We've Started The Murray Ave Corn Cream

[Guest Adrianne]

we had a HUGE, scary painful corn here that resolved completely using the murray avenue cream and hasn't returned a year later!!

I never touched it while it was growing off the pad - I was afraid that peeling it would leave a hole and maybe re-stimulate the root. I may have been right because the corn just kept growing off the top of the pad until one day it wasn't there anymore and all that was left behind was relatively soft pad skin- I almost died of shock lol

 

It took 4 months, I think. I do take the precaution of never using sidewalks during our walks, just in case...but I for one will never be without a tube of macc cream. The vets in Canada don't even know enough to check for corns, much less treat them effectively.

 

 

Hmmmmm......how did I miss this? That's very interesting, and I think I will try that.

[Guest lilyray]

I am interested to know if the corn did fall off? How is Chevy walking? My grey had one corn. Had it cut out, it came back within months. Had the toe removed at several people and vet recommendations. He is limping again, less than 6 months later. Upon examination it looks and feels like the other three toes have hard spots and maybe one on another foot. Could it be a virus like in humans with warts?

[6greyhounds]

I don't know but maybe Susan at the pharmacy can answer your question and give you more information

[DevilDog]

Adrianne,

 

How's the process going? I'm still very curious.

 

I've been using it on Sage for about 3 weeks. The corn itself doesn't look smaller but what's happening is this. The edges of the pad itself started to peel up.. I thought maybe it was because I was putting the cream all over the pad instead of directly on the corn only. So the edges peeled up.. and broke off. Now you can very clearly see a fresh pad underneath, and the 'old' pad seems to be shrinking inward toward the corn. Has this happened to anyone else? I should really get a picture. It's quite interesting.

[bvroman]

Hello greyhound friends!

 

The Murray Avenue Apothecary Corn Cream products ARE working and making a huge difference for our Lunar Star, female, 11 years old. As background... Lunar has had pesky corns on both front paws on and off for the past 2 years. This winter they became very painful, she limped badly, and began to refuse walking as a result. Last year, at the Mountain Hounds event, we learned about greyhound corns. Some folks were hulling corns and someone else mentioned the Murray Avenue products as a possible solution. This spring, when Lunar Star became so miserable, we decided to give it a try - after reading everything we could find and talking to everyone possible (we are huge skeptics!). We started the treatments approx June 9 and are following the directions the best we can with our hectic schedules: daily treatments at a minimum, always twice a day on the weekend or days off. It is SO worth it! We definitely see progress.

 

In roughly 1-1/2 months, Lunar's corns have come up to the surface; a small one dropped off, one is shrinking, and the larger ones appear to be sloughing off. Her pads are looking healthier, too. We are going to keep up with the Murray Avenue Corn Cream treatment and see where it leads - she still has 3 good sized corns yet to resolve. We have also decided we will NOT file, dremel, or attempt to dig out the corns at this point. (Let me add, we have a townhome without a fenced yard; potty walks are always on a leash going down the street. To ease her pain and lameness, Lunar always wears a Thera-Paw on each front foot when she goes outside. She has become accustomed to wearing them, and even welcomes them now! She still has corns and associated pain, but at least she is able and willing to walk - evenly and without limping - when she wears her "boots". They are great conversation starters, too!)

 

As I said, we were skeptical at first - but now we can't say enough about the results we are seeing in our sweet girl, Lunar Star! I hope you give it a try and have good success, too.

 

Barb and Lunar Star (Diva and Corn Queen)

Edited July 22, 2011 by bvroman

[JJNg]

Has anyone tried going through the same procedure recommended for the Murray Ave corn cream but using some other ointment or cream instead of that product? I'm a bit of a skeptic and am wondering if the whole treatment procedure itself has more to do with softening and bringing out the corns than the actual cream. Or on the flip side, has anyone just used the Murray Ave corn cream without going through the whole treatment protocol as directed and been able to resolve corns with better results than with just using something like Bag Balm?

[Batmom]

Jennifer, I posted as follows in the Corn Advice thread:

Zema had a corn. We hulled every 3 weeks for nearly a year. Then when she was under anaesthesia for something else, vet hulled the corn one more time and just "kissed" the hulled surface (cavity) with the surgical laser. No corn for NINE MONTHS. At that point, she got two very small new corns. Hulled once and gone for good.

Vet tried the laser because the last time we hulled before that, she didn't get much relief (always did prior). He stressed that he really did NOT go deep with it, just barely touched the surface. He sent her home with a big ol' padded bandage, which fell off in my driveway. There was one teensy pinpoint of blood. IIRC I put a sock on her foot for a day or two when she went outside, thinking it might be tender, but it really wasn't. Vet and I were absolutely thrilled.

Not saying that'll work for everybody, but well worth a try. I didn't have good results with Therapaws, Neopaws, or any other boots.

[JJNg]

My question regarding the Murray Ave corn cream was more out of curiosity and academic interest since its use seems to hinge on a rather intensive treatment procedure that most people don't do with other remedies. So even with testimony of good results, how do we know which aspect is responsible for the improvement?

 

Fortunately I haven't had to deal with corns in my own dogs, but I do have a few patients with corns. If I had a surgical laser, I would definitely try what your vet did after hulling. Does your vet treat any other greys with corns that he might try the same thing with? I would love to know if this result is repeatable!

[Batmom]

Jennifer, my vet has had one other corn dog that I know of. I'm not sure if he ever lasered that one or not. My Zema was the first dog with corns he'd seen in 20+ years of practice!

[AKennelFull]

Has anyone tried going through the same procedure recommended for the Murray Ave corn cream but using some other ointment or cream instead of that product? I'm a bit of a skeptic and am wondering if the whole treatment procedure itself has more to do with softening and bringing out the corns than the actual cream. Or on the flip side, has anyone just used the Murray Ave corn cream without going through the whole treatment protocol as directed and been able to resolve corns with better results than with just using something like Bag Balm?

 

Almost 20 years ago my first greyhound developed corns. I would massage her paws with Udder Cream and then hull the corns till they came out. They would come back but, I would do the same procedure everytime. My current dog developed a corn approximately one year ago. I soaked his paw in a wet wash cloth, wrapped in a baggie, for approximately 20 minutes to a half hour. I would dry is paw and then massage the Udder Cream into his paw. About a week after I started daily treatments the corn came off when I rubbed it with my fingernail. It has not come back.

 

Kathy

[RobinM]

So Adrianne, what do you think? is it worth the time to do the treatments? Is it working?

[Guest Adrianne]

So Adrianne, what do you think? is it worth the time to do the treatments? Is it working?

 

 

Sorry to be away from this thread for so long......July has been a crazy month. We are still doing the cream, and we still have a corn. I wish I could say differently, but we're still working with it. I can't say I see any change as far as what the corn looks like. We're not defeated yet.

 

I'll post a photo in the morning.

[Rickiesmom]

I just started the protocol yesterday on my whippet who has corns on the two weight bearing toes of his left front foot. One is fairly shallow but the other is quite deep. Decided to hull them before starting so the softening compound and cream could be applied close to the root. Hopefully the corns won't return.

[Guest Adrianne]

we had a HUGE, scary painful corn here that resolved completely using the murray avenue cream and hasn't returned a year later!!

I never touched it while it was growing off the pad - I was afraid that peeling it would leave a hole and maybe re-stimulate the root. I may have been right because the corn just kept growing off the top of the pad until one day it wasn't there anymore and all that was left behind was relatively soft pad skin- I almost died of shock lol

 

It took 4 months, I think. I do take the precaution of never using sidewalks during our walks, just in case...but I for one will never be without a tube of macc cream. The vets in Canada don't even know enough to check for corns, much less treat them effectively.

 

 

Hmmmmm......how did I miss this? That's very interesting, and I think I will try that.

 

 

Important update:

 

after I read the above post, I got to thinking that perhaps I shouldn't hull Chevy's corn while I was treating it. What if, by hulling, we're cutting out the dead and/or dying part of the corn leaving only healthy corn to continue growing. Perhaps we're perpetuating a cycle. So, in mid-July, I stopped hulling Chevy's corn. I've been applying the cream as directed, and in early August, I started keeping duct tape on the corn.

 

I'm happy to report that Chevy's corn has turned completely black, and I believe it is dying. It's well raised above the paw pad, but I resist the temptation to hull. It doesn't bother him on carpet and grass, and he wears his Therapaw for walks on the cement. My hope is that by not hulling, the corn will die all the way down to the root.

 

ETA: I've seen more change since I quit hulling and especially since I started the duct tape than I had seen in the entire previous months.

Edited August 13, 2011 by Adrianne

[DevilDog]

We've been using the cream for about 6 weeks. There have definitely been changes. In the beginning, Sage's corn was not defined and large. As we've been using the cream, it is now very defined, and half of it has edges that can be completely lifted up. I've recently started hulling, but that half of it is still quite 'stuck'.

 

Anyway, reading Adrianne's post, I wonder if I too should stop hulling. I am also going to start using duct tape during the day, though when I tried the tape in the past, it never stayed on.

 

*sigh* Progress,slowly but surely.

Edited August 13, 2011 by DevilDog

[Guest LittleGreys]

I talked to Dr Radcliffe in Wheeling about Munchie's corn problem, and he recommended we use the corn cream, but he specifically told me to keep hulling while we were using it. I am just starting it this weekend, so will be interesting to see how hers goes. I will have to keep in mind that maybe for some dogs, hulling is not the best option while using it.

Edited August 13, 2011 by LittleGreys

[Rickiesmom]

I talked to Dr Radliffe in Wheeling about Munchie's corn problem, and he recommended we use the corn cream, but he specifically told me to keep hulling while we were using it. I am just starting it this weekend, so will be interesting to see how hers goes. I will have to keep in mind that maybe for some dogs, hulling is not the best option while using it.

 

Did he explain the rationale?

 

Just curious as we have different thoughts and approaches in this thread.

[KF_in_Georgia]

Anyone have a dog with two corns? It might be worthwhile to hull one and otherwise treat both corns exactly the same--at least until you start to see visible differences between the two corns. That would help to eliminate differences between dogs as the cause of differences in results.

 

It's an idea...but please use your own judgment or your vet's. I don't have a corn dog (thank Dog), but it just occurred to me that this might give a more clearcut result.

[Guest Adrianne]

Chevy's corn, photo taken 5 minutes ago.....

 

The corn started turning black after I quit hulling it and started using the duct tape.

 

 

I, too, would be interested in hearing Dr. Radcliffe's rationale. I am not purporting to be an expert of any kind on this matter, only sharing our personal experience so hopefully others in the future can find some useful information here. I am basically grasping at straws and will try just about anything to get rid of this corn.

 

 

For comparison, here is the corn from day 28 way back in April.....

Edited August 14, 2011 by Adrianne

[Guest LittleGreys]

I believe Dr Radcliffe wanted me to keep hulling it just for pain control. Munchie is so painful on hers and she can't really limp on that leg for very long because of all her other joints being bad, it adds to the strain on the other three legs so she is so painful she just lays and doesn't get up. I don't think it had anything to do with the way the cream works, but he told me the hyaluronic acid is the most important part. He is using it for corneal ulcers and it is showing tremendous benefit.

[Batmom]

I would imagine you'd hull for pain control and to get the medication to the root/seat of the corn -- more effective than treating the outgrowth. Can't really imagine *not* hulling -- the dog is walking around with the equivalent of a pebble stuck in his/her pad.

[Guest Adrianne]

Ahhhhh.....I see.

 

Well, for Chevy, hulling has never provided any real pain relief. He limps on the foot on the cement no matter in what stage growth the corn is. He's not limping any heavier now than he was when the corn was hulled. Of course, his TheraPaw boot has been a miracle worker for him.

 

ETA: Of course, every dog is different, and I'm not advising anyone to hull or not hull. I'm just sharing what I'm doing and the results I'm seeing.

 

I don't know how old Chevy's corn is; he came to us limping with it. I think it is a very deep corn, and it seems to be particularly fast growing. Two or three days after hulling, it is always flush again with the paw pad. Also, he doesn't seem horribly bothered by it. Yes, he limps on hard surfaces, but he doesn't refuse or even hesitate to walk on them because of it.

 

I'll continue with what I'm doing and see what happens.

Edited August 14, 2011 by Adrianne

[Rickiesmom]

We've been using the pre-treat and corn cream faithfully 2x per day for about 10 days - admitedly not long. Corns are growing back, not enough to hull yet, but getting there. I'm thinking maybe the combination of cream protocol and duct tape is the answer. One of the corns, though deep, has quite a small diameter so tape could be a bit tricky. The other one is larger so definitely a candidate. As soon as either of them is flush with the pad that's the route we're going to go.

[Guest Adrianne]

For anyone considering using the duct tape, here is a photo of Chevy's toe with the tape....

 

I cut the tape a little bit bigger than the corn so I can completely cover it and smooth it over so there are no gaps. That seems to help it adhere and stick until I peel it off.

 

 

ETA: he's never picked at it or seemed even the least bit bothered by it.

 

ETA2: The tape won't stick immediately following the cream treatment; I usually have to wait about an hour.

Edited August 14, 2011 by Adrianne

[Guest BrodesMom]

As a new greyhound owner, I'm so happy I found this thread! I've been using the corn cream for 2 and a half months now, diligently twice a day. I am NOT giving up! My boy has a small but stubborn corn on his left front paw pad, on the weight bearing toe. He walks fine on the carpeted areas of the house but when the corn is at its worst he limps on three legs on the ceramic floor in the kitchen. I've put a carpet runner going down the hallway and a large area rug in one section of the kitchen. It breaks my heart to see him limp. He's very good about wearing his Thera Paws outside for walks and doesn't limp at all with them on--even though he has one corn, I keep the Thera Paws on all his feet to protect them from getting other corns--I'm hoping. I did have the vet hull the corn while I was doing the treatment but it just kept coming back. Now after reading some previous posts I've decided to not hull it and just do the corn treatments. I might start the duct tape during the day and see what happens. And thanks go to the person who posted about using the Thuja pellets--that gave me an idea. I got some at the health food store and I'm trying two pellets every other day while doing the corn cream treatments. I've been doing that for about a week now, so we'll see how it goes. Unfortunately my digital camera doesn't take good closeup photos, but the first change I noticed while using the corn cream is that areas of the pad around the corn--I guess the harder, callused areas--lifted up and peeled off, leaving the corn in the center. It's a little disheartening to still see the corn there after two and a half months, but I'm going to be patient and keep it up with the treatments. Maybe the addition of the Thuja pellets will help--I'm willing to try anything at this point.