sore / cut on rabbits foot

Question
hi ive two dwarf lop house rabbits aged three one of them has developed what looks to me as a sore on the bottom of her foot well both feet in the same position were the sore/bare skin is surrounded by a bold patch one even showing signs of bleeding. i must stress she shows no sign of distress but  is still of huge concern to me

Answer
Hi Steve,

I am assuming you are talking about spots on the rear legs (the hocks).

In either case, you need to get your rabbit in to a good rabbit vet as soon as you can.  I say that because these are minor problems if left untreated are going to turn into something that she can lose part of her rear leg to infection.  The fact one is bleeding shows this is becoming a serious problem and blood infections are a very real possibility now.

Rabbits are always resting on their rear feet unless they are stretched out.  They sit on them and many resting positions still have them in contact with surfaces.  Friction wears away fur there, and because the fur is always in contact with carpet, cage flooring, etc, it never gets a chance to grow back.  Skin gets exposed and can get irritated and bleed.

You need to get to a good rabbit vet for treatment and I would think they will want to give some antibiotics to make sure there is no blood infection developing, possibly some pain medicine, and also to wrap her hocks to let them heal.

Other things you'll need to probably do is make sure she's on softer bedding - no bare cage floors or rough surfaces.  Medical pet bedding or synthetic sheepskin bedding is washable and very soft.  the other thing to make sure of with the vet is that she is not overweight.  Overweight rabbits are more prone to wearing away fur on their hocks because of the extra weight on their hocks.  If she is overweight discuss with the vet how to reduce her calories (basically reducing her pellets and other high-calorie treats, and increasing her time out for exercise).

If you need to find a good rabbit vet near you, start here:

www.rabbit.org/vets/vets.html

Not all vets are good rabbit vets, start there for House Rabbit recommended vets.