. But I still need a few extra work on the litter box. But other than that I’ll do everything else you told me to do. Thank you! Also I have no where else to put the smaller cage. I have my rabbit in my room because I have the space to put his cage in. But thank you so much for replying!

 

[Blue eyes]

The hay is what will make him use the larger box. Put plenty of hay on top of the litter. If you just switched litter type, that can certainly cause him to not switch to a different box. You can take some soiled litter from the corner box and put it in the larger box. That way he'll smell it there. They like to go where they smell it.

Glad that you're switching away from clay. Clay isn't recommended for rabbits.

 

[jamesewaller]

So I checked my rabbits feet and I found two pink calluses ( he is a. Rex btw) then I noticed that one of the calluses had a bit of what seemed like dry skin so I came here for advice on what I should do. It’s a light pink callus with tiny bit of white stuff

rex buns have short fur,and pads on the feet are vulnerable to callouses-however the rear feet can be "lightly"-wrapped with COBAN--before the hocks become painful bloody wounds..then there quite a different situation,soaking-h2o-cleaning,drying,treating daily with Neosporin,and rewrapped"lightly" with COBAN..-be aware that body weight is a factor,this is where diet is impotant,--lots to know about a lagamorph,--sincerely james waller in memory of " joseph r cottontail"avatar

 

[Jaryleen]

The hay is what will make him use the larger box. Put plenty of hay on top of the litter. If you just switched litter type, that can certainly cause him to not switch to a different box. You can take some soiled litter from the corner box and put it in the larger box. That way he'll smell it there. They like to go where they smell it.

Glad that you're switching away from clay. Clay isn't recommended for rabbits.

I’m switched to both bedding for litter. But I’ll certainly put a lot more hay. But I’m feeding all of his food in the big litter box like pellets and veggies. Is that good?

 

[Jaryleen]

Has everyone seen my picture on chips foot. If so is it a calluse or a sore hock? I took a picture of a normal calluse and put it next to chips calluse. It seemed like chips calluse was a tiny bit more red is that normal? Even if he doesn’t have sore hocks I’ll try and prevent sore hocks. But if he doesn’t have sore hocks then should I still be worried or move on?

 

[nickbun]

So I checked my rabbits feet and I found two pink calluses ( he is a. Rex btw) then I noticed that one of the calluses had a bit of what seemed like dry skin so I came here for advice on what I should do. It’s a light pink callus with tiny bit of white stuff

I ordered the Purple Med " Happy Jack Pad Kote " from gundogsupply.com but if you type in Google search happy jack pad kote you can find other places to get it too.
Not sure if this will help with you changing from one litter box to another I'm not experienced with having one inside as I mentioned I was a breeder, but I thought it's worth mentioning that I figured out from my experience if I put a nest box in with a Doe about to have kits that if I didn't pay attention to which part of the cage she pottied in (even without a litter box they still use the same area of cage all the time to potty) so if I didn't look at the ground to figure out where she did it and I happened to sit the nest box in her potty area, then she would use the nest boss like a litter box even after her kits where born. Took me awhile in the begining to figure out why the kits fur looked spotty looking and it was from the litter box being soiled with urine and etc. So once I figured it out I had to dump hay nesting and fur out and put clean in and then move the nest box to a different area and the Doe wouldn't use it for litter box. So I'm not sure if it's even possible for you but if it is, you might be able to just remove the one yours is use to using and put the new one there in that spot where the old one was... it might work? Again just a suggestion...trial and error..

 

[JBun]

Pink calloused skin is normal, and you don't want to be applying anything unnecessarily as this can sometimes aggravate the skin and result in sore hocks setting in when there was no problem previously. You also don't want to be applying any bandaging when it's not necessary, and when you don't have experience doing it and/or a vet hasn't shown you the proper application, as bandaging applied incorrectly can restrict blood flow to the foot and could result in a serious injury occurring because of this.

To me your rabbits hocks look to be normal pink skin, but it can be difficult to tell for sure just from a photo. With sore hocks you are looking for skin that looks inflamed and dark pink or red. It may also look puffy. Open wounds would also indicate sore hocks. If they are just starting to look sore, evaluate the flooring and determine if any changes need to be made. Also keep the nails regularly trimmed as long nails will alter how a rabbit distributes it's weight on it's feet. Long nails will cause them to shift their weight back to their hocks. Flooring changes and keeping nails trimmed is usually enough to correct the beginning of sore hocks when there are no other issues contributing like old age and arthritis.

If in doubt it's always best to consult a knowledgeable rabbit vet.
https://rabbit.org/vet-listings/

 

[Jaryleen]

Pink calloused skin is normal, and you don't want to be applying anything unnecessarily as this can sometimes aggravate the skin and result in sore hocks setting in when there was no problem previously. You also don't want to be applying any bandaging when it's not necessary, and when you don't have experience doing it and/or a vet hasn't shown you the proper application, as bandaging applied incorrectly can restrict blood flow to the foot and could result in a serious injury occurring because of this.

To me your rabbits hocks look to be normal pink skin, but it can be difficult to tell for sure just from a photo. With sore hocks you are looking for skin that looks inflamed and dark pink or red. It may also look puffy. Open wounds would also indicate sore hocks. If they are just starting to look sore, evaluate the flooring and determine if any changes need to be made. Also keep the nails regularly trimmed as long nails will alter how a rabbit distributes it's weight on it's feet. Long nails will cause them to shift their weight back to their hocks. Flooring changes and keeping nails trimmed is usually enough to correct the beginning of sore hocks when there are no other issues contributing like old age and arthritis.

If in doubt it's always best to consult a knowledgeable rabbit vet.
https://rabbit.org/vet-listings/

So I put my rabbits hocks against another normal rabbit calluse and it seemed his calluses were a tiny bit more pink. Is that bad or just nothing? I checked his calluses agin today and it seemed the same from the photo that I took on a Friday.

 

[Jaryleen]

I don’t think anyone will reply but I have picture of chips calluse and I don’t know if it looks irritated. The good news is that it’s seems to be smaller than before

 

[Popsicles]

If you aren’t sure, best to take him to a vet to check out properly, it should very difficult to diagnose anything from a photo. It does look like his nails need trimming? This can affect how a rabbit distributed weight and increase the risk of sore hocks, so make sure you keep on top of that. Sorry if you do, just look quite long in the photo.

 

[Jaryleen]

I

If you aren’t sure, best to take him to a vet to check out properly, it should very difficult to diagnose anything from a photo. It does look like his nails need trimming? This can affect how a rabbit distributed weight and increase the risk of sore hocks, so make sure you keep on top of that. Sorry if you do, just look quite long in the photo.

was going to trim is nails this weekend and I’ll ask if they have their vet with them and ask if they can check