Workaround for Sore Hocks

Fluffy, our probable NZW, was given to us along with her little black dwarf buddy Nibbles, with the understanding that they would live out their lives in our rabbitry and Fluffy would be a breeder.

Nibbles got very ill maybe about a year ago, and we had to put her down. My husband is still in touch with the lady who gave them to us, because she's associated with his work. He broke the news to her, and she understood. But, needless to say, we want to forgive Fluffy's faults, and keep her around as long as we can. It would be terrible to have to break the news of Fluff's demise to her former owner. Besides, she's a big, sweet bunny who's a joy to have around. And she has enough skin for two rabbits her size, which makes us laugh.

What faults? Sore hocks. Fluffy has struggled and fought with sore hocks for a long time, no matter what.

Well, once again, her feet got sore, worse than ever, and once again, we treated them. But how to bandage them? Fluff is an expert B.R.B. -- Bandage Removal Bunny. What to do, what to do?

Aha!



These are toddler socks, which are longer than infant socks. Perfect for bunny feet. These socks are the terry socks, so they're nice and cushioned. I got a 6-pack for around $5. Half of them have pink soles, the other half lavender. :lol:

I do have to tape them around the ankle, because otherwise they would be too easy to slip off. I put the tape on one too loosely once, and it was off in no time. Thankfully, she didn't need the bandages any more at that point, so the sock was the only thing there to get off. I just retaped it a little tighter, and it's stayed.

Her feet are looking better than they have in a long time. The wounds are healed, the scabs are gone, and the swelling is gone in one of them, still going in the other. The little cotton terry socks allow plenty of airflow, too.

She is a clean bunny, so now that we're past the open wound stage, we can change the socks once a week. She scratches itches just like she did before, and then grooms the sock like she would groom her foot. :roll: She is more active, and doing better.

If this is all we need to do to make life good for her -- just keep her in socks -- until she dies of old age, that's awesome!

I think she just likes to look fashionable!

What did you treat the wounds with? Blu-kote?

MamaSheepdog":3pgcvkng said:

I think she just likes to look fashionable!

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:lol: Maybe we can find some flower print or tie-dye ones for her.

MamaSheepdog":3pgcvkng said:

What did you treat the wounds with? Blu-kote?

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No, actually... with the swelling, I made a "paste" with Epsom salts and water. I got about a tablespoon's worth in both hands, and held it to the sores for 10 minutes, while she got lots of scritches. Then I removed that and brushed away the salt from her feet, and applied Betadine. Then I put a glob of antibiotic ointment with analgesic on a gauze pad, and taped it around her foot, including her little heels which had begun to de-fur because of the sores. Then I wrapped with about 10 inches of 4" vet wrap, cut in the usual bunny-foot-wrapping fashion. Then the socks went on, with tape around the ankles.

We did this once a day for about a week. Then I stopped everything except the gauze pads and socks, and checked after a little over a week. I was terrified, since it had been longer than I intended. But it looked great! So I cut out the gauze pads, and went to just the socks.

I had a rabbit that kept getting sore hocks, much like this rabbit. I too tried everything and eventually I had to put him in an aviary with my parrots. That is the only thing that cleared his up. If I ever have to cage him, I'll have to remember this sock thing. It was SO HARD to heal up his sores!

LMBO!!! :rotfl: That's exactly what I was thinking you'd do before I opened the thread! Nice thinking :up:

Bunny socks...lol. Any chance that its a staph infection? I know those are usually very quick and usually pretty lethal though. Solid bottom cage? If not, might be last resort. Definitely a character in those pink socks!

Very useful information! It's good to know that fluffy is doing well and making a fashion statement at the same time. Maybe Fluffy would like you to embroider little flowers on the toes of her socks. :lol:

I glanced at the pic and thought, "What pretty pink feet! I see no sore hocks."

Umm...yeah, I might be a bit tired.

I had a doe that really struggled with sore hocks too , so much so that she would sit in her water crock to stay off the wire .... and if I put a board in for her to sit on she would use it as a bathroom. I ended up moving her to a cage with a bigger gauge wire on the bottom and leaving the board in (cleaning it twice daily) until the sores went away , after that she was fine ..... bigger gauge wire a bit closer together supported her weight better.

dayna":3gmh8241 said:

I had a rabbit that kept getting sore hocks, much like this rabbit. I too tried everything and eventually I had to put him in an aviary with my parrots. That is the only thing that cleared his up. If I ever have to cage him, I'll have to remember this sock thing. It was SO HARD to heal up his sores!

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I'm glad your bun healed up with the parrots! The only place Fluffy could go would be with the chickens, which is probably not a good idea.

mystang89":3gmh8241 said:

LMBO!!! :rotfl: That's exactly what I was thinking you'd do before I opened the thread! Nice thinking :up:

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Thanks! :lol:

Rebel.Rose.Rabbitry":3gmh8241 said:

Bunny socks...lol. Any chance that its a staph infection? I know those are usually very quick and usually pretty lethal though. Solid bottom cage? If not, might be last resort. Definitely a character in those pink socks!

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At first I wondered if it was infected or abscessed, but it doesn't seem so. It's been probably about a month since we started treatment, so if she had an infection, it probably would be very obvious by now.

She is in a wire cage, but we've been opening boxes flat to cover a large portion of the wire, so she can get off of it. She actually needs a new box in there. Thanks for reminding me!

MaggieJ":3gmh8241 said:

Very useful information! It's good to know that fluffy is doing well and making a fashion statement at the same time. Maybe Fluffy would like you to embroider little flowers on the toes of her socks. :lol:

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:lol: :hmm: Better not embroider dandelions... she might eat the socks!

Marinea":3gmh8241 said:

I glanced at the pic and thought, "What pretty pink feet! I see no sore hocks."

Umm...yeah, I might be a bit tired.

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:lol: I should have had a picture of her with lavender-soled socks for you!

Ramjet":3gmh8241 said:

I had a doe that really struggled with sore hocks too , so much so that she would sit in her water crock to stay off the wire .... and if I put a board in for her to sit on she would use it as a bathroom. I ended up moving her to a cage with a bigger gauge wire on the bottom and leaving the board in (cleaning it twice daily) until the sores went away , after that she was fine ..... bigger gauge wire a bit closer together supported her weight better.

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What was the wire you switched to? She is currently on 14 gauge 1" x 1/2" flooring, partially covered with cardboard (or, it would be, if I hadn't forgotten to give her a new box).

Oddly enough, a regular resting mat gets soiled in her cage, but cardboard really does not. :?

Miss M":3anlxph5 said:

What was the wire you switched to? She is currently on 14 gauge 1" x 1/2" flooring, partially covered with cardboard (or, it would be, if I hadn't forgotten to give her a new box).

Oddly enough, a regular resting mat gets soiled in her cage, but cardboard really does not. :?

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It was just some junk I had laying around ... similar the grate of a BBQ pit. The "wire" is almost a quarter inch thick and roughly 7/16ths inch between them , just bit enough for the droppings to fall thru.
That heavier bottom gives them more surface area to support their weight .... really helpful with the larger breeds.

Funny how they will soil some things and not others .... :?

Ramjet":djshned0 said:

It was just some junk I had laying around ... similar the grate of a BBQ pit. The "wire" is almost a quarter inch thick and roughly 7/16ths inch between them , just bit enough for the droppings to fall thru.

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Wow, sounds like a nice floor! I don't have any junk like that laying around, but maybe I'll find something in my travels.

Ramjet":djshned0 said:

Funny how they will soil some things and not others .... :?

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I know... weird! She has her cardboard now, which she is enjoying sitting on and eating, of course.

Miss M":1929lbv8 said:

Ramjet wrote:It was just some junk I had laying around ... similar the grate of a BBQ pit. The "wire" is almost a quarter inch thick and roughly 7/16ths inch between them , just bit enough for the droppings to fall thru.


Wow, sounds like a nice floor! I don't have any junk like that laying around, but maybe I'll find something in my travels.

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Remember someone here was talking about using the wire closet shelving racks? I haven't looked closely at them, but I think the gauge is pretty large. You might find some of those in your yardsale/thrift store travels.

I really like the aviary panels that I built my large growout pens out of. It must be like 12 gauge or something- very sturdy and has little flex.

If the sore hocks keep coming back, it could be a fungal infection. Try putting BluKote on her feet and see if it doesn't heal them up for good.

I've only had one case of a rabbit with sore hocks. She was on wire but kept soiling her resting board so the board was the actual culprit. I cleaned it every day but it wasn't enough to prevent the problem. The worse she felt the more she'd huddle on the board because the wire was more painful to sore hocks. I took out the board for a good sterilizing and drying, packed her cage 3-4" deep with hay (wasteful, I know but it worked) for close to 2 weeks and fluffed it several times each day to keep the waste falling through, put the board back when she was able to hop freely instead of huddling in 1 spot like she'd been doing and took out the hay bedding. That was enough time for the hocks to heal, the board to lose any dampness or infection and the bunny to forget to use the board as a toilet.

MamaSheepdog":wh0lrei0 said:

Remember someone here was talking about using the wire closet shelving racks? I haven't looked closely at them, but I think the gauge is pretty large. You might find some of those in your yardsale/thrift store travels.

I really like the aviary panels that I built my large growout pens out of. It must be like 12 gauge or something- very sturdy and has little flex.

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Yes, I do remember that! Thanks! You never know what you'll see at a yard sale...

OneAcreFarm":wh0lrei0 said:

If the sore hocks keep coming back, it could be a fungal infection. Try putting BluKote on her feet and see if it doesn't heal them up for good.

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Ooooooooo, I hadn't thought of that. Is Farnam Wound-Kote Blue Lotion Spray http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/f ... ssing-5-oz close enough to Blu-Kote? It isn't exactly the same.

Would you wait and see if the sore hocks return, or would you go ahead and treat? Because it is healed skin there now. No fur, but skin. I hope it's all healed up under the skin.

arachyd":wh0lrei0 said:

I've only had one case of a rabbit with sore hocks. She was on wire but kept soiling her resting board so the board was the actual culprit. I cleaned it every day but it wasn't enough to prevent the problem. The worse she felt the more she'd huddle on the board because the wire was more painful to sore hocks. I took out the board for a good sterilizing and drying, packed her cage 3-4" deep with hay (wasteful, I know but it worked) for close to 2 weeks and fluffed it several times each day to keep the waste falling through, put the board back when she was able to hop freely instead of huddling in 1 spot like she'd been doing and took out the hay bedding. That was enough time for the hocks to heal, the board to lose any dampness or infection and the bunny to forget to use the board as a toilet.

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Yes, I did the hay thing too, last time she got sore hocks! Worked pretty well. Interesting that it might be okay to put a board back in there now. I'll have to think about that. She has a flattened tea box right now, which she seems to be happy with.

I have used tri-bar flooring [hog flooring] for rabbits, it has 1/2 inch wide flat top bars, welded 1/2 inch apart, it is the most support I have ever seen that also let poop fall through.

trying out your idea my momma bunn has sore hocks, wasn't sure how to treat. I have the cardboard liner and lots of grass but she was just laying around and not wanting to be on her feet. can't stand it when any of them is in pain. So here is what ghost looks like...all I had was black socks,Grandson was in a black sock phase.Just treated tonight will see how it goes. She is such a sweet bunny. Thanks for the information!!!

michaels4gardens":3ghdhrl9 said:

I have used tri-bar flooring [hog flooring] for rabbits, it has 1/2 inch wide flat top bars, welded 1/2 inch apart, it is the most support I have ever seen that also let poop fall through.

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Thank you! I'll look that stuff up!

katiebear":3ghdhrl9 said:

trying out your idea my momma bunn has sore hocks, wasn't sure how to treat. I have the cardboard liner and lots of grass but she was just laying around and not wanting to be on her feet. can't stand it when any of them is in pain. So here is what ghost looks like...all I had was black socks,Grandson was in a black sock phase.Just treated tonight will see how it goes. She is such a sweet bunny. Thanks for the information!!!

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Oh, wow, I sure hope it helps Ghost like it's helped Fluff! We just changed her socks again yesterday, and the swelling has gone down more in the one foot, and the sores are still gone. Just pink skin. No fur, but no sores, either. I don't know if the fur would ever come back, but if the socks keep working, I'll be happy.

Fluffy had gotten like that, too. Hardly up on her feet at all. Obviously in pain. She doesn't seem to be in any discomfort now... I actually saw her doing BINKIES the other night! This is not a young bunny, nor is this a small bunny! Needless to say, that was hilarious. And it sure warmed the heart to see her bouncing around on her feet!

I love the cute picture of Ghost with her little black socks on!!!

My rabbits don't have sore hocks but this thread made me really want to put socks on them anyway- the photos are so cute

Other thoughts I have...
I wonder if 17+ umf Manuka honey would be good for sore hocks. Has anyone tried it? Vets use it to pack abscesses in rabbits so I'm thinking it would cure sore hocks. Its supposed to be anti-fungal too. Plus its also used to treat infected foot sores on diabetics and bed sores in humans.