LBass

I have a similar situation--hounds and a cat. I uses regular baby gates (adjustable, pressure mounted and easy to take up & down). I stack one on top of the another across a hallway entrance to keep the cat in his part of the house when I'm away. At night I use a single pressure mounted baby gate across the bedroom door but I mount it about 8 inches up off the floor. This permits my cat to come and go at night and if need be to nip under the gate if one of the hounds is feeling playful (sometimes in the morning). baby gate link I uses these, though I don't have the extra tall or wide ones. They are sturdy and last very nicely. Sounds like you and Baron are doing great! Just as an explanation, I baby gate the dogs into the bedroom with me at night because I don't want epileptic Piper to leave the bedroom and have a seizure where I might not hear him. --Lucy

MoMo's healing is going pretty well. The stitches are holding so far and there is no discharge or foul smell. However, I'm having the dickens of a time keeping her off that foot. Daily bandage changes continue to reveal a small amount of dried blood on the gauze padding, so I'm afraid she's being too bouncy and active. The trouble is that she does it even in the house. She was spinning and jumping up on me this morning. I'm trying to keep a lid on her exuberance because I really want this pad to heal well. I may have to resort to keeping her leashed up even in the house. --Lucy

I'm so glad that you've got a caring compassionate vet as an alternative. Kudos to your lovely landlady as well. I'm sure that having access to the backyard will give Mable some relief. If the vet is uncomfortable with the thought of hulling all the corns, perhaps he could try hulling some and filing the rest? Sending you and Mable all the best thoughts and prayers that relief is on its way. Good luck with your research on corns. --Lucy

About the hulling...my vet had never done it before but he had heard of it. This is how he approached it. He had me soak MoMo's corn foot in an solution of epsom salts & water daily for several days (5) to soften her pad and the corn. I also put Bag Balm on it the pad to keep it moist between the soaks. Then Mo and I went in to the office and soaked that foot in an antiseptic & water solution for a few minutes. Then the vet sat down on the floor with me and we started the hulling procedure. The soaking had helped give us a clear visual demarcation between corn tissue and paw pad tissue. We had MoMo lie down on a towel on the floor. There was no anesthesia and she was only a tiny bit uncomfortable once during the procedure. He took a dental tool called an elevator (I think) and gently eased the corn tissue away from the healthy pad tissue, going around and around the corn, and going bit deeper each time around, just easing the corn away from the pad. After a quite a bit of this gentle seperation he was able to pull the corn out. There was a very little bit of blood and there probably shouldn't have been any but he and I were learning. If the hulling had worked for MoMo we were thinking that they'd order the dental tools for me (the elevators come in different sizes) and I'd do the hulling at home. Having watched it, I think I could have done it myself so it is really not a surgical technique at all, and is not something you should hesitate to try. Unfortunately, for MoMo the hulling didn't get us even a day free of limping from the corn and the limping it causes. However, clearly it is a technique that works for lots of dogs and the sheer number of corns your poor girl has makes this an appealing approach to at least try. The Abreva sounds like a good possibility to pair with the hulling. As for your vet...she was annoyed that you came back yet again for help with painful corns? My vet would have been so sorry we were having to come back for painful corns and would have been looking for a new approach to treating them. It might be time to consider looking for a new vet. No one knows everything but having a vet who is willing to research and consult with others and to willingly follow up on information you bring in is vital, IMO, when trying to manage serious health issues. A vet who is not compassionate and who is not willing to look beyond what he/she already knows is worse than useless. --Lucy

My heart goes out to you and poor Mable. What a nightmare for both of you. Let us know what your vet says, OK? I will mention one thing that I heard second hand. Apparently Dr. James Radcliff, who is a grey-experienced vet, mentioned at Sandy Paws using Emla Cream (a local anesthetic cream) to help with corn pain while you work your way through the various treatment and management option. I'm not sure whether it is OTC or prescription but it might be worth discussing with your vet. Also, I know what you mean about not wanting to leave the Therapaw booties on 24/7. Therapaw also makes "Cushy Paws" that have the padded bottom of the booties but the top part is a soft fleece. They are meant for indoor wear and I don't worry about leaving them on for long periods of time and just putting the Therapaws on for outdoor walks. http://www.therapaw.com/cushy-pawslippers.aspx MoMo is currently wearing a Cushy Paw over her bandaged foot for added cushioning and protection. --Lucy

MoMo had the second surgery to remove this corn yesterday and came through it beautifully. She was whiny when I picked her up at the vet's office and I was concerned that she was in pain. Later it became clear that she was mostly hungry. She settled to nap after eating a light supper, only getting up to take her meds and grab the chicken breast off my dinner plate. This morning she is her bouncy and happy self. She's still not putting much weight on that foot but I would not expect her to at this point since it must be quite painful still. The vet said that he's gotten 2+ millimeter margins of healthy tissue on the sides of the corn and had gone all the way down to the toe tendon so there is every reason to think that he got all the corn tissue. She's got antibiotics and pain meds and I"m to do daily bandage changes. I'm home with her today--ostensibly doing yard work on a gorgeous spring day but mostly nursing MoMo and keeping my fingers crossed that she is going to recover well and we'll never see that stinking corn again! --Lucy

4My2Greys, thank you for the information about Manuka honey. I'll be sure to get some since I think that the nursing care after Mo's surgery is going to be critical to her recovering well. Thank you all for the reports of good results and for sharing and venting about the PITA that is greyhound corns. I'm anxious to have this surgery safely behind her and I'm not looking forward to having to give breakfast to the other hounds tomorrow and not feed MoMo. The stink eye and the hurt looks will be an unpleasant way to start the day. I hope they are the worst part of the day for her and for me as well. Shermanator, I so appreciate your cautionary tale about poor Patton's experience. I've really struggled about this decision and I'll be kicking myself if we end up having to amputate the toe in the end. Sometimes it is so hard to know what the best decision is going to be. --Lucy

Too true. I do have a Therapaw for Mo and it does help when we're taking walks--she lived in the Therapaw at Sandy Paws. I don't like to leave it on her all the time however, and the poor girl even hops and limps in the house. Kitchen and bathroom floors are hard enough to bother her and sometimes even the carpeted surfaces. I'm going to set up the crate to get ready for leach walking and head out to lay in supplies of bandaging supplies. The vet mentioned daily dressing changes at a minimum and I want to be scrupulously careful with her post surgery care to give her the best chance of recovery. Thanks for sharing your experiences on the corn journey. --Lucy

MoMo has a corn on one of the two middle toes on her right rear leg. It first became apparent late in January. The vet and I decided to move her coming dental up to before Sandy Paws so he could remove the corn at the same time and get her some relief from the discomfort the corn was causing. The wretched thing (the corn, not MoMo ) was back within 10 days. The vet and I were both dismayed and surprised at the speed of return. We decided to try to hull the corn, hoping that hulling would be a good maintenance approach for the corn, giving her pain relief while I tried all the various remedies that work for some corn dogs but not on others--duct tape, Bag Balm, bee propolis, Abreva, etc. The hulling was done on 2/25. The vet and I sort of did it together and MoMo was a real trooper through what had to have hurt like the dickens. A week after the hulling she was at Sandy Paws, limping and wearing her Therapaw. Through all of this, she has not had even one day without pain and limping from the corn. Not only that, but to my eye the thing is getting bigger and bigger. There is a dark area that is growing back where we hulled the corn but now far more of the surrounding pad tissue feels hard, just like the corn area. So, I took her back to the vet yesterday. He confirmed my observation that the corn now occupies at least 2/3 of the pad on the affected toe. We talked about options for our next step...try another more drastic corn removal or amputate the toe. I told Dr. McCravy what Dr. Radcliff had said about corns at Sandy Paws--that his best results with corns has been to remove them but that it requires going deep down almost to the toe tendon--and that is what we decided to try. Neither of us wants to amputate the toe unless there is no other option because it is a weight bearing toe and, if Mo is prone to corns I don't want to start removing toes she may really need if her future is corny (sorry, I couldn't resist ). Anyhow, he is concerned that it may be difficult to successfully close the tissue of the pad with stitches after the removal of the corn because of the sheer size of this blasted corn and the nature of paw pad tissue (not as stretchy as other tissue). He is still confident that her pad will heal even if the stitches fail us and that is should not cause the pain and limping that the corn does. Obviously, we'll do our best with the surgery and nursing to keep the stitches in place. I'm wondering if I may need to crate Mo when I'm at work so that I can leash walk her for potty trips rather than let her use the dog door. Anyhow, this long wailing post is mostly to ask for good thoughts for MoMo in Thursday as she has her second anesthesia in about 5 weeks. I wish I could have avoided surgery again so soon but I am also not comfortable having her limping and in obvious pain with no relief. The vet did send out the initially removed corn tissue for analysis and it is indeed "just" corn tissue--with the rapid rate of growth I had been worried about some sort of weird cancer. --Lucy

Of my 3, one does this. Even with the use of tepid water, Piper's legs appear to turn to rubber and I gently assist him as he collapses into the bottom of the tub. He is always just fine once the bathing part is finished. Interestingly enough, he didn't do this rubber legged collapse during his pre-Sandy Paws bath this year. I'm not sure what made the difference because I've always been as careful with water temperature as I was this time. Piper collapses into a miserable heap in the tub. Spirit spends his bath time trying to climb over me to get out of the tub. MoMo just leans her soggy self as close as she can to me.

I've just begun dealing with a corn on the rear paw of one of my hounds. Like you, I suspected a corn when I realized that Mo was limping on hard surfaces far more than on softer surfaces. At first I couldn't see anything odd looking on her paw pads either. However, as I applied some pressure I noticed that part of one pad felt different. It was distinctly harder to the touch (gentle finger and finger nail pressure) than other pads or even other parts of that pad. It was only after an initial corn removal by the vet that I have been able to see a clearly delineated dark area that is the corn. It still feels hard in comparison to healthy pad tissue. So, try going by touch to help you find the offending pad. --Lucy

I'm so very sorry for your loss. Run free and without pain, Kendra, and know that you are very much loved. --Lucy

I'm sorry Steak had another seizure. It gets if not easier at least a little less terrifying with time and the experience of them. Still, I always hope that somehow they'll stop happening for Piper. --Lucy

Robin, thank you for sharing the latest update on Dustin. Normal labs are good news, though I understand why you are still concerned and watching your boy like a hawk. Sending best wishes and healing thoughts for Dustin. --Lucy

I'm glad to read that Dustin seems to be feeling OK today. Waiting for results is nerve wracking. I'm hoping for good news for Dustin at the end of the wait. --Lucy

I've had great results with all 3 of mine in terms of covering bald spots. Their coats were already healthy, just a bit sparse in places. I've not seen any problem side effects.

Robin, what a terrifying experience for you and poor Dustin. Sending healing thoughts and prayers for your boy and keeping you in my thoughts as well. --Lucy

Kristen, I so sorry. --Lucy

I'm so glad to read that she is resting snuggly at the vet's office and headed home today. --Lucy

I just got through the anxiety of a dental with one of mine so I feel for you. Sending good thoughts for your handsome old guy. --Lucy

Piper, whose seizures began when he was about 2 (he's now almost 10), is always hungry after an seizure and getting a small meal actually helps him settle after a seizure. When he clusters his usual pattern is a seizure about every 3 hours for 24 -36 hours. It is absolutely grueling for him and for me and leaves him exhausted. He expends so much sheer muscular energy in the seizures that he visibly lost weight during his first cluster episode. Odds and ends of things that have might be worth exploring: -- I baby gate all the dogs into the bedroom with me at night, primarily so that Piper can't wander out of the bedroom and start seizing in another room. I don't want to risk not hearing him. -- All dogs are different but for dogs who cluster (a cluster is usually defined as more than one seizure in 24 hour period) the combination of Phenobarbital (Pb) and Potassium Bromide (KBr) has the reputation of helping more than either med alone. There may be newer drugs available now but theses 2 were the go-to meds. For Piper, Pb made his seizures a bit milder (still grande mal, now generally called tonic-clonic seizures, but milder) while KBr seemed to put more space between seizure episodes. He was having clusters about twice a week and now he often goes 10 weeks or more without a seizure and often has just one seizure instead of always clustering. Worth talking with the vet about. -- I've used rectal Valium for Piper in the past. After much reading and back and forthing with my vet and the neurologist he consulted this is what I learned: Rectal Valium is great for dogs who have multiple seizures within 30-45 minutes or less. Rectal Valium gets in the system fast but it also leaves fast. So it wasn't really the best option for Piper, whose seizures have, all but once, come at least 3 hours apart. We needed a longer acting drug. What has made a huge difference for his is to give him 1 1/2 grains of Pb and 10 mg of oral (pill) valium right after each seizure and then again every 6 hours until he has bee 24 hours seizure free. These meds are on top of his regular meds. Since starting this protocol he has not had a cluster episode and that has been nearly 2 years now. He always always had at least one cluster episode each summer so missing that this is a really huge success. So, if Steak's seizures are not close together consider having the rectal valium on hand for emergencies but look also at something more long lasting to try to break the clusters. -- The really great web sites for canine epilepsy: http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/ http://www.canine-epilepsy.com/ This one also has an email list that can be helpful. http://www.canine-epilepsy.net/ -- Every dog is different so be ready to try various approaches to see what works for Steak. Also, it usually takes time to get the medication doses regulated optimally. Stick with it. You are looking for a manageable balance between side effects and seizures. Sometimes you can indeed stop seizures from ever happening again and sometimes the best you can get is better control. --Medication cost vary dramatically. Shop around for the best prices. The web sites usually have a current listing of good pharmacies. Particularly for rectal valium. If you get it somewhere that is used to filling this veterinary prescription it is easy and not terribly expensive. On the other hand, I thought the pharmacist at the local Eckerd was going to have a heart attack when I talked to him about getting it there...then I thought I was going to croak when he told me it would cost $200. Sending the very best wishes and hopes for Steak and for you as you manage this. Lucy and Piper (12 days seizure free)

As a stop gap while you work on the towel monster issue, if he accepts coats or jammies you might try a terry coat to put on when he comes in wet as a way of surreptitiously drying him off.

There is an odd sense of relief in finding out exactly what you are dealing with. It is then that you can actively evaluate options and make decisions--a far far better position to be in than the wondering and uncertainty. Prayers and good wishes for you and Tasha. --Lucy

Oh dear, how I wish the new was more encouraging for Tasha. --Lucy

Overview of causes and treatment of canine seizures http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/site_map.htm http://www.canine-epilepsy.com/Resources.html Here are some good links to information about seizures. Poor Piper has had two this week after a 5 1/2 month respite. I'm sending all good wishes for Tasha and her worried humans. --Lucy