rabbit feet HELP!

Question
I have a male, lionhead rabbit that is about 7 months old(his name is Teddy BunBuns). A couple of days ago I noticed that one of his feet had no hair and his skin looked a little red. it really scared me. it seems as if more of it falls of every day. i don't want to have to spend money on the vet unless i need to. Can you tell me what is happening?

Sincerely,
Alaina

Answer
Hi Alaina,

well, you should have him looked at by a good rabbit vet.  Most likely he needs to be on softer bedding, and/or he may be overweight.  Plus you want to make sure that there is no skin infection in them, as this kind of infection continues into the leg bones and can result in loss of the leg.

I recommend going in to have him examined, just go in for a general wellness exam, and while there, discuss his legs and the loss of fur on his hocks.  Wellness exams are not expensive and need to be done at a minimum of once a year.  Going to a good rabbit vet gives you the best care for your money.  Call tomorrow for an appointment, it may take a few days to get in.

If you need to find one, start here:

www.rabbit.org/vets/vets.html

and find a House Rabbit Society recommended vet near you.

In the meantime, if his skin has NOT cracked (very important!), you can put New Skin on his bare skin areas, and it will dry - you will need to blow on it a bit - but it will dry and help protect the skin until you can get to the vet.  If the skin has cracked, put regular petroleum jelly on it.  

But get in to the vet ASAP.  Neither of these will heal the skin or cause hair to grow back.

Lee