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I have an Angora rabbit who is three years old. I just got her from another home, so I don't know much about her medical history.

I noticed when I got her home today that she has a sore on her back right leg. It is scabbed in the middle, but raw around it. I am not sure how she got it.

enter image description here

That's what it looks like currently. I tried cleaning it with a cotton pad soaked in lightly salted water - I just held the pad in place without rubbing it, she basically just sat with it against the affected area. She didn't react as if she was in pain when I did it.

I've noticed her eating and drinking fine, and everything seems normal, but I want to make sure there isn't something else that I should be doing.

Is there anything else I can do to help my rabbit?

stephi
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2 Answers2

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There's a chance that it's sore hocks (the latin term for this is a mouthful) which is a wound that is not uncommon for rabbits raised in wire cages or on hard floors or carpeting. Unfortunately, it's a little hard to tell with the photo (fair warning, a few of us are also serious photographers, we may need to educate there :D).

So, some things to help:

  1. Get her to a vet for a peek. Always a wise idea when there's a wound that you cannot immediately explain.

  2. Ensure that her bedding is clean, it's soft, and it's dry.

  3. Ensure that she has plenty of fresh greens to eat (e.g. carrot tops, dandelion greens, etc.) to keep her eating properly which will help the healing process.

  4. Monitor the wound closely.

  5. Take her to the vet. Yes, I know, I mentioned that, but it's a wise thing to do. If she needs to be bandaged up, a possibility, then probably best to let a pro do it. Also, if she's in pain, the vet can make some medications available.

Point 2 is really a very important thing. Clean, dry, bedding prevents infection and inhibits continuance of the wound so, no matter what, this is needed. Do not apply medications, topical or otherwise, without the guidance of a vet.

Joanne C
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If it is sore hooks which it does look like, I'd recommend a trip to the vets to confirm this, a good solution is to dab a little sudocrem onto the infected area. I have done this for both rabbits and guinea pigs sores and it always works.

Georgie
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