rascalsmom

I think that page defaults to priority shipping...if you change it to regular shipping it's much less.

How big is your dog, and what size did you get?

...and I know there are many. I just found about about these: Cushy-Paw Slippers, and I am thinking of ordering a pair for Jack. Has anyone bought these, and if so, are they worth it? I am looking for something to give him relief around the house. He limps terribly. Hulling buys him a mere week of relief, then it's back to limping.

I don't fully understand your husband's work-from-home situation, but why can't he just give her scheduled potty breaks, and if she poops, pick it up? Keep the dog door shut. If he's home, a couple of potty breaks during the day won't take him that long....again, I know nothing of his work situation, so this is just a suggestion. She might even enjoy the five minute 'attention' break, and be calmer in the long run, who knows?

Rascal used to have a lot of 'girl problems', too. A couple of years ago--and she is 11.5 now--the vet suggested the surgery. I didn't want to do that, and asked to try something else topically, some type of ointment. The vet agreed, and prescribed Animax ointment. We had to apply it twice daily--the vet showed us how to pull back that overlying skin to get the ointment where it needed to be. It really worked for her, and she's not had any trouble since. Prior to that she was treated for a UTI. She never had incontinence issues with it, so I can't address that part of your problem. But the ointment really gave her a lot of relief.

This might be similar. I had Ruby at the vet last week, and my DD noticed her one toe seemed to be pointing more toward the side. The vet looked at it, and said it could just be that she injured it at some point, and had a little tendon damage...and it just healed that way. The tendon is basically stretched a little on one side of the toe, so the toe points the other direction somewhat.

That's another reason I hesitate to do the surgery---or an amputation. I have read about people doing the amp, only to have a corn appear on the other toe! THAT would be a nightmare.

Boy, you aren't kidding that it sucks. How old is your dog? Jack is five. I was so hoping that, with a younger dog (my girls are 11) I would be able to take long walks with him...instead, we rarely walk at all. I keep thinking, there has to be SOMETHING that will help, but nothing does. It is incredibly frustrating. When I took my girls to the vet, she looked at Ruby's teeth and said it was time for her annual dental, and then she said, "I don't know what's worse, Ruby's bad teeth and gum disease, or Jack's corns". My response? The corns are way worse. At least with the teeth, there is a period of time, post-dental, when things are not quite so bad. With the corns, it's ALWAYS painful--or 99% of the time anyway.

I think that is why our vet is saying he should get the corn surgically removed, since he gets such a small window of relief. I really, really don't want to do the surgery on him. From everything I've read, they usually come back anyway, so why put him through that??

Jack had about a week of no limping--once he recovered from the initial 'trauma' of the hulling. He started to limp about 10 days after the hulling. Donna, thanks for the info about Dr. Radcliffe. Wheeling isn't that far from here. I am desperate to find some way to get rid of these evil corns!!

I used the corn/callous treatment on Jack for several months. It didn't work for him. I'm currently using bee propolis tincture--using it the way inugrey does. Jack is limping terribly again, less than two weeks after his hulling.

I'm so sorry to hear this, Kari.

Rascal is 11, and will be 12 in May, hopefully. She has been with us for nine years, after being with the world's most awesome foster parents (Nancy and Doug) after she retired from her very brief career. So whatever happens, and whenever it happens, I know she's had a great life, and she's been treated like a princess.

The vet also mentioned to me that she was surprised it took this long to come back (1.5 years). I thought it odd, since at the time, she said, 'it usually comes back, but hopefully it won't in Rascal's lifetime'. Then again, that surgery was one month after Elizabeth died, and I'm sure she didn't want to add to my problems....

Rascal's cancer, that is. She had surgery in May '09 for hemangiopericytoma, and I noticed the day after Christmas that the area was very red, and there was a small 'blister'. Took her for a checkup today, and the vet confirmed my suspicion. It's back. She (the vet) also found a second nodule, which is attached to muscle. This is apparently not a good sign. Even though Rascal could use a dental, she doesn't feel we should do it...and that, to me, says a lot. She also pointed out that it could stay as it is for quite a while, or it could very suddenly get worse.

You might check your dog's feet. Maybe a corn has developed, and it hurts to walk on the harder surface.

Oh, Hope. No matter what happens, you can know you did everything you could for Princess. Perhaps she just wanted to be at home again, before she goes. You're in my prayers.

Thank you, Colleen, for the information. I'll try it. I am desperate to do anything to avoid surgery. I am not convinced it's the right thing to do AT ALL.

This is pretty much what I do--duct tape is on almost all the time, except for when he takes it off, which is rare. My vet said the 'laser' would be surgery....don't know if your vet has a different method or what. When you use the bee propolis, what is your method of application? I have some of that, but haven't found a good way to get it to stay on. And I don't think duct tape would stick over top of the bee propolis. The more I hear about corns, the less I want to go the surgical route.

Jack was to see the vet again today. He'd been limping horribly on his left front leg. She hulled all three of his corns--one on each front foot, one on a back foot--and said the worst one is really deep, she cannot hull it ALL out. She recommends doing surgery on that one. I really don't want to do that. Everything I have read about it, with the exception of maybe two cases, is not good--the corn nearly always comes back. The vet told me "about 50%" come back. Those aren't terrific odds. And the recovery period is very long and painful. She said if we chose surgery, and the corn came back, then we could amputate that toe. Not a great choice either, particularly because this is a weight-bearing toe, not an outside toe. Also, if start amputating toes, he could quickly be minus three toes! I have had his corns hulled four or five times since June; tried the "miracle corn cream" [didn't work]; and I've used duct tape. The duct tape seems to have the most effect--I'm able to peel off some of the corn a couple of times a week--but still he limps. Today I bought some bag balm, in the hopes that it might at least make it feel a little better for him. I am at a loss. In the meantime, he'll be on rimadyl.

OH, Hope....I'm sorry the update isn't better. Still praying for your girl, and for you too.

What wonderful news, Hope!!

So glad to hear she's feeling better, and has EATEN!!

Great news!!

I just noticed this thread. Spindle cell tumors are one of the types that Dr. Couto has had success treating with his 5FU treatment. This involves injecting a mixture of the 5FU chemo and an oil directly into the tumor. This is typically done about 4 times. Since it is not a general chemo dogs typically have no (or perhaps very minor) side effects. These types of tumors may also respond to radiation. So please contact him for more information. Here is all of the contact info: Here is info on how to contact Dr. Couto and his team. The email or phone consult is free, however a few people have been told they must sign up for the website ($50) and submit the request that way. Dr. Couto tells me that this is not true. However, if you are a member of their website, please submit your request that way because it will automate things and make record keeping for them easier. Certain chemo drugs are free; you would need to pay to have them administered. Greyhound Health and Wellness Program Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine 601 Vernon Tharp Street Columbus, Ohio 43210 Phone: (614) 247-6757 or (614) 247-8490 Email: greyosu@osu.edu Website: http://www.vet.ohio-state.edu/GHWP.htm (registration and fee now required to get full access to this site) This email goes to the team. If Dr. Couto is traveling, you may get a quicker answer from one of his team members. Drs. Marin and Zaldivar typically respond to greyhound owners. The consult is free but if you can afford to support the program please do so. You can sign up for full access to the website ($99 per calendar year) or donate through the giving page on the website. If you decide to donate, you can double your money by giving through the Greyhound Project. They will match the funds that you donate. Just go to this website and scroll down to the appropriate donation button: http://www.adopt-a-greyhound.org/donate.shtml. The Team: Dr. Couto, Department Head, Greyhound Medicine, Oncology and Hematology Dr. Lili Marin, Greyhound Health and Oncology Dr. Sara Zaldivar, Greyhound Health and Oncology Dr. William Kisselberth, Oncology Dr. Cheryl London, Oncology Dr. Cristina Iazbik, Blood Bank Director and Hematologist Dr. Bridget Urie, Oncology Resident Dr. Matt Sherger, Oncology Resident Dr. Joelle Fenger, Oncology Resident Dr. Roberta Portela, Oncology Resident Dawn Hudson, Vet Tech Ashley DeFelice, Vet Tech Stacey Gallant, Vet Tech Drs Marin and Zaldivar are originally from Spanish speaking countries. If you have trouble understanding them over the phone, you might ask for one of the other vets or vet techs to “translate”. Dr. Couto's direct email is: couto.1@osu.edu His phone number is also 614-247-6757. If he is in town, he typically returns emails in the early hours of the morning. You should know that (in my humble opinion) they need more staff. Unfortunately finances do not permit it at this time. They do 20 to 30 greyhound consults a day along with all of their "in canine" patients. Depending on their workload there may be a wait for the consultation. If you are contacting them on an emergency basis, please let them know. If you want to make an appointment to be seen in person/canine, you can call the main number to set up a date/time. The main number for the veterinary hospital is 614-292-3551. If you decide to visit OSU please contact me. I may be able to put you up in a local home, provide moral support, or just help with logistics: Finewhipador-drool@yahoo.com Thanks so much for this information. I will most definitely ask our vet about doing this, if I am right in thinking her cancer is back (or more correctly, "active", since this wasn't a defined mass, but tendrils). Our vet studied at OSU under Dr. C., so I would bet she'd be willing to work with them.