Sore Hocks

[Cspr]

New doe has been through the wringer, poor girl. Rescued, more or less, if brood quality and purebred. She is finally molting, so new coat kept out of the sun should be improved, but one thing I noticed is the fact she has bald spots on her back feet.

I just clipped her dagger-like claws, and I've heard that will help a lot. :? Wasn't impressed with that. Poor baby. Her former floor had huge gaps between and then she was on a solid bottomed cage. o.o The bald spots look a little mottled, reddish and yellow? She's on small wire now and I've given her things to stand on, but the poop collects and I can't imagine that helps either. Considering just buying a slotted mat.

Would people here suggest a slotted mat, if so which brand? Also, do you think it might have just been the over long claws? She has thick fur on her feet, much thicker than my MR being an American Sable. Her fur is almost as long as my pinkie on her sides, after all. I heard extra-virgin olive oil might help to soothe and heal the skin?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

[Lastfling]

I don't know about the grown out nails causing what you're describing, but a slotted mat seem like it would be a good option to avoid poop build up on the resting board. I don't know that any brand of mat is better than another. I bought all of mine at shows for $2-3. TSC wants an arm and a leg for essentially the same thing.

The olive oil may work, I don't know. There is also a product called "Blue-Kote" I've seen referred to that may help. It will like the name implies turn the area blue though, until it wears off. Here's a little blurp from a quick search "An effective antiseptic spray to be used on surface wounds, abrasions, and ringworm. Can be used on multiple species of animals".

 

[Cspr]

Huh. Thanks, Lastfling. Might have to look into Blue-Kote if her feet keep having problems.

Update on the situation: After using Neosporin and bandaging feet, her wounds have improved, drying out and scabbing over. Found a place that sells mats. Unfortunately with my health problems acting up and my ride being MIA, it might take me a day or two to get them. :/ However, Anwen still seems her lively, curious bunny self and she seems to be eating and drinking well, even more so now that her claws have been trimmed, her mats gotten rid of, etc. -snuggles her up- Poor bun. Just glad she ended up with me. It's a sharp learning curve, but already I think I've done more for her than her previous owner.

The zit on her ear went down temporarily (turned purple and shrunk), but now is back with a vengeance. :x I'm going to Google what to do, but I'm thinking treating it like a human zit might be good? Drain it, but also wash it off and put fresh meds on it daily?

I also have Otomax from the dog having a sore on her face. It was vet-given, but I'm not sure if it's suitable for rabbits? Hmmm.

Otherwise, I've noticed an odd behavior. Going by how I discovered Anwen (formerly Miss K), I didn't think she had been handled much, if at all. She was in a cage barely big enough for her to move around in and I had trouble even getting her out of it. Now she has hopping space and a nice, tightly-woven wire floor (FYI), but most of them time when I touch her, she flinches violently away and hides. It's sad. My MR have been spooked if I touch them without them seeing my hand, and she's acting like that times ten. I'm a little worried her vision might be messed up? It might just be because she wasn't handled, I presume, but I just want to make sure. She's a sweetheart, though, and when I bring her into the kitchen to let her play, she comes up and will give nuzzles, licks, and headbutts. She can find her way around, but if anyone reaches towards her, she reacts like she's expecting to be hit?

I had a cat that was terrified of men, so I'm figuring it might just be an early memory thing like it was with her. Doesn't mean I don't find it a little worrisome.

 

[Bad Habit]

I would say keep doing what you are doing for the feet, sounds like you have that under control.

I would leave the thingie in her ear alone, or maybe a warm compress to see if that helps it start draining on its own. I wouldn't try lancing it or anything, since you already have a vet appointment set up for Tuesday, as that would risk introducing an alternate infection, and the vet may want some goo for testing.

For her odd reaction, it may just be stress and nerves from a new situation and so much new things going on. I'd just treat her with kindness and patience, and see if that helps her improve. I could go with either of your theories, that she may have vision issues(e. cuniculi will often present in the eyeball, or if her cage was not kept clean the fumes might have damaged her eyes), or that she was possibly abused. But, in my experience, adult rabbits are 95% of the time going to be nutbags if you are just getting them, they don't seem to adapt well to change, and she could very well settle down once she's had some time to get used to you and the new schedule. Remember, her world just exploded, and as far as prey animals are concerned, that basically means they're about to be lunch.

 

[Cspr]

Thanks. -makes note that I'm not entirely failing-

My vet doesn't do appointments, but he is amazing. I had thought about lancing until I did some Googling and realized that the whites of her eyes look wrong, that she might have something there as well. -headdesks- I thought it was her size and overall different coloring. -headdesks again-

Fair enough. Thank you for your expertise. I'll keep at it and hope that my continued kindness towards her isn't seen as me being terrible: "Sharp things cutting off my fur, my nails? Fluffy and sticky things put on my feet? My ear covered in goo? What is this madness?" Yeah. I can see how I'd be like the abducting alien in this situation. Poor lovely.

Hopefully the vet will be able to test the goo and capsule and tell me what I'm dealing with. I'd bee hoping to get it cleared up before her date, but I underestimated what problems could pop up after stress. I keep feeling like a terrible rabbit owner, but I have to keep reminding myself I'm doing what I can and she came to me in shoddy shape--and pregnant, to top it off.

This is what I get for always taking in the sad-looking ones, me being a bleeding heart and all. Just glad she's been kept quarantined.

 

[Bad Habit]

Yes, follow strict quarantine!! Very important *thumbs up*

She might think you're being a monster now, but once everything is sorted, she'll see it differently. It's a change, is all, and she's upset and scared about it. Once she starts feeling better, she will see you as the bringer of good stuff.

You're not a terrible rabbit owner, and you most definitely aren't failing. Rabbits are one of the most frustrating animals I've ever had the pleasure of owning, because they are prey animals and will not show injury or illness if they can help it. They will hide things, give you false clues and symptoms, and basically make you want to rip your hair out. All you can do is the best that you know how, and learn for things you don't know. I doubt anyone here, even the most experienced, would say that they know everything or always have the right answers.

You're doing right by this rabbit, you're helping her, and even if she ends up ill and has to be put down, you'll have saved her a ton of suffering. You should be patting yourself on the back, not beating yourself up!

 

[Cspr]

Thank you a lot, Bad Habit. -offers hugs-

It's been stressful because I've been dealing with an autoimmune disease of my own on top of everything else, but exercise and caring for animals are supposed to be two of the best things you can do--and I'm getting plenty of both. I just don't want my animals to ever suffer from illness if I can help it; I know how it feels far too well. Hopefully I'll get positive news and she can start healing fully.