Sore Hock Treatment Question

[CheleBelle75]

Hello y'all. I'm wondering if I can use this on my Rex for sore hocks. Says it disinfects burns and wounds. I just got them Friday. I didn't check hocks (lesson learned).

 

[eco2pia]

I don't think they will be happy about the spray and I doubt it will help much. It will burn/sting and make weird noises and smells.

I have had a buck with sore hocks. I first soaked the crusty feet in epsom salts (I made it warm and soothing, just like you would want it for you, put it in a shallow bin and just set the rabbit in. he tolerated it well.)

Once I had them clean I attempted wapping the hocks with vet wrap and feminine pads smeared with neosporin, with varying degrees of success. I am good at wrapping (had horses, it is a skill) but despite treating the bandage with tabasco and bitter apple I could rarely keep them on more than a day.

Mostly I just focused on giving lots of solid flooring and keeping the cage clean. my preference is multiple resting boards you can flip over daily. Be sure to keep toenails trimmed. Also, if your wire floor sags under their weight it will be a constant battle.

Best bet is to breed for not-sore hocks--look for well furred hocks with broad feet in offspring.

 

[CheleBelle75]

Ok. Thank you. All 4 of the bucks feet are sore. His nails were crazy long. I have never seen a rabbits nails that long. The doe has one tiny spot. Because they are just 5 & 6 months old I didn't think they would have had sore hocks that young.. Shows what I know..

 

[Julie Stade]

Ok. Thank you. All 4 of the bucks feet are sore. His nails were crazy long. I have never seen a rabbits nails that long. The doe has one tiny spot. Because they are just 5 & 6 months old I didn't think they would have had sore hocks that young.. Shows what I know..

I prefer to use chlorhexidene spray ( we just have it in a squirt bottle) which we then rub all over their feet and legs to reduce bacterial numbers and make a secondary infection less likely before fully rinsing it off (and then applying antibiotic ointment to any actual raw, ulcerated area). For a Junior's nails to be that long already with that much pad damage, it sounds like the Seller's husbandry/management practices are pretty subpar, so it's good that you got the two of them out of that situation. Since his front feet are affected too though, are you sure there isn't a fur or mange mite issue as well? You could be seeing both problems.

 

[CheleBelle75]

I prefer to use chlorhexidene spray ( we just have it in a squirt bottle) which we then rub all over their feet and legs to reduce bacterial numbers and make a secondary infection less likely before fully rinsing it off (and then applying antibiotic ointment to any actual raw, ulcerated area). For a Junior's nails to be that long already with that much pad damage, it sounds like the Seller's husbandry/management practices are pretty subpar, so it's good that you got the two of them out of that situation. Since his front feet are affected too though, are you sure there isn't a fur or mange mite issue as well? You could be seeing both problems.

I don't know. I will need to research fur & mange mites. Here's his feet.

 

[Julie Stade]

I don't know. I will need to research fur & mange mites. Here's his feet.

That looks more like just the mechanical injury from bad wire friction than it does any sort of secondary mite problem, so hopefully, you're just dealing with the one thing.

 

[CheleBelle75]

That looks more like just the mechanical injury from bad wire friction than it does any sort of secondary mite problem, so hopefully, you're just dealing with the one thing.

Thank you. I hope so.

 

[CheleBelle75]

That looks more like just the mechanical injury from bad wire friction than it does any sort of secondary mite problem, so hopefully, you're just dealing with the one thing.

What is the treatment/preventative for mites?

 

[eco2pia]

typically, topical or injected ivermectin, tho there are home remedies I have no experience with.

Mites of various types usually look like a scaly rash with lots of dandruff, and they can spread in some cases to humans--itchy. Easy enough to cure, but eww...so if in doubt, wash well after handling, and don't cuddle. Mites are usually progressively more obvious, not particularly subtle if you are looking for them--not the bug, but the scaly mess it causes.

 

[CheleBelle75]

typically, topical or injected ivermectin, tho there are home remedies I have no experience with.

Mites of various types usually look like a scaly rash with lots of dandruff, and they can spread in some cases to humans--itchy. Easy enough to cure, but eww...so if in doubt, wash well after handling, and don't cuddle. Mites are usually progressively more obvious, not particularly subtle if you are looking for them--not the bug, but the scaly mess it causes.

Ok. Thank you.

 

[Alaska Satin]

I don't know. I will need to research fur & mange mites. Here's his feet.

Those looks like pretty typical Rex feet, unfortunately; the breed seems to have a constant tendency to have that problem. Sore hocks are usually on the hind feet, but they can and often do show up on the front feet. In my experience sores on the front feet often associated with long nails, but it can also happen when the hind feet are so painful that the rabbit shifts more of its weight to its front feet.

The good news is that when taken out of the aggravating situation (overly long nails and/or inappropriate wire cage bottom), most will usually heal and end up with callouses. In fact yours look like they're already on their way to that point. There's nothing really wrong with callouses unless they get too thick and are broken open, by constant stomping, for instance. Callouses aren't ideal, but they are a fact of life for many Rex breeders. As @eco2pia points out, the way to fix the tendency toward both sore hocks and callouses in your herd is ruthless selection for animals that have wider, heavily-furred feet and do not tend to get sore hocks/callouses. You may have to accept poorer quality in terms of other show or meat characteristics for a while to get there, but if you want healthy animals it's the way to get them.

I've had a few Rex come into my barn with sore hocks and I did not do anything to "treat" them except some of the maintenance practices that @eco2pia mentions - clean resting boards (smooth wood is my choice, which I flip over if it gets dirty and change out when needed), close-trimmed nails, and very clean cage (no fur/urine/poo buildup). I don't put anything on the wounds; if they are given the right conditions, they will take care of themselves (and really, anything you put on, they will take off, usually ingesting it in the process). Of course if they are nasty dirty, I clean them up, since they've got enough to deal with without ingesting unusual amounts of waste.

If your rabbit had a problem with mites it would have patches of irritated skin with "dandruff" and frequently also scabs from scratching. It often shows up first behind the ears/on the neck, but it can also show up anywhere else on the body. Some people do preventative drug treatments for mites but there are some long-term risks associated with that - see this thread for a discussion:
https://rabbittalk.com/threads/ear-mites-please-help.36834/#post-357394

 

[CheleBelle75]

Those looks like pretty typical Rex feet, unfortunately; the breed seems to have a constant tendency to have that problem. Sore hocks are usually on the hind feet, but they can and often do show up on the front feet. In my experience sores on the front feet often associated with long nails, but it can also happen when the hind feet are so painful that the rabbit shifts more of its weight to its front feet.

The good news is that when taken out of the aggravating situation (overly long nails and/or inappropriate wire cage bottom), most will usually heal and end up with callouses. In fact yours look like they're already on their way to that point. There's nothing really wrong with callouses unless they get too thick and are broken open, by constant stomping, for instance. Callouses aren't ideal, but they are a fact of life for many Rex breeders. As @eco2pia points out, the way to fix the tendency toward both sore hocks and callouses in your herd is ruthless selection for animals that have wider, heavily-furred feet and do not tend to get sore hocks/callouses. You may have to accept poorer quality in terms of other show or meat characteristics for a while to get there, but if you want healthy animals it's the way to get them.

I've had a few Rex come into my barn with sore hocks and I did not do anything to "treat" them except some of the maintenance practices that @eco2pia mentions - clean resting boards (smooth wood is my choice, which I flip over if it gets dirty and change out when needed), close-trimmed nails, and very clean cage (no fur/urine/poo buildup). I don't put anything on the wounds; if they are given the right conditions, they will take care of themselves (and really, anything you put on, they will take off, usually ingesting it in the process). Of course if they are nasty dirty, I clean them up, since they've got enough to deal with without ingesting unusual amounts of waste.

If your rabbit had a problem with mites it would have patches of irritated skin with "dandruff" and frequently also scabs from scratching. It often shows up first behind the ears/on the neck, but it can also show up anywhere else on the body. Some people do preventative drug treatments for mites but there are some long-term risks associated with that - see this thread for a discussion:
https://rabbittalk.com/threads/ear-mites-please-help.36834/#post-357394

Ok, thank you. I appreciate all of the advice and info I have been given.

 

[Sapphire16]

We received a rabbit with really sore hocks that hadn't been caught, put her in a good cage setup with resting pads and hay covering the floor which we changed out every day. We did put triple antiseptic on her feet that is safe for rabbits eyes at first after we had cleaned them. She healed very fast and all her fur grew back very thick and nice.

 

[CheleBelle75]

We received a rabbit with really sore hocks that hadn't been caught, put her in a good cage setup with resting pads and hay covering the floor which we changed out every day. We did put triple antiseptic on her feet that is safe for rabbits eyes at first after we had cleaned them. She healed very fast and all her fur grew back very thick and nice.

Thank you very much

 

[Lil Acorn Acres Farm]

Hello y'all. I'm wondering if I can use this on my Rex for sore hocks. Says it disinfects burns and wounds. I just got them Friday. I didn't check hocks (lesson learned).

I was thinking about this. For years I have delt split skin on my thumbs. Recently I started using liquid bandage, it's the best my thumbs have been in years.
I wonder if that could speed your buck healing. Or if they would spend the day trying to lick it off.

 

[CheleBelle75]

I don't know. How fast does it dry?
I just wonder after it dries would he be able to pull the edge up and pull it off making it worse?

 

[Lil Acorn Acres Farm]

I don't know. How fast does it dry?
I just wonder after it dries would he be able to pull the edge up and pull it off making it worse?

It dries pretty fast. I was thinking maybe try it, let it dry then give him some leaves or something to distract him.

 

[CheleBelle75]

I will try that. Thank you

It dries pretty fast. I was thinking maybe try it, let it dry then give him some leaves or something to distract him.