Those of you who have a bunny or are thinking of welcoming one into your home will be very interested in this article on our site. As responsible owners of these long-eared furry, you must inform yourself as much as possible about their needs, problems, diseases and management, among other things. Next we will talk about one of the most common diseases in rabbits, especially in those that spend too much time in their cages and in conditions that are not really the most suitable.
If you have ever seen that your rabbit's feet are peeling and have some wounds, pay attention to what might be happening, what you can do to heal it and how you can avoid it. We are going to tell you all about the plantar corns of rabbits, treatment and prevention of these.
What are rabbit calluses?
Plantar calluses on the feet of rabbits are ulcers that occur on the soles of their four legs, but especially on the rear ones. It is a bacterial infection called pododermatitis that occurs in calluses that open and bleed. The specimens that suffer the most are the adults of the heavy breeds and the rex breed because they normally have very little hair on the soles of their feet. This disease is almost impossible to stop in advanced cases.
Rabbits that suffer from it suffer a lot from ulcers, since they are open wounds that bleed and never close on their own. In addition, they gradually but steadily lose weight and become so weak that they even lose fertility due to a physiological disorder since the body cannot encompass all the effort involved in maintaining all vital functions. The bacteria that cause it are highly contagious among rabbits, so if we have more than one it will be vital to separate them and maintain safe hygiene when handling the one that is sick.
What causes plantar calluses on rabbit feet?
The cause of this disease is mainly the mismanagement and maintenance of these jumping animals. Due to the trauma caused by an inadequate cage floor, the soles of the rabbits' feet end up with wounds that become contaminated with bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus, giving rise to pododermatitis. Occasionally it can spread to the bone and cause osteomyelitis and septicemia, which is very painful for rabbits that suffer from it and therefore they become weaker and stop moving. It occurs in animals that spend too much time in their cage.
How to prevent this disease?
Next we are going to tell you about a series of things to take into account in order to avoid plantar callus disease in our rabbits:
- To prevent plantar calluses in rabbits and all that this entails, we must mainly ensure that the animal has a space suitable for its sizeand in which you can move freely.
- We must avoid any floor that is lacerating for the rabbit's feet, such as metal fences and cement.
- The hygiene of the place and that of the animal is essential to maintain good he alth in our rabbit. It is necessary to avoid humidity and the accumulation of dirt on the floor of the cage. Therefore, it is advisable to disinfect the cage about twice a month with an iodized solution or a similar product.
- We have to make sure that our friend is not overweight or obese, since this considerably increases the risk of contracting this disease.
- In general, in the cage of any rabbit, it is advisable to have a leg rest, but especially in cages inhabited by breeds heavy and rex, for being more likely to suffer from this disease. This leg rest must be made of a material that cannot be broken or eaten, such as polycarbonate.
- Ideally, they should also have a base or bed of straw that is changed three times a week, since it is a much softer and malleable material that adapts perfectly to the needs of rabbits.
- Whenever we take our rabbit out of the cage to run around, play with it or bathe it, we must check the areas of the body where it is easy for it to develop problems and diseases, so we will make sure to check the soles of his feet and his legs to see any wound in time, detect plantar callus disease and be able to heal and save our companion in time.
- We must let get out of the cage and exercise their legs playing, jumping and exploring the environment for an average of a couple of hours a day. In this way, we will also avoid facilitating pododermatitis.
- We have to respect the regular visits to check up at the vet and follow the vaccination schedule of our rabbit.
How to treat plantar calluses on a rabbit?
To treat this disease effectively and save our colleague, the first thing is to have detected it in its early stages and not when it is already too advanced. We must also follow these steps to treat plantar calluses:
- The first thing to do is separate the affected bunny from the rest that we have since they could easily catch the bacteria.
- We will disinfect the cage and its surroundings.
- We will move our rabbit to a cage or area with a softer floor for its paws, which we will clean very often.
- It is very important that we make sure that he always has easy and convenient access to water and food, as he will hardly be able to move to get there himself and thus we will make his recovery much easier.
- Initially, the veterinarian will most likely administer some antibiotic by injection or oral to shock treat the disease.
- In addition, he will surely prescribe us anti-inflammatories to reduce inflammation in the animal's legs and relieve their pain while improving their general condition.
- We will clean the wounds with antiseptics also prescribed by the veterinarian, for example with quaternary ammonium or povidone-iodine at 3-4%.
- We will treat the wounds with antibiotic and healing ointments prescribed by our trusted veterinarian.
- We must keep both the animal and its environment as clean as possible.
- At the slightest sign of deterioration we should go back to the vet.
