Sadie Is Still Limping

[Guest Ashley]

 

When we first adopted Sadie, I noticed a limp right away that I had checked out. At first the vet didn't seem to believe me (why would I make that up??) and when he finally saw what I pointed out, he looked her over again. He said there is a little spot on her paw that is kind of like a corn but harmless and could be removed surgically but didn't need to be.

I also got him to do x-rays, and he didn't find anything.

 

Lately, it seems to me that the limp is even more noticible. Aadil said maybe it just acts up more when it's cold outside, but since seeing so many posts on cancer in greys, it has me scared. It is her right front paw, which seems to be the one most of your greys (or the ones who answered the polls) are affected in. She is only six (turns seven in December) so she is pretty young still, but I am a major worrier.

 

Should I be concerned, or just get over it? I know the vet said it's nothing, but it's so sad to see my poor girl limping like she does

[Guest MyBoys]

Is it her pad or paw that has a spot?????? If it is her pad she could very well have a corn.

[Guest Ashley]

Is it her pad or paw that has a spot?????? If it is her pad she could very well have a corn.

 

I think it's a spot between her pads, on her actual foot.

[TheFullHouse]

Check her pads carefully, it could be a corn and those grow and the bigger they get the more the pups will limp.

[Guest MyBoys]

I am pretty sure corns show up on the pads, if you can, try examining the foot to see if you can feel anything. Maybe she has something embedded, like a sliver of glass or a small pebble. You could also try soaking the foot in epson salt, sometimes that will bring an object to the surface. I would also consider getting her back to the vet since there has been no improvement, you want to make sure she does not have a broken toe or something more serious.

[Guest Ashley]

I am pretty sure corns show up on the pads, if you can, try examining the foot to see if you can feel anything. Maybe she has something embedded, like a sliver of glass or a small pebble. You could also try soaking the foot in epson salt, sometimes that will bring an object to the surface. I would also consider getting her back to the vet since there has been no improvement, you want to make sure she does not have a broken toe or something more serious.

 

Wouldn't the vet have seen something like that in the x-ray?

[Guest MyBoys]

One of my boys had a stress fracture on the inside part of his toe and it did not show up on an xray, my daughter had 3 stress fractures on the top of her foot that did not show up on xrays.

 

Another thought, why don't you try putting a boot on that foot when you walk her, if it is some kind of corn or callas padding the foot might help. My senior boy has a corn we have been working on, when we go for our walks I put a piece of moleskin right on his pad to give him some cushion and it really seems to help.

[tbhounds]

Radiographs will not show glass and other certain foreign bodies....also won't show a corn One thing to keep in mind is that you should always get more than one view when taking radiographs. Sometimes you won't see a break then change the position and bam there it is. Unfortunately most folks think that their Vet is trying to "pad" the bill when they take more than one film but, honestly it really is the proper protocol. I would try a boot on the injured foot and see if the limping goes away (once she excepts the boot). My guess is it will help--bet it's a corn.

[Guest Energy11]

Hope it is just a corn. Staggerlee gets them badly. Good Luck and lots of love .

[RobinM]

I don't buy that it's nothing as your vet says. If she is limping, she is in pain.

 

How does she walk on the grass vs the sidewalk? In the 3 months has it gotten any better?

 

How long ago did they do the x-rays and how extensive were they? If nothing is showing on the x-ray, tht is a very good thing.

 

Here's our story- please keep in mind I am NOT telling you this to scare you. One year prior to Polli being diagnosed with osteo, she started limping pretty severely. (Sept 07) It was a horrible limp. On grass it was better. We had a set of x-rays done nothing showed up. We waited another week and under a general anethesia we had a full set of x-rays done, again, nothing showed up. After about 2 months, it got better. In the course of a year it would flare up, we would rest it and it got better and go away until Aug. 08 where it appeared and did not go away. it wasn't too bad and we weren't too upset because we had it x-rayed and it was clear.

Then Oct. 9 08 she tripped and fractured the leg. The rest is history.

 

I know you are scared about the cancer. But before you panic, rule out other things. She may have a tear, or a corn that needs to be removed. Corns are very, very painful.

 

Both Teddy and Chloe have had limps. Chloe from an old injury and with deramaxx and rest it resolves itself. Teddy needed acupunture for months and that really helped.

 

Does your vet see a lot of greyhounds? If not, you may want to see one who does.

[greysmom]

If your vet is resistant to try and help you figure out what this is, you might consider a second opinion. Yes, it could be nothing, it could be a corn, it could be Valley Fever (what part of the country did she come from?), it could be cancer, it could be a broken bone, it could be something embedded between her toes. If she's still limping three months later with no improvement you should try and figure it out.

 

FWIW - Dude started limping one day after a run in the yard. I checked his feet over carefully right away and couldn't see anything. The next morning he was still limping, and another look let me find a NAIL stuck in the skin between his toes! I have NO idea how I totally missed it the first day and felt absolutely terrible. Fortunately, it was a tiny brad-type nail that I just pulled out, and he was already on antibiotics for another scrape, AND he just had his rabies shot!

 

Maybe somebody who has a grey with corns can post a picture????? I don't think I've ever seen one either!

 

greysmom

[sweetdogs]

Maybe somebody who has a grey with corns can post a picture????? I don't think I've ever seen one either!

Here's a link to a picture. Nasty painful beasties.

[TheFullHouse]

Andy was limping before the corn actually became visible. We took him to the vet, x-rayed his legs, nothing. The vet checked his pads and didn't see anything. We waited a while, the limp got worse and we took him back and there was a corn.

[Guest JillinMichigan]

Birch limped on and off for several months a year ago because his right front leg/paw was the culprit. I gave him Deramaxx during this time on and off prescribed by the vet. I paid for X-rays, twice, and nothing was found. I finally took him to the head vet at my vet clinic and he said that Birch had a corn in one of his right front toe pads. In February, it was hulled when he was under anesthesia for his teeth cleaning. He was much better for about 4 months. I have since had it hulled at the vet without anesthesia about every 6 weeks since June. This last time he finally is not limping about 10 days later like he has the previous few times. This corn is one nasty little bugger!! I too was originally concerned about osteo because Blast (my bridge kid) started out limping too, and Birch's father Gable Dodge died of osteo in his right front shoulder (I think I read that on GreyTalk somewhere). One of the member of my rescue group swears that Compound-W was what finally cured his greyhound of his corn. He apparently had the vet put it in the pad right after the corn was hulled. My vet did not want to try that, but it worked for this other greyhound owner. I hope you find the cause of the problem soon - it sounds like it could be a corn to me.

[Guest Ashley]

Hmm, it looks like I should take Sadie in to the vet to check for a corn, and for a UTI!

[Guest 3greysinPA]

WAs Sadie checked for Lyme's dx lately?

[Guest Flysmom]

I can relate to you.

Cisco started to limp around 3 months ago. First we thought it is from a tick he had between his toes, then from a cut in his pad that closed up and had nasties inside. My vet opened the pad up and cleaned it out really good, he also took X-rays. He could not see anything on the x-rays. Then the pad, where he had the cut, seemed to grow a large patch of skin (I have a hard time to explain this!!). We were able to remove this skin gently, first at the vets and then at home. Now, the pad is healed and Cisco is still limping. It seems that his leg is stiff on some days, he limps walking on grass or on the street. He does not seem to be in pain, he limps with Deramaxx or without. I am going back on Friday to see if a sore right under his knee - he keeps licking it and nothing short of having a muzzle on him will stop him from doing so is causing this!

 

I wish you luck finding an answer!

[Guest Ashley]

WAs Sadie checked for Lyme's dx lately?

 

I'm not sure I don't know when she last had blood work done.

 

I can relate to you.

Cisco started to limp around 3 months ago. First we thought it is from a tick he had between his toes, then from a cut in his pad that closed up and had nasties inside. My vet opened the pad up and cleaned it out really good, he also took X-rays. He could not see anything on the x-rays. Then the pad, where he had the cut, seemed to grow a large patch of skin (I have a hard time to explain this!!). We were able to remove this skin gently, first at the vets and then at home. Now, the pad is healed and Cisco is still limping. It seems that his leg is stiff on some days, he limps walking on grass or on the street. He does not seem to be in pain, he limps with Deramaxx or without. I am going back on Friday to see if a sore right under his knee - he keeps licking it and nothing short of having a muzzle on him will stop him from doing so is causing this!

 

I wish you luck finding an answer!

 

Poor Cisco, I hope you can figure out the source of his issues too!