Corns Again

[rascalsmom]

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.

[Guest Fasave]

Sorry to hear about Jack's issues with corns. I have a corn dog too. After years of hulling, I've found the best way I have been able to "maintain" them in to put duct tape on the corn for a couple days then dremel the corn as soon as I remove the tape. I then re-tape immediately. He has had corns on as many as three feet at one time but right it's just his two front feet. I've also tried the "miracle cream" and had some results but not more than the duct tape approach. My guy does well in my home and yard but wears therapaw botties when on walks.

 

I hope you are able to find a solution that provides some relief for Jack.

[Batmom]

I would try the hulling + laser that we did for Zema, before I would do traditional surgery. If it doesn't work, yeah, you've spent the $ on an anaesthesia, but if he's not getting a dental or anything else at that time, he only needs to be under @ 10 minutes. And virtually no recovery time.

[inugrey]

Agreed with above. There is rarely a "cure" for corns rather a lifetime maintenance agreement. You need to figure out what works best for you.

 

My maintenance plan is that he ALWAYS wears a therapaw on the corn foot when we walk outside the house. I use kerasal or vaseline or some other ointment to soften the paw pad. I just do this when I think of it during the day/night whatever. I also am using bee propolis in the evenings. Add the duct tape to this when I think of it. The corn will come out this way and the process starts anew as the new one grows back.

 

I'm sorry you have to deal with this but it is doable without surgery. I was VERY close to amputating the toe but a medical emergency stopped that discussion. Now I'm glad we didn't because he's got another corn on the same foot, this one on the heal area and not a toe.

[rascalsmom]

Sorry to hear about Jack's issues with corns. I have a corn dog too. After years of hulling, I've found the best way I have been able to "maintain" them in to put duct tape on the corn for a couple days then dremel the corn as soon as I remove the tape. I then re-tape immediately. He has had corns on as many as three feet at one time but right it's just his two front feet. I've also tried the "miracle cream" and had some results but not more than the duct tape approach. My guy does well in my home and yard but wears therapaw botties when on walks.

 

I hope you are able to find a solution that provides some relief for Jack.

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.

 

 

I would try the hulling + laser that we did for Zema, before I would do traditional surgery. If it doesn't work, yeah, you've spent the $ on an anaesthesia, but if he's not getting a dental or anything else at that time, he only needs to be under @ 10 minutes. And virtually no recovery time.

My vet said the 'laser' would be surgery....don't know if your vet has a different method or what.

 

Agreed with above. There is rarely a "cure" for corns rather a lifetime maintenance agreement. You need to figure out what works best for you.

 

My maintenance plan is that he ALWAYS wears a therapaw on the corn foot when we walk outside the house. I use kerasal or vaseline or some other ointment to soften the paw pad. I just do this when I think of it during the day/night whatever. I also am using bee propolis in the evenings. Add the duct tape to this when I think of it. The corn will come out this way and the process starts anew as the new one grows back.

 

I'm sorry you have to deal with this but it is doable without surgery. I was VERY close to amputating the toe but a medical emergency stopped that discussion. Now I'm glad we didn't because he's got another corn on the same foot, this one on the heal area and not a toe.

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.

[Guest MnMDogs]

Ahh, the nightmare of corns. We've done everything for Mork over the past 6+ years and they never ever have gone away. With surgery (one on each front toe), they were back within 6 months. All of his are on weight bearing toes as well.

 

Use a TheraPaw and try to keep it dremelled and soft. I wouldn't recommend surgery at all. In fact, is recovery from the corn surgery was longer than it was for the toe amp (keratinization of one of his back toes was the cause). Mork is missing 2 weight bearing toes, one front left and one back right. He does pretty well, and I think most of his discomfort on his front left was due to the quality of the surgery since it was done well before he came to me. The back toe was done by my vet and she did an incredible job of padding the stump with extra skin so it has a nice layer of fur on it. He doesn't even need the TheraPaw on that foot anymore

[Batmom]

What our vet did with the laser was more like cauterization -- he hulled the corn and then ran the (surgical) laser very lightly over the hulled surface; he stressed that he didn't go deep or remove any appreciable tissue. So, I guess that qualifies as surgery but I don't think he charged me anything extra for it (she was already under for a dental).

[inugrey]

I have the tincture and just put a drop on the corn then wrap the foot with a baggie and put a boot on top. I then let him sit in the goo wrap for 20ish minutes. If you add this to the routine with duct tape you just need to wipe the foot with a wet rag and then make sure the foot is dry before putting a new piece of duct tape on. It may help the corns come back slightly smaller/slower each time

 

during the soaking process with the bee propolis

 

[rascalsmom]

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.

[Ullaluv]

I agree with trying to avoid surgery, but I don't think I'd classify the laser treatment as surgery. Any chance you vet could talk with Jey's vet?

[Guest Fasave]

I have the tincture and just put a drop on the corn then wrap the foot with a baggie and put a boot on top. I then let him sit in the goo wrap for 20ish minutes. If you add this to the routine with duct tape you just need to wipe the foot with a wet rag and then make sure the foot is dry before putting a new piece of duct tape on. It may help the corns come back slightly smaller/slower each time

 

during the soaking process with the bee propolis

 

 

Love this picture! Do I sense a little stink eye? Here is my guy doing the "miracle cream" routine.

 

[Guest MZH]

Has anyone here tried the corn/callus ointment treatment from these folks? There are lots of posts about The Murray Avenue pharmacy ointment.

 

I haven't needed to try it yet but we did get rid of corns on our Rita by giving her bee propolis capsule for a while. I can't remember how long I gave it but I bought it from The Vitamin Shoppe. We went through at least two of their biggest bottles. I decided enough was enough and time passed. One day I checked her pads; I was stunned to find that one corn was gone and new pad skin had come in and another corn was half off! She had quit limping so I checked.

[rascalsmom]

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.

[DaisyDoodle]

I would consider x-raying the feet in question, up the legs and the spine as well. We found that in addition to a corn, Daisy had wicked arthritis in the toe, a bone spur, and the toe was starting to turn in it's orientation. All of those combined to make her gait be off, which resulted in a neck issue (where she has some narrowing to begin with). We ended up amputating the toe, then keeping her on Robaxin (methacarbamol sp?) for several weeks. She finally stopped walking funny, and now she's running again.

 

Since your poor boy has three corns, you probably can't amp all three toes, but I'd see if there is something else going on that is causing the limp, or if the limp is causing other issues. If there is one toe that is really worse than the rest, you might consider removing just that one.

 

You might want to go and see Jim Radcliffe in Wheeling. He's an orthopedic surgeon and the track vet at Wheeling. He is also a greyhound owner. His pain management practices are quite aggressive, and he doesn't believe in generics, but he REALLY knows greyhounds. He's lots of fun to talk to and he can pack a whole lot of information into a visit.

 

Alternately, contact Dad of Sweet Potatoes. (DofSweetPotatoes is the user ID, I think.) He and DW have lots of experience with corns and they might have a trick to suggest.

 

Daisy limped for a couple of years, on and off, before the corn was found. Can't tell you how many x-rays Daisy had because I worried about the word that won't be said here.

 

I'm guessing that you already have Therapaws, but if you don't, I would go ahead and get some. Murray Ave. carries them, so you don't have to order them online.

 

ETA: Robaxin is a muscle relaxant, and Dr. Jim is out of town until 2/15.

Edited January 26, 2011 by DaisyDoodle

[Guest MZH]

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.

 

Aw, what a shame. Did the hulling cause the limping or did it return already?

 

I was thinking about how I gave the bee propolis; it was likely twice a day, in her food.

[rascalsmom]

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!!

Edited January 26, 2011 by rascalsmom

[Guest MZH]

I would consider x-raying the feet in question, up the legs and the spine as well. We found that in addition to a corn, Daisy had wicked arthritis in the toe, a bone spur, and the toe was starting to turn in it's orientation. All of those combined to make her gait be off, which resulted in a neck issue (where she has some narrowing to begin with). We ended up amputating the toe, then keeping her on Robaxin (methacarbamol sp?) for several weeks. She finally stopped walking funny, and now she's running again.

 

Since your poor boy has three corns, you probably can't amp all three toes, but I'd see if there is something else going on that is causing the limp, or if the limp is causing other issues. If there is one toe that is really worse than the rest, you might consider removing just that one.

 

You might want to go and see Jim Radcliffe in Wheeling. He's an orthopedic surgeon and the track vet at Wheeling. He is also a greyhound owner. His pain management practices are quite aggressive, and he doesn't believe in generics, but he REALLY knows greyhounds. He's lots of fun to talk to and he can pack a whole lot of information into a visit.

 

Alternately, contact Dad of Sweet Potatoes. (DofSweetPotatoes is the user ID, I think.) He and DW have lots of experience with corns and they might have a trick to suggest.

 

Daisy limped for a couple of years, on and off, before the corn was found. Can't tell you how many x-rays Daisy had because I worried about the word that won't be said here.

 

I'm guessing that you already have Therapaws, but if you don't, I would go ahead and get some. Murray Ave. carries them, so you don't have to order them online.

 

ETA: Robaxin is a muscle relaxant, and Dr. Jim is out of town until 2/15.

 

The xray is a great idea. We xrayed Rita but nothing showed up; she was limping a bit before the corn appeared so naturally we were thiking osteo. So we just sweated it out before the corns appeared. They were on one foot.

[Guest MZH]

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!!

 

That's really awful that he only had 10 days relief.

 

I second seeing Dr Radcliffe. I'd love it if he decides to move to South Carolina.

[rascalsmom]

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??

[inugrey]

I drove up to see Dr. Radcliffe from DC...He said yep corns suck. You can do a nerve block if you want but they are only temporary. He'll do one though. He also looked at existing rads and saw arthritis developing in toes. Yay, so he's got corns and arthritis. He still limps like an idiot more often than not and I can't do much to help him. It's frustrating but I think I had to come to terms. Inu is on all sorts of holistic arthritis meds that do help but those corns are always there. Yeah the duct tape gets rid of it and the bee propolis keeps it at bay or slightly smaller for a period of time. But to be the Debbie Downer, corns suck and my boy is pretty much always in pain when he walks. I have to deal with it as best I can and we don't go on long walks anymore. This rant is basically, yep I know what you are going through and it just plain sucks big butt.

[rascalsmom]

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.

[inugrey]

We've been dealing with the corn since we adopted him at age three. He is now eight and a half. We have really been able to manage corns most of his life with just wearing the therapaws on walks. Recently though his arthritis pain has increased and he got a new corn on his main pad so he can't get away from the pain of the corn by altering his gait to not use the affected toe. I think that's been the worst, the new corn in such a vital place on his foot. Before the new corn we were able to do nice long walks with the therapaw boot but now it seems like he is still limping even with the boot.

 

I stopped taking him in for hulling because, like Jack, he still limps afterwards.

 

I looked very seriously at removing the entire toe because of the corn and arthritis. Now I'm glad I didn't since the new corn arrived on the same foot. But I was VERY close.

[rascalsmom]

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.

[Guest MZH]

Here's what I'd do the next time we have a corn dog; try azithromycin. This is post 23 by Jerseygirl on the Breakthrough Treatment of Corns thread. If I couldn't use the med, I might try the ointment. I don't know if the cure lasted though but the entire root came out so it should have.

 

<< Thanks! I'm going to forward this info to my vet. We've been battling Riley's corns for 2 years now, and always looking for new things to try - we've done laser surgery, hulling, thorough examination of his rear joints/musculature to make sure it wasn't pain causing him to bear more weight on his front paws (causing corns mechanically).

 

It was finally after his last laser surgery (while he was under for his dental), that we realized the cause might not be mechanical, as he wasn't getting walks on hard surfaces due to his recovery and the weather, and they STILL came back within weeks.

 

We have a fantastic vet though, who is constantly doing research into new things we can try, and just came across a vet who has used azithromycin with success. WELL ---- after just a few days on it, one of Riley's small corns surfaced and popped out with the ENTIRE root. He's on his 2nd course, and the two large ones we've been battling are surfacing at half the size, and in the same way as the smaller one. I'm very optimistic that in the next few days, we'll get both corns with the whole root (finally), and hopefully nip this in the bud. I'm glad to know there are other options, just in case this doesn't turn out as well as it looks right now.

 

Thanks again for sharing, and I just thought I'd let you know some of the recent and (hopefully) ongoing success we've had here.

 

Liz

>>

[Guest iconsmum]

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.

 

 

 

 

the only thing I've ever had any success with is the corn and callous cream from the Murray Ave pharmacy - thread here somewhere...it's not cheap but I tell you it completely eliminated a HUGE corn embedded in a pad that was causing my dog to limp very badly and hold his paw up as a default position. I was sure it was a permanent problem and four months later we were free! Hulling just limits the problem for a vey little time and in my experience it stimulates the corn to grow faster and faster...of hulling and dremelling , I would dremel before I'd dig around hulling...also difficult because my vet, who considers herself greyhound knowledgeable, didn't have a clue as to what the fix might be...but she was quick to mention operating..the cream's cheaper and not traumatic....