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Corn Hulled But No Improvement


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Tracker has a corn on his front right inner (weight bearing) toe. Its neighbor (also inner weight bearing) was removed 3.5 years ago after he came off the track (previous race track injury). The vet who removed the toe predicted he might be limping somewhat for the rest of his life, and that has proven to be true. It never was severe, but it was there. More recently it became more pronounced; ca 1 month ago the vet x-rayed him, saw no OS or arthritis, and told me he had a corn. Since she didn't hull corns, I went to a different vet yesterday to get it hulled, and out came this itty bitty thing, less than 1mm thick (1/16"). And he's still limping just as badly. Pain meds did nothing before he got hulled; he was on Rimadyl and was given Tramadol as well, which didn't do anything. Since yesterday's hulling removed only such a baby corn (there clearly was live tissue beyond the hole, so she did get it all), the vet was flummoxed as to what else might cause his pain. She pulled and pushed (gently) to see his range of motion (neck, shoulders, legs, toes), and he was fine with it all. So she gave me Metacam, because it's a different type of pain killer, hoping that might do something. She thought that this might be a neurological thing which wouldn't show up in an x-ray, obviously, and that pain management might be the only option. I haven't tried the Metacam yet, because she told me to wait until tomorrow to see whether the hulling effect might still kick in.

 

The vet who took the x-ray only took a shot of the foot and long bone. It didn't include the elbow or shoulder. Yesterday's vet said that while most OS is in long bones, sometimes it can start higher up in the shoulders. Now I'm wondering whether I should go back and have the first vet get another x-ray that will show more (or any vet). So that's one question I have, whether that might make sense. The other question is whether OS is even possible because when Tracker wears a Therapaw, he's limp free. Wouldn't the pain with OS be there no matter what? I'm a total lay person, so I might be having the wrong concept.

 

Apart from that, I feel so bad for my poor dog. At least there's the Therapaw, but the ability to run and goof off has been taken away right now, and it's so sad to see.

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Guest DeniseL

Are you using anything to keep the pads soft? Bag balm? Pad polish? Vasaline?

Are you using anything to keep the pads soft? Bag balm? Pad polish? Vasaline?

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Are you using anything to keep the pads soft? Bag balm? Pad polish? Vasaline?

Are you using anything to keep the pads soft? Bag balm? Pad polish? Vasaline?

 

I have, intermittently, for many days in a row, without anything improving, so right now I'm not. Should I keep the pad soft at all times?

Edited by christinepi
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first thing that came to mind is tick bone disease???

 

if he is getting relief from the therapaw then he should be good on grass or carpeting- how is he on those surfaces?

 

how old is tracker?

He's almost 7. He's much better on grass or dirt, too. We certainly have lots of ticks around here. Wouldn't a tick borne disease affect all limbs?

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Something similar happened with Olivia. The corn actually ejected itself and her limp got worse, to the point of her carrying her leg up for a week even while wearing her TheraPaws. We went to the vet and did the x-Ray thing too, but it came back good. But there must have been some corn left or a new one was already forming because about the same time as she was starting to put her foot down the corn reappeared. Apparently the invisible or baby one was more irritating than the larger one.

 

What ended up helping was applying a strong salycilic acid ointment (60%) and doing the duck tape thing. It softened it right up and made the corn disappear.

Qui me amat, amet et canes meas...et felem.

Olivia (RDs Merrygoround, b. 4/6/07, Gotcha 12/19/11

Chloe (PAR Candice, b. 5/22/08, Gotcha 12/18/12)

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  • 3 weeks later...

Something similar happened with Olivia. The corn actually ejected itself and her limp got worse, to the point of her carrying her leg up for a week even while wearing her TheraPaws. We went to the vet and did the x-Ray thing too, but it came back good. But there must have been some corn left or a new one was already forming because about the same time as she was starting to put her foot down the corn reappeared. Apparently the invisible or baby one was more irritating than the larger one.

 

What ended up helping was applying a strong salycilic acid ointment (60%) and doing the duck tape thing. It softened it right up and made the corn disappear.

Is this an over the counter or prescription drug? If OTC, what is the name? Don't need it now but want to keep it in my notes.

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Guest BlueCrab

We went thru similar with Trixie. X-rays showed nothing; hulling did nothing.

 

We used duct tape daily for a couple weeks (1cm x 1cm piece replaced as needed) and fairly quickly it pulled out the corn. Trixie was fine for a while but the corn came back. Your symptoms definitely sound like a corn - Trixie wears a Therapaw when we hike on hard surfaces and she doesn't limp, nor does she limp on grass - only on hard surfaces when she's unprotected. The corn gets pulled out with the duct tape but it does re-grow. You're in corns for the long haul - they don't go away. Some people have had luck with hulling, others with surgery, still others with duct tape or pad softening creams. Each case seems to be unique and different. I did NOT want to do surgery; I just thought the pain and time for healing would be way too much for Trixie - and me - to stand.

 

Salicitic acid is the stuff humans use for corns on their hands or feet. You can find it at any drug store. There are human remedies for plantar warts that should work similarly to the duct tape / salicitic acid. They come in packages with small disks of the acid that gets applied over the corn itself and then a cushion pad that goes overtop to help ease the ouch factor. I wouldn't see why these wouldn't work on dogs although I'd be worried that the dose might be too strong.

 

FWIW, I thought Trixie would mess with the tape on the bottom of her pad and was concerned that she'd try to eat it or pull it off. She never seemed to notice it was there.

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Is this an over the counter or prescription drug? If OTC, what is the name? Don't need it now but want to keep it in my notes.

It was a prescription from the vet - can't get that strength OTC. Diamondback Drugs, a compounding pharmacy, made it. It was about $30 and I have well over a life time supply for a few greyhounds. My vet had us put it on for a week, scrape off the affected layer ( didn't hurt her at all), off for a week, on for a week. As I mentioned, after the first few days, she was feeling much better. The corn has not reappeared, but I suspect it may at some point. It took several months after the first time for it to come back.

Qui me amat, amet et canes meas...et felem.

Olivia (RDs Merrygoround, b. 4/6/07, Gotcha 12/19/11

Chloe (PAR Candice, b. 5/22/08, Gotcha 12/18/12)

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It was a prescription from the vet - can't get that strength OTC. Diamondback Drugs, a compounding pharmacy, made it. It was about $30 and I have well over a life time supply for a few greyhounds. My vet had us put it on for a week, scrape off the affected layer ( didn't hurt her at all), off for a week, on for a week. As I mentioned, after the first few days, she was feeling much better. The corn has not reappeared, but I suspect it may at some point. It took several months after the first time for it to come back.

Thanks.

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