Sore Hocks

Pododermatitis (Sore Hock)

Sore Hock caused by Urine Scald

alternate names : in the UK Sorehocks is also called bumblefoot which is a chicken foot aliment in the united states

Etiology (cause)

Genetics are the primary cause of sore hocks. When genetics are not in play, other contributing factors are lack of sanitation, exposure to moisture, urine, feces. Humidity and moisture can lead to fungal infections that break down foot furring leading to calluses or sores. As well as not keeping up with proper grooming and nail trims which can cause pressure sores on the feet. Solid floors or uncut nails cause the toes of the feet to be pushed upwards, this position changes all the weight bearing to the rear of the heel which leads to sore hocks.

Sore hocks mainly happens to poorly bred rabbits since they do not have thick enough fur on the feet. Wire is not the problem. Incorrect types of wire flooring, carpet, fleece, or any surface that can hold moisture and bacteria is the main culprit. Please remember, even if you clean a litterbox daily, the rabbit can still touch it's urine or feces for part of that day. 

• • There are further causes for Sore Hocks. Rex rabbits have a genetic predisposition related to their short and soft fur. When there is insufficient litter in their litterbox, or when the Rex lives freely in an apartment, the hair under the feet wears off quickly and no longer offers the necessary protection [1]

Clinical Signs

Sore Hocks can be graded into 5 different stages.

Stage one: Balding and pink

The bottom of the hock/heel and possibly the front toes will become bald and pink in appearance. You should act to correct the cause now. DO NOT WAIT.

Stage two: Bald and deep inflamed red

The foot is greatly irritated. The foot is painful by this point. You'll see even more hair loss.

Stage three: Open cracks Stage. The bald area will take on a crusty cracked look. These cracks are how bacteria begin causing the larger sores you see in later stages. The foot will appear dry, crusty, it may bleed. This is immensely painful for the rabbit.

Stage four: Big wet sores. You will notice Big wet/weeping sores either on rear feet or both front and rear. Bacteria and fungus has fully attacked the damaged tissue. Think of it like bed sores in elderly people... it needs to be cleaned and padded to heal.

Stage 5: The big dry sores stage. This stage frequently has sores that go clear to the underlying bone. The sore scabs over. Stops weeping/bleeding and becomes a hard rock of infection. Rabbits can go into GI stasis from the pain this inflicts. Rabbits will try their best to avoid standing. If they are standing, they will show signs of pain (grinding teeth, ears pinned back, squinted eyes, lack of movement)

Prevention, Treatment and Control

To prevent sore hocks, put your rabbit in a wire cage with a properly gauged wire floor. Proper Gauge wire will measure 1" by 1/2 inch grid spacing using a 12-16 gauge Galvanized After Weld smooth wire mesh. These floors are ideal for the majority of rabbits because they allow a soft surface , cushioned floor, and allowance for urine and feces to drop out of the cage away from the rabbit. This in turn prevents urine scald or soiling surfaces keeping the rabbit cleaner, drier and preventing sore hock lesions.

Here is a quote from Welfare and the intensive production of rabbits by J.-P. MORISSE and R. MAURICE *

"Types of flooring and foot lesions: . . . . The adoption of wire-mesh cages was a decisive step in the transition from traditional to specialized husbandry, making it possible to increase the number of animals by reducing the labor requirement. Wire-mesh walls do not create any special problem, as they even allow social contact between animals (only males require solid walls to prevent conflicts), but flooring has been studied closely to reduce the occurrence of foot lesions.

Such lesions, which are a major cause of culling of breeding stock, commence with skin erosion at the tarsus and usually result in scab formation. The posture adopted by an affected animal clearly demonstrates the discomfort and suffering produced by this lesion.

Manufacturers of flooring have assisted in solving this problem by adopting strict rules for the flooring of cages for breeding stock, namely: - abandonment of 19 x 19 mm square mesh - adoption of 75 x 12.5 mm rectangular mesh, allowing a better sitting posture - using wire of not less than 2.4 mm in diameter - removing all roughness from soldered joints.

For their part, breeders have taken into account morphological criteria, such as size and quality of paws, and density of the hair coat to reduce the incidence of foot lesions.

In recent years, breeders have started to use plastic grid floors for males, and often for females as well (Ph. Le Cerf, personal communication), to provide better comfort for the animals and solve the problem of foot lesions."

http://www.oie.int/doc/ged/D8877.PDF

Treatment:

When Sore Hocks are initially found you need to assess the cause (see cause section above)

• Genetics: a rabbit has thin, narrow and poorly furred feet. If your rabbit is on proper wire flooring with resting mats and keeps getting sore hocks, do not breed it. A rabbit with poor genetics should be culled. There is no treatment for genetic sore hocks. Rabbits with this condition will continue to develop sores on all surfaces. It is kinder to release these animals from their suffering through culling/euthanasia.

• Improper Flooring: Your rabbit is on a solid bottom cage,carpet,fleece, flannel, or is being housed on improper wire such as hardware cloth. Carpet and Fleece/Flannel rugs are actually a HARD flooring surface becuse they are on a solid floor with no give. These surfaces cause rugburn by wearing the fur off the rabbit's feet. Improper wire works the same way. Hardware cloth, a thin small grid wire, will also rub the fur off a rabbits feet and is not recommended as a floor wire for rabbit cages.

• Fungal Infections : Rabbits in a wet or humid environment, putting feet in water bowls, sitting in litterboxes, etc. may develop Fungal infections. This can lead to hair loss on the foot bottom, but is easily treated with antifungal creams, athletes foot cream or spray, or monistat/miconazole cream (yeast infection cream).

We have identified the cause, corrected the sources of the sore hocks...now how do we fix the feet?:

Know this recipe: Triple Whammy Cream

1large tube neosporin. 1large tube hydrocortisone cream. 1 tube 7 day miconazole cream. Combined in a sealable wide mouth jar, squeeze all tubes in and mix thoroughly until well combined and uniform. Keep jar sealed, keep jar in cool dry place.

For the first 3 days apply triple whammy cream to the feet and wrap with gauze and vet wrap, be careful not to cut off circulation wrapping. Make your wrap firm, but loose enough to allow proper blood flow. For the next 3 days place the rabbit in a wire bottomed cage with correct gauge wire and plastic rest mats covering the whole bottom of the cage. Make sure that you are keeping the feet clean and dry. After removing the wraps continue to apply Triple whammy cream daily for the next week. Then keep your rabbits area as clean as possibly while the fur grows back over the next few weeks. Some rabbits may take a month or more to recover.

• Urine scald: Rabbits kept with litter boxes or in unsanitary conditions where they can sit in their own filth will develop sore hocks. The dampness from the urine and feces will quickly wear the fur off a rabbit's feet and cause lesions.

Give your rabbit a foot bath in lightly medicated WARM water using hospital wound wash. DRY your rabbit Thoroughly, then apply Triple whammy cream to the feet and wrap with gauze and vet wrap. Re-wrap in fresh dressing daily for the next 3 days. For the next 3 days, place the rabbit in a wire bottom cage with correct gauge wire and plastic rest mats covering the whole bottom of the cage. Make sure that you are keeping the feet clean and dry. After removing the wraps continue to apply triple whammy cream daily for the next week. Then keep your rabbit's area as clean as possibly while the fur grows back over the next few weeks.

References

[1] Pododermatitis, a difficult problem in rabbits... June 2014

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322921675_Pododermatitis_a_difficult_problem_in_rabbits?fbclid=IwAR280I8fDMplVwCYllgNyGVO6Mw5Fck5iAkF12I3K9IvsT5ImnI2ehXLW3I

[2] Assessing Ulcerative Pododermatitis of Breeding Rabbits

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4494398/?fbclid=IwAR1ztqTUijy8ajJv3B4zfL3g-P2I_h7-W998kTWCyYQWSQkc_2EaTcTpTyg

Testimonies

Testimony from CKS Rabbitry https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8RFtxVd/

Treatment of urine scalded feet using wire cages https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8RF3RMM/ https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8RFEh5T/

Demonstration of rabbit feet https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8RFtX4v/