Treating Corns

[Guest mtnbluebird]

I just called ANOTHER vet. Folsom had a "mystery" limp since November. I suspected it was a corn all along, but we got X-rays just in case (they came back clean) and the orthopedic specialist vet thought it was either a slipped disc or nerve cancer, since the x-rays didn't show anything suspicious. We opted just to give him some pain killers instead of doing an MRI. Well fast forward a few months and a nice big fat corn has emerged on the foot he's been limping on, specifically the toe that was tender. I just called a new vet (recommended to us by our adoption agency) to make sure they knew that dogs can get corns and to see what their treatment is (the first vet in this chain of vets said "dogs don't get corns, and greyhounds dont get afflicted with greyhound-specific mystery illnesses")

 

Well they do see greyhounds with corns all the time, but the typical treatment that is prescribed is just a medicated corn pad. I'm wondering if this will help? I've been using Mushers Secret, a balm for paws on him, but it seems to have no effect. His limping varies from day to day, sometimes its way worse than others. We'd really like to take them both for walks longer than half a mile, but after a quarter mile Folsom seems to have had it. The walk back can be a struggle with him often, and I'm thinking it's because his foot hurts.

 

Those of you with corn dogs, what treatments have vets proscribed and what's worked? I want to fix this limp but we've already spent serious money :-/

 

Thanks!

Edited June 4, 2009 by mtnbluebird

[calif_chaz]

Get a thera-paw boot for the foot with the corn. Without that we would hardly ever be able to walk Sam.

[TheFullHouse]

We had Andy's corns hulled at our vet's. It gave him quite a while of pain free walking. Unfortunately corns have a tendency to regrow and you will probably have to have them rehulled again. It's an easy procedure done right there in the vet's office.

[Guest Energy11]

WE hull all of Staggerlee's corns. He uses toddler socks and knee high booties from "The Voygers" website. This works well for us!

[Batmom]

http://www.grassmere-animal-hospital.com/corn_hulling.htm

[MaryJane]

Try Sutton Animal Hospital in Sutton MA, she (Dr. Jill) works on my greyhound that has corns and she is greyhound savvy.

 

My dog's corns are just about gone and what worked for him was she had been hulling it with a dremel and I follow up with bag balm.

 

 

[Guest amour]

Try Sutton Animal Hospital in Sutton MA, she (Dr. Jill) works on my greyhound that has corns and she is greyhound savvy.

 

My dog's corns are just about gone and what worked for him was she had been hulling it with a dremel and I follow up with bag balm.

 

 

What is bag balm?

 

What is bag balm?

[FountainLady]

You get get bag Balm at most pharmacies and farm supply stores. It comes in a small square green tin. It is a wonderful salve that works for many things - including the dreaded winter itch that people get!

 

I also echo using Bag Balm on corns! My Doc came to me with MULTIPLE corns (2-3) on each foot (poor guy!) and after I hulled them - I filled the holes left behind with Bag Balm until they closed. All of his corns disappeared, and a year and a half later, only one of them ever returned & that one was tiny, has been re-hulled and treated. I now rub bag balm on his pads every time I dremmel his nails, so I remember to keep doing it from time to time.

 

Editied to add - Doc can now walk miles on pavement with no problem at all - getting rid of the corns has made it possible for him to do so many more things with us, like walk in parades and go for long hikes.

Edited June 5, 2009 by FountainLady

[MaryJane]

Try Sutton Animal Hospital in Sutton MA, she (Dr. Jill) works on my greyhound that has corns and she is greyhound savvy.

 

My dog's corns are just about gone and what worked for him was she had been hulling it with a dremel and I follow up with bag balm.

 

 

What is bag balm?

 

What is bag balm?

 

Before I used the bag balm, I also used KeraSolv gel which is a gel that you can only get from vets. The vet also recommended a gel that you can get at a drugstore and I found the CVS exfoliating moisturizing which is in the foot care aisle. That worked pretty well. A few months ago someone mentioned on greytalk they used bag balm and I tried it and it's worked very well but, an important point is that one of the keys to any of these treatments is to get the corn hulled first. Also, your dog cannot walk on hard surfaces while you are getting it under control. On our walks, I walked on the cement and Larry walked on the grass.

 

I've found that this is not something that goes away quickly, with my Larry it's been months and months -- I think it's been more than a year by now. Maybe others can also chip in and let you know how long it took with them. This is a slow process and perseverance works!

 

Good Luck

Edited June 5, 2009 by MaryJane

[inugrey]

Kerasolv is available at your local drug store, it's what I use. If it's been mentioned on GT I've tried it and I do think that some treatments work on some dogs and don't on others. For Inu it is just a maintenance thing. He goes to the vet every six weeks or so to get the corn hulled. A few days before he goes in I'll apply the kerasolv to make removal easy and once he is hulled I'll fill the hole every day with the kerasolv until the corn has filled in again. The cycle continues like that. He has a therapaw for his walks and if it's bad he also has an indoor therapaw (both available at the GEM store).

 

He also is prone to infection in the joint/bone area and has the beginnings of arthritis in that toe so another big part of his treatment is glucosamine-Acti-Flex 4000. If I stop that for even a few days he is hobbling around the house.

 

Just some ideas to throw out for you to contemplate. Good Luck finding your best treatment these things are a nuisance, a live-able nuisance.

Edited June 5, 2009 by inugrey

[djsgreys]

On another corn thread I saw read about success in eliminating corns by using Bee Propolis. I have two girls with recurring corns, hulled repeatedly, tried bag balm - had limited success with tea tree oil. We are currently on day 10 of 30 on the Bee Propolis. The corns on both girls are significantly smaller.

 

Janet - foxysmom - supplied me with the information re dosage etc and she has had good success with it.

[Guest mtnbluebird]

I asked the receptionist if they did hulling, and she said that usually they just suggested a corn pad. Thanks for the therapaw boot, I'll measure his foot and order one ASAP. Hopefully that will give him some comfort! Unfortunately it's at least a $200 visit just to get him in the door (they insist on doing a full physical and charge accordingly) and I'm not sure they do hulling. I'll print out the grassmere's article to show the vet. I've been using mushers secret but maybe bag balm will work better. Thanks for your input :-)

[Guest Spencers_Greyt]

I have Buzz's corn hulled once a month by a vet tech friend for free but I would still do it even if it cost me something. You can also have the vet show you how to do it yourself.

 

 

[Guest amour]

On another corn thread I saw read about success in eliminating corns by using Bee Propolis. I have two girls with recurring corns, hulled repeatedly, tried bag balm - had limited success with tea tree oil. We are currently on day 10 of 30 on the Bee Propolis. The corns on both girls are significantly smaller.

 

Janet - foxysmom - supplied me with the information re dosage etc and she has had good success with it.

 

 

I read up on the benefits of Bee Propolis and it makes sense to me. However, there's topical and oral forms of it. Which one did you use? How much of it for a 70lbs boy?

Thanks

[Xan]

Yes, what's the dosage info for the propolis? I tried using it topically on Wabi's corn, and I think it may have helped, but I didn't have a good way of keeping it ON. How do you keep Propolis or Bag Balm on, for that matter?

 

Wabi has therapaws, indoor and outdoor styles (though the indoor ones are a pain, since they twist and flop around on her skinny little foot). They make it possible for her to walk with the rest of the gang at all, even between corn growth (she has a knuckled under foot, as well).

 

I have hulled Wabi's just with my fingernails, usually after it's been damp for a bit (walking in wet grass, or in a damp boot). The last time, she'd been MISERABLE for weeks by the time I could get it. When I pulled it out, it bled! First time for that! But, a few days later, she perked up so much it's like she's a new pup all over again!

Edited June 10, 2009 by Xan

[Guest KennelMom]

Our vet had never seen a corn on a dog until our crew came along. I came prepared with the printed out grassmere info on corns. I regret waiting so long to try hulling b/c it really did provide relief for our corn doggies. Luckily with Grandpa, it never grew back. We lost Casino to osteo shortly after having her corns hulled, so I don't know how long the corn relief would have been for her.

 

Before I got up the nerve to try the hulling, we would manage Annie's corns by dremelling down the corn till it was level with the rest of the pad and apply protect-a-pad daily. DH swears by the protect-a-pad stuff, but I think any moisturizer type balm, like bag balm, would have worked just as well.

Edited June 10, 2009 by KennelMom

[Rustyroo]

On another corn thread I saw read about success in eliminating corns by using Bee Propolis. I have two girls with recurring corns, hulled repeatedly, tried bag balm - had limited success with tea tree oil. We are currently on day 10 of 30 on the Bee Propolis. The corns on both girls are significantly smaller.

 

Janet - foxysmom - supplied me with the information re dosage etc and she has had good success with it.

 

 

That's what I have been using on Solo's corn. It is dramatically smaller to the point that if I didn't know it was there, I wouldn't think he had one.

[sweetdogs]

I've started using the propolis on Conor's corn & I think it works like all the other substances - by softening up the pad so you can dig out a little at a time. I use the propolis topically (it's meant to be consumed orally- it a 65% tincture) by putting it on a little bandaid (the square shaped ones called Clear Spots) & putting it directly on the corn. He leaves it on long enough for the stuff to sink in & then removes them when I'm not looking. I find them attached to his body, on the floor, on the couch...

[Guest MZH]

Our vet had never seen a corn on a dog until our crew came along. I came prepared with the printed out grassmere info on corns. I regret waiting so long to try hulling b/c it really did provide relief for our corn doggies. Luckily with Grandpa, it never grew back. We lost Casino to osteo shortly after having her corns hulled, so I don't know how long the corn relief would have been for her.

 

Before I got up the nerve to try the hulling, we would manage Annie's corns by dremelling down the corn till it was level with the rest of the pad and apply protect-a-pad daily. DH swears by the protect-a-pad stuff, but I think any moisturizer type balm, like bag balm, would have worked just as well.

 

This must be a South Carolina thing as well as a greyhound thing; the two vets in our practice have never seen corns either -- until our Rita came up with one in May. She'd been limping off and on for months. We x-rayed the pads looking for it/them them, but hers never showed on x-ray. One day it just emerged, clear as day!

 

I'm ready to try the bee propolis. I did read that it can be bad if allergic to bees. Has anyone had a bad reaction? If so, would Benedryl nip it in the bud? I think our vets will use the Grassmere protocol if I ask them to, but the propolis sounds so much better!

[Guest MZH]

To those who've used bee propolis: who's had luck with the external application and who's had luck with the pill (capsule, I guess) version?

 

Also, where did you buy the propolis?

[Xan]

Bumping for MZH's question (and mine! )

 

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[Guest ronansmom]

Whenever Ronan gets a corn its always on the same back foot. I soak the foot and use KeraSolv (which I bought on line). I'll cover the foot with a Therapaw bootie for walks and with a felt bootie for inside the house. This treatment works for him.

[Guest FatCatSkinnyDog]

Rajah has a therapaw for when the corn gets painful, but I found that duct tape works well. I put a bit on and change it out every night. It took a while for the big one to go away, but the new reoccurence isn't quite as bad. He can walk outside without the therapaw for short walks. I also have the ... shoot - the stuff for human cold sores... that was recommended here at one point. I put that on where the corn came off and it helped stave it off for a while. I might try bag balm.. I have to stop through Walgreens tonight anyway.

[Rustyroo]

Bumping for MZH's question (and mine! )

 

:

 

 

I use the topical for Solo. The stuff I bought comes with a dropper and I just put a few drops on while he's laying down and let it soak in. I didn't even know you could use it orally.

 

I bought mine from our local nutrition store store in town that sells vitamins, etc.

[HopeForHounds]

I bought the oral version, it's a capsule. I've since learned there are different versions. Jake got 500 mg twice a day (that was actually once a day plus whenever my DH remembered) in about 6 weeks his corn disapeared.

 

As someone mentioned, some treatments work well for some dogs and not for others. I bought it at our local grocery store in their organic section, but most health food stores sell it.