Corns -Any New Treatments?

[Guest Amber]

I've had my Fey for a year and she got a corn a few weeks ago, it's been hulled by the vet 1 week ago, but not much improved on hard ground. Its perfect on grass, ok on earth paths and ok in the house now, post hulling, but still lame on tarmac and paving . And now she has a lick granuloma from the shaved area on her leg, so we have that as well as the corn! My vet says almost all the corn dogs he hulls need sedation.

 

So I'm not convinced vet hulling is the way to go for Fey.

 

I've read up online and on greytalk, tried to join the facebook group but i don't use fb normally and couldn't get on it.

 

i was thinking of trying the murray avenue corn treatment next, maybe in combo with duct tape.

 

but just wanted to ask if there is anything new and more proven out there that anyone knows of?

 

Meantime we use boots for hard ground walks.

Edited January 13, 2015 by Amber

[tbhounds]

I hope your vet didn't sedate to hull that corn (was the shaved area for an IV catheter?). Sadly, there really hasn't been any new treatment options to rid of corns. There is a Facebook page that you my want to join that may be of help. Keep that shaved area covered with vetwrap until the hair grows back-the itching is what is making your hound lick that area.

[Guest Amber]

Hi, the vet was going to sedate her, he said it's painful and only 1 grey with corns that he sees will tolerate hulling without sedation! But he hasn't removed much and it seems to be growing back already. Her teeth were needing a dental so in fact i thought to get that done at the same time, so she ended up having a GA, total knock out for teeth. Once i noticed she had been licking the shaved area it's bandaged 24/7 with 2 dressing changes a day as it's infected, plus anti biotics for that.

 

The only good to come of all that expensive vet work is clean teeth!

 

No i don't understand or go on fb, so can't get on that group.

 

Vet says now he's been in there he thinks next time could hull without sedative. But it doesn't help that much and is stressful for fey and me.

 

Her corn is an under the surface one, hard to see even without defined edges, so not sure i can hull myself.

[tbhounds]

I'm glad you had her teeth cleaned :-)

No seds needed to hull--maybe print this out for your vet

http://www.grassmere-animal-hospital.com/corn_hulling.htm

Forgot to add-sometimes soaking the foot first will help loose the edges

Edited January 13, 2015 by tbhounds

[greysmom]

Some things that have been mentioned on the Facebook page:

 

>keep your greys feet/pads moisturized using anything from Bag Balm to high end human products. One woman was using a sample of L'Occitanne face cream with good results. Some people use a product called "Nipple Cream" used for breast feeding mothers. Some people use pure shea butter or pure lanolin. Make sure you cover the foot with something - sock or boot afterwards or the dog will like it off and he won't get any better.

>Soak twice a day with epsom salts and warm water, then moisturize, then put on a boot or sock. This helps to bring the corn to the surface where it can be hulled easier.

>Many people have had good luck using a homeopathic product called "Lori Rose Corn Treatment." It's spendy though and comes from Australia (I think). It can take a while to work, but some people have completely gotten rid of their dog's corns using it. Others, not so much.

>Here in the States, look into the Murray Avenue Corn Cream. Sort of the same thing from a compounding pharmacy.

>Abreva Cold Sore drops either on the corn itself or in the hole right after hulling.

>Human corn treatments from companies like Dr Scholls you can get at a regular store.

>You can get one of these from Amazon and hull the corns yourself

 

It's called a Dental Elevator, or a Gouge Elevator. It's what my own vet uses to hull my boys corns (I have a size 34 which is almost the same size as the corns I'm working on) . He abolutely won't let me work on his feet beyond a nail trim, and my vet will do it for free if we are in for another reason. In the meantime, I keep his feet soft and keep him off hard surfaces to walk as much as possible. Some people also use boots to cushion their feet.

 

Part of the difficulty treating corns on dogs is that there appears to be several causes and several different types of corns. Some are viral like human plantar warts. Some are caused by pressure on the pads from walking. Some may be caused by microscopic foreign bodies. They can be hard and horn-like or softer and easily manipulated. They can be deep or shallow, flat or rounded.

 

I have had a vet actually say to me that there is no such thing as greyhound corns. Yeah. We didn't go back to that vet. And unless the vet is going to amp the whole toe, there's no reason to sedate a dog for hulling. If it's painful or the sides are still attached to the pad, the corn is not ready to be hulled.

[Neighsayer]

Why did your vet sedate the dog? Mine falls asleep while I hull. There shouldn't be pain. May be time for a new vet!

[tbhounds]

Why did your vet sedate the dog? Mine falls asleep while I hull. There shouldn't be pain. May be time for a new vet!

The dog had a general for a dental prophy

[Guest Amber]

^{Many thanks for all your replies!}

 

^{Well I do trust my vet - believe me, I have been through just about every vet in town over the past 10 + years, and this is the only one I trust. Maybe the corny dogs corns aren't 'ready' to be hulled and that is why he needs to sedate - but OTOH if the dog is in pain and the owner goes to the vet, then they expect the vet to do something to relieve the pain as soon as possible.}

 

^{I have been softening with Vaseline and also tried the cold sore stuff but not much happening so far.}

 

^{I am in UK so the Lori Rose remedy is a possibility (she is in Ireland) but I saw a picture on here of a greyhound corn on that treatment and it didn't help and the corn looked really kind of 'raw', so that put me off it a bit? I think Murray Ave will ship to UK, it seems quite a few people have had success with that one, though the application is pretty intensive.}

 

^{I have another question. Does the duct tape method hurt the dog when you remove the tape? Do bits of the corn come out on the tape?}

 

^{ETA: I am not sure about home hulling, as like I said, her corn is really almost invisible. It's just a little circle pretty flat, with slightly raised rough skin but you can only see the raised area in really good light, and no defined edges. So not sure how I would know when it is 'ready' to hull, or where exactly to start trying to lift up the edges, if there are no obvious edges?}

 

^{Does anyone have any tips for this type of corn , home hulling?}

Edited January 14, 2015 by Amber

[Walliered]

My vet started out sedating both of my dogs for hulling, but had a change of heart and tried it with no sedating. It worked just fine, though I have to give my big male Tramadol 2 hours before taking him in. That seems to just take the edge off of his nerves. It should be interesting to see if the Galgo will have corns.

[DocsDoctor]

Amber, if you're anywhere near Hillingdon or Uxbridge there's a vet called Daniel Doherty who is a greyhound specialist and has apparently devised a highly successful, non-invasive method of corn removal.

 

Here's a link to a thread about corns on the Greyhound Gap forum, mentioning Daniel Doherty: http://greyhoundgap.proboards.com/thread/59496

 

And to his surgery website:http://www.myvet24-7.co.uk/about-us/

 

I've not used him myself, being carless and on the wrong side of London, but quite a few adopters from our local greyhound rescue rate him highly enough to make the trek up to Middlesex!

[Hawthorn]

I cured a similar corn in one of mine by filing it down with a foot file that I got from Boots and putting a drop of tea tree oil on it every day followed by a drop of vitamin E oil. Corn went away after a few weeks and never came back. Tea tree oil is toxic if ingested though so you'd need to cover with a sock.

[turbotaina]

Amber, my old boy Turbo had a corn that was slow to errupt from the pad. In fact, it took over a year and more than $3k to actually get it diagnosed! Once we were able to find a vet who could do the hulling, he would go in regularly. He rarely ever got total relief, but in those times when the corn wasn't ready to come out, we used a low dose of tramadol and Therapaw boots, and that kept him mostly sound. We would sometimes go weeks of him on three legs though, because nothing would work Corns suck

[Hubcitypam]

Duct tape alone worked better than anything else for my Rex. I did find out that you have to use quality tape like Nashua or Duck - dollar store brands don't work.

[greysmom]

I forgot the duct tape method!

 

People have mentioned what Pam said above - good quality, very sticky duct tape works the best. Gorilla tape or original Duct Tape. I haven't heard of it causing any problems. I think it probably mostly works by cutting off the oxygen supply to the corn. You just have to use enough tape to cover the corn, not the whole pad.

[Guest Amber]

Ok thanks everyone! I read about the Doherty vet in Uxbridge but I'm other end of the country, 14 hour drive away. Fey is a terrible traveller and gets stressed out in the car even on short trips. I emailed that vet but it bounced back. ..

 

I'm really disappointed with the hulling, it seemed to give her pain relief for a few days but now just one week later she is holding her paw up in the house again on the wood flooring. We have rugs down but not everywhere. So i don't think there is any point in trying vet hulling again, i mean i can't put her through it every week for virtually no gain. Boots and soft grass are her only relief just now.

 

Mostly she doesn't even get up off her bed when I come home now and she was so bouncy before, this makes me really sad.

 

Not sure what to try next.

 

i could try duct tape but worried it will hurt when i pull it off or damage the nearby healthy pad, even if it's cut small. Can it be soaked off or does it need to be ripped off?

Edited January 14, 2015 by Amber

[spottydog]

We recently used the duct tape method, (with the cheap stuff) and it seemed to have worked to a degree. He hasn't limped since I hulled his corn. In our experience the tape has a tendency to come off, as they sweat through their paws, but it does soften the area up and the corn becomes obvious so it can be dug out gently. It did not lift off with the tape when it was removed. You cut a piece of tape the to just cover the corn, not the whole toe.

[Guest DeniseL]

Here is one other option:

 

http://www.theartofmed.com/#!greyhounds/cyj

 

Worked for my cornhound. Thankfully he hasn't had a corn in over a year. Corns are a pain. Hope you find something that works....

[FiveRoooooers]

Don't worry about having to remove the duct tape from the corn, you won't have to. It will wear and eventually fall off on its own. Then just replace it with a new piece, either the very good quality tape or the Gorilla brand. Duct tape and dremeling have worked very well for my corn dogs. Try the tape Good luck!

[Guest Amber]

Think I will try the duct tape. At least it seems to be non-invasive, especially if you don't even need to peel it off.

 

The ointments and so on would be my next port of call, but I'm having a hard time just now changing her dressings on the lick granuloma twice a day. Not because she doesn't tolerate it, she is a super-sweet girl and an excellent patient but it makes me slightly uncomfortable/nervous having to lean over her and deal with her dressings x2 a day: I think because I was bitten by a previous dog when leaning over to do up his coat. I didn't see any warning signs because I was leaning over and looking at the Velcro fastening, not at him. I was also quite recently bitten by a horse at the stables (a known biter) when trying to catch him and so that's made me a bit cautious about things.

 

So any treatment that doesn't involve a lot of messing around with her feet and leaning over and such is better for me.

Edited January 15, 2015 by Amber

[Hubcitypam]

I did peel my duct tape off every 3-4 days or so and put on new. After a while the corn would just come out with the tape.

[Guest Amber]

So i went and bought the Duck brand duct tape and have stuck a tiny bit on her corn. The tape doesn't seem that sticky (it's Duck original, maybe super strength would be better? ). She's snoozing on the couch so will have to wait and see if it stays on.

 

I will update if we get a good improvement. I gather it can take several weeks to work.

[Guest Amber]

Gah! The duck tape fell off already. I wonder why it's not very sticky. Maybe it's different in UK? If any uk people tried tape, can you let me know what brand and where to find it?

 

I will try a slight bigger piece. If that doesn't work i should return it to B&Q for not sticking, though don't think I can explain what it's not adhering to! It was pretty expensive, why is it so rubbish.

[greysmom]

Make sure the pad is fairly clean before you apply the tape. It will help it stick on better.

[Hubcitypam]

Ditto.

[Guest Amber]

I tried cleaning the pad with an alcohol wipe beforehand, but still the tape only stayed on for a few minutes and fell off as soon as she moved about. I've tried taping an Elastoplast type corn plaster on top to keep it on and I think it stayed on for a while last night, but was off by this morning.

 

Maybe the UK stuff isn't as sticky, I see that it's got the same brand name but is made in the UK, not U.S.

 

I might try the super strength one or the Gorilla tape instead - does the Gorilla tape have to be the silver coloured one, as it seems to only come in black?

 

She was bouncing about like a puppy this a.m. before her walk, could it be the tape already? Or maybe just cos I did really small walks yesterday and so her corn wasn't so sore.