Rickiesmom

We too seem to be making good progress. Rickie has 2 corns - one quite large but shallow (relatively, still pretty miserable) the other smaller, but very deep. As time has passed, the corns seemed to be as happy as ever, but the surrounding pad tissue gradually detached, with fresh healthy pad tissue underneath. Several days ago the last of the old tissue around the big corn was finally gone, leaving the corn sticking up like a volcanic plug, with one side much higher than the other. I decided to wait to dremel, since Rickie struggles when I do his nails, and I was afraid of hitting pad tissue and hurting him. Tonight when I went to apply the hyaluronic acid the volcanic plug was gone! I will continue to treat this pad for awhile until I am sure no regrowth will occur. But this is very promising!! The other corn seems to be on the same path, but slower - the pad tissue is taking longer to detach, though the corn looks as if it is separating from the tissue around the edges. With luck, it will also fall out once the old pad tissue is gone. We began treatments at the end of July, so about 7 weeks ago.

Sweet dreams pretty Elsie.

Likewise!

Hello and welcome from Toronto!

Woohoo!! This gives me hope! Remind me how long it took please, and how long you used the duct tape for?

That is great news!

Arlie will be 10 in November. I agree about the NSAID, but want to give it a day or two first, just in case. The wash out period could be punitive if she needs something else.

No x-rays. I was surprised but they didn't feel based on the exam that they were warranted. I will keep the hock injury in mind for when I speak with them next.

I was home today. All was normal, walked the dogs in the morning, breakfast, meds, tooth brushing, snoozes. Went upstairs to do a few things around 1:30, gone maybe 45 minutes tops, when I came down Arlie was up but not putting any weight on her right hind leg. She was hopping like a tripod. If her foot came down, she knuckled. I called the clinic immediately, got the others settled, rearranged things in the car to make it easier for me to get her in and out. By this time she was doing very slightly better - toes touching, but no real weight. By the time we got into the clinic - maybe another 30 minutes, she was ever so slightly weight bearing while moving, but not when standing. They checked her joints and proprioception - all fine. Believe it's a soft tissue injury. Recommended Metacam pending bloodwork, or Tramadol. I opted for Tramadol in case it really is a neuro issue and she needs steroids after all. The only other clue, maybe, is that on our walk this morning I noticed while she was standing that the leg was trembling a bit. This has almost always been the case if she stands for long periods, but that wasn't the case today. She has been mostly resting since we got home. She is definitely lamer when she first gets up than after she has been moving a bit, although it doesn't clear up altogether. She has trouble getting up. This does seem consistent with soft tissue but I am still not fully convinced since there was no precipitating trauma. (Unless something really odd happened in the 45 minutes I was gone.) Just wondering if anyone has experienced a sudden change like this when there has been no known trauma, and if so, what the cause was. Many thanks!

What a beauty. I am so sorry for your loss of such a wonderful hound.

I'm sorry to hear that, though glad you've found a way to manage the corn. As noted earlier, the outermost layer of tissue on Rickie's affected toes is lifting. More so on the toe whose corn is nearest the nail. It's almost at the point where the part around the corn should go soon, and I am very hopeful that when it does, this corn, which has always been shallower and more poorly defined than the other, will go with it. The deeper, better defined corn on the other toelooks as healthy and happy as ever. The outer layer of tissue on that toe is also lifting, but much more slowly - just around the edges at the moment. So we continue with the treatment, waiting to see what happens.

Some other ideas, based on what I am going through with Rickie (suspected left shoulder ligament issue): ask your ortho vet about rehab - things like laser treatments might help, as might other forms of rehab - for example we may do deep water treatmill work. Also, it might be worth seeing a well-recommended chiropractor - they won't be able to help the injury directly, but can make small adjustments and show you exercises to "reset" Maggie due to ways she has shifted her balance / used her muscles as she favours the sore leg. In our case, for example, the chiro recommended encouraging him to walk backwards (I keep close to him in front to steady him if needed, as he tends to land on his can). She also suggested having him spend a little time walking in sand.

Pending an MRI this option is on the table for Rickie - very interesting and pretty non-invasive.

Hope they get to the bottom of Ciria's problem soon! Sending healing thoughts.

A German friend told me there are specific words for each stage of a dandelion's existence - the last - that ephemeral puffy round ball - is called a pusteblume.

Xan I couldn't believe my eyes, cannot even imagine how you feel. My heart goes out to you and your husband. Godspeed on your special way Wabi.

Heather, losing any hound is difficult, but losing a soulmate is hardest of all. I am so sorry Scout was taken by that rotten, rotten disease.

FWIW, if you do have it removed, which sounds like a good idea, see if you can have it done by a board certified dental surgeon. They do much more of this kind of thing than a general practitioner, and as a result the procedure and recovery are likely to be as easy on Wabi as they can be. They probably work with a dedicated anaesthesiologist as well, which is another consideration. Don't know about where you are, but here the cost difference between the regular clinic and the specialty clinic for dental procedures isn't that much and the outcome makes it well worth it.

Da~n. I am so sorry Heather - wishing you, Ken and Scout weeks of spoiling and love.

I'm sorry Robin - Jocko was in your life for a very long time.

Nancy, Ruby sounds like such a special girl. I am so sorry.

I noticed today this peeling of the pad is happening with Rickie as well. It doesn't seem to bother him but I don't much like it. He's a whippet so his pads are small and so inevitably the hyaluronic acid and corn cream are rubbed onto more than the corn area itself. What happened after this post? Did the top layer of the pad peel off completely? Did it make any difference to the corn in any way? We're now about a month into the twice-daily treatments and I am not seeing any sign the corns are dying, but we will keep going - I have a 6 month supply of the acid and cream.

I am so sorry you lost your beloved Hewlett. He knew he was loved, always.

Gil I am so sorry.

Arlie has a flare-up once in awhile. Based on my experience with her, I would suggest two things: - probiotics daily (I put Fortiflora which I get from the vet on her food once per day, and it really helps to produce firm stools) and - twice a day when her anus is irritated I clean it with a surgical sponge (you could use gauze or chessecloth, the idea is soft and lint-free) and warm water, dry it with another sponge, then apply a small amount of Fusiderm ointment; Fusiderm combines antibiotic and topical steroid; we do this for about 10 days and it clears her up nicely. You can get this from your vet - or maybe it's OTC in the US, it isn't here. I usually do this before I feed her so that she is distracted for some time afterwards. You should also keep an eye on your boy to stop the licking, but the Fusiderm will relieve at least some of the irritation / itching so it helps. Hopefully your experience will be a one-time thing associated with the parasites.