Do Corns Cause A Discoloration Of The Pad?

[Guest mrs]

Smitty was limping for a few months and we went through tons of testing with him. Suddenly it stopped for 5-6 weeks. Now he's limping again. Can a "hidden" corn cause that? Do corns cause a discoloration of the pad? One of Smitty's pads looks a little yellowed (best description I can come up with). It's really the only area I see that discoloration and it is on the paw of the leg he's limping on. I don't see an actual corn like I've seen in some pictures. Just wondering what the first signs of corns are. Thanks for any info and off to do lots of research.

 

I have some pictures but I don't think I can upload them here.

Edited August 10, 2014 by mrs

[silverfish]

Try soaking his foot in warm water for 10-15 minutes. It's how I saw Sid's corn, which was well and truly hidden.

 

After his hydrotherapy session one day I saw a darkish circle on one of his pads. After much consultation with the vets over many months, I was finally able to point to something and say 'I think he has a corn'. Well, the vet didn't really believe it, because after he'd dried out it was no longer visible, but he agreed to send me for a consultation to Cambridge vet school and told them to check everything ... so we saw a general medicine guy, then a neurologist, then an orthopaedic guy and finally he was admitted to have corn surgery. They took out a horribly deep corn that was between half a centimetre and one centimetre long, and spindle-shaped, with a 'glassy' core. They didn't think there was a foreign body in there, it was just compacted, hardened tissue.

 

Sid's mobility issues can be difficult to diagnose. For a start it can be difficult to tell he is limping at all, since he's a tripod, but we knew he wasn't walking right (even for him) and eventually took a video of him running along quite nicely on the grass verges, and slowing to a crab-like crawl over the intersecting driveways. In the part we showed the vets he almost collapses onto his backside just before he reaches the safety of the next grass verge .. and they now use this for teaching at Cambridge University.

So that's another thing to look for: is there a difference between the way he walks on hard pavement, and the way he walks on grass and soft surfaces like carpet?

 

Adding the vid: Click here

Edited August 10, 2014 by silverfish

[Riverhound]

Silverfish, that video is incredible. Painful to watch, but incredible. So glad they were able to dig that nasty thing out of poor Sid!

[silverfish]

Silverfish, that video is incredible. Painful to watch, but incredible. So glad they were able to dig that nasty thing out of poor Sid!

 

So were we! The recover for a tripod was not easy, but much easier than we thought it would be.

[KF_in_Georgia]

One thing I've heard of is to ask your vet to do a nerve block on the suspicious toe, then watch Smitty walk. If his walk is fine with the block, then you're looking at a toe issue that probably is a corn. If he still limps with the block, then you need to look for another problem. (There could still be a corn, but it's not the main problem.)

 

But yes, corns often don't show at the surface, which is one of the things that makes treating them so difficult.

[Guest mrs]

Thanks for the info. It looks like I have to be a member to post a photo of his pad.

[silverfish]

You should be able to hotlink a picture if you have something like Photobucket or Flickr. Yes, the gallery here is for subscribers only (I believe) but you are already a member - you have a name and a profile - so you should be able to hotlink.