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Abscesses
Emergency Kit Have questions or comments? |
Taken from newsletter of spring 2004 Sore Hocks: Prevention is easier than treatment
Many rabbits develop a small, calloused area at the tip
of their heel under the flap of fur. When this area becomes bare, red,
or inflamed, there is cause for concern. Other factors to consider
Advice from a vet Occasionally, you will see a rabbit with sores on their
back feet by the heel or ankle. These can vary from mild calloused-appearing
sores to severe ulcerated, infected, and swollen lesions. What are they?
Where do they come from? How do we successfully treat them? And more importantly
how do we prevent them? Sores can occur on one or both rear feet and on the front
feet, however, the front feet aren’t typically affected.When sores
result in severely ulcerated lesions, secondary bacterial infections can
occur. Sore hocks, also known as ulcerative pododermatitis, usually develop from management and environment-related problems, such as:
Early lesions show up as areas of redness and thinned
fur on the bottom of the hock. They can progress to raw, ulcerated sores
with scabs. Weeping sores and pus are present with secondary bacterial
infections. Severe lesions can cause lameness, reluctance to move, unwillingness
to eat, and depression. How do we treat them?
Unfortunately healing usually takes a long time therefore daily treatment is necessary. That's why I prefer to prevent sore hocks rather than treating them!!! How we prevent them?
Dr. Shawn Tucker, Carrie’s Experience While changing Bailey’s litter box one day, I noticed drops of blood on the floor of her cage. A quick examination showed the heels of her feet were cracked and bleeding. She didn’t appear to be in pain, she was still hopping and eating as usual. Bailey, a Holland Lop, regularly gets matted fur on the
bottom of her feet. The matted fur forms on the middle of her foot, forcing
her to roll back onto her heel. She’s always had pink calluses, but
this was the first time the skin had broken. The floor of Bailey’s cage is thin wood paneling covered with linoleum. She has sheepskin as a resting area but unfortunately, I’d taken it out to wash it a few days earlier and had forgotten to replace it. To help ease the situation, I removed any matted fur from her feet and gave her an extra thick padding of sheepskin to rest on. I switched her litter from woodstove pellets to Carefresh because it’s softer and stays cleaner when wet. I also increased her litter box changes to twice a day to prevent her from sitting in wetness. Severe cases of sore hocks can affect the bone and can be very serious, so I took Bailey to a veterinarian to be checked out, and thankfully, her feet weren’t infected. She didn’t require pain medication, but we applied Chlorhexidine solution twice a day. The sores were not severe enough to require bandaging. Occasionally her sores cracked open again for a couple
of weeks but eventually healed over. We were lucky because some rabbit’s
sore hocks take months or even years to Rachelle’s experience I currently have six bunnies, two are Mini-Rexes (Sadie
and Ryleigh) and one is a Flemish Giant (Tyesin), which are two of the
worst breeds for developing sore hocks. In the rabbits’ cages (which I built myself) there is an area covered in linoleum where their food/water and litter boxes are. There is also a loft/sleeping area, where their bedding is. There are no areas in their cages where they stand on wire so I was really surprised when my kids developed sore hocks. I’ve since learned that the Rex breed develops sore
hocks easily because the fur on their feet is quite thin; just moving
around on any surface can cause irritation. I find that even though I
layer Sadie and Ryleigh’s bedding they still have developed calluses.
Tyesin, the Flemish Giant, weighs 25 pounds and has had several bad cases of sore hocks. Because of his weight, Tyesin is prone to feet irritation, fur matting, and ultimately, sore hocks. What I find works best is to soak a face cloth in lukewarm
water and wrap it around his feet while he sits on my lap. This way we
have a little one-onone time and it soothes his feet at the same time.
It also washes off any debris and loosens the skin to allow me to work
with it. I pluck the matted fur off his feet to get at the skin and treat
the problem areas. As the feet are very sensitive, this is a delicate
process -having the bunny calm is a must. Talking to the bunny in a soothing
voice (and being calm yourself!) is important. If I touch a sensitive
part, I stop for a few seconds and use a calm voice to reassure the bunny.
After I soak Tyesin’s feet and clean away any debris,
I apply Savlon cream with a Q-tip. Savlon cream is an antiseptic cream
and does not sting. I wait a few minutes before I let him down –
otherwise, I’d have cream on the floor and not on Tyesin! I did wrap Tyesin’s feet once but he ripped the
wraps off, so I would not recommend this method. Depending on your rabbit’s
personality, you will have to make a judgment call. Rachelle Hudson A final note |
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