Is This A Corn?

[Guest Lily]

My 3 years old greyhound has started limping about 3 weeks ago. The first thing I did is to check her foot/pads to see if there wasn't any sign of injury there. I couldn't really see anything except one tiny little dark dot on one of her pad. I took her to the vet who checked her foot, leg etc. and couldn't find anything obvious. She wasn't worried about the tiny dot.

 

I left that day with Deramaxx for a week. The medication really helped the limp but when I ran out, it came back as bad as it was. Also, I have to mention the limp is not consistent. Sometimes, it's very subtle, sometimes it's severe to the point where she stops and lifts her foot. Long story short, I got x-rays done and everything came back normal.

 

This morning, I noticed the small dot on her pad got a little bigger and the color around it has changed as well. I looked at images of corns on the web but the appearance seem to vary so much, it's hard to know for sure if we're dealing with that.

 

After the x-rays, the vet recommended that I rest her for 2 weeks (5 mins walks, no jumping, no stairs) and if things don't get better in a few weeks, she wants me to see an orthopedic vet. This has been quite expensive so far, I really want to get a second opinion on her foot before I go see a specialist. It just doesn't look right to me.

 

I hope the links to the photos will work... is it a corn we're dealing with?

 

Wet pad: https://goo.gl/photos/N8kUuHm6p3D5Zc1U6

Dry pad: https://goo.gl/photos/qagH6h7KR1Qrnrc26

Dry pad: https://goo.gl/photos/VjX7wepz9kR4N9gA8

 

Thanks in advance for your feedback!

Edited July 12, 2015 by Lily

[Hubcitypam]

Looks like one to me but I'm not a veterinary professional - just had a dog with multiple corns on all four paws. Try good brand duct tape and DO NOT have them surgically removed. You and/or vet can look into the Grassmere site about hulling.

[greysmom]

Could be, but it's not a typical presentation with that hole in the middle. That *could* be a foreign body, as well, but I would have expected something to show on an xray if that was the case. Usually, a corn limp will be more pronounced on hard surfaces like the sidewalk or road, and less on grass or sand. Many vets - even good vets - are NOT familiar with the phenomenon of greyhound corns. Many even insist they don't exist. You might ask your adoption group if they know a vet near you who is.

 

If you are on Facebook there is a good group you can join called "Greyhounds with Corns." They have a ton of info listed there about different types of treatments, and may, many people with experience in dealing with them.

[XTRAWLD]

I call that a corn. Agreed the middle looks different (but Kasey has a dark spot in the middle of one of his as well - almost more of a plantar wart style), and also agree that many vets (and actually ones that are familiar with greys, have small exposure to these sorts of things). However, 3 years old is very young to develop this IMO.

 

May I suggest 2 things.

 

Soak the foot in some warm water and epsom salts, for about 5 minutes if your grey is tolerant, 10 would be better. If it's a foreign body, you'll be able to loosen it and try to get it out of there. I had to get rid of something on Ryder this way that was on the back of his big paw pad. 3 days of soaking twice a day and squeezed whatever it was right out.

 

Secondly, I didn't think it would work for Kasey after 2 years of trying other methods, but if you try soaking it and nothing is coming out it might be a corn - put some ductape over it. The ductape acts to prevent air getting to the "corn" and it will slowly protrude and you'll be able to remove it. The tape will likely fall off on it's own, or change it yourself in a few days. You'll notice the corn want to come away with the tape. It also acts as a bit of a cushion when walking around. I wonder if this would also work if it was something lodged in the paw.

 

Best of luck, keep us posted!

Edited July 12, 2015 by XTRAWLD

[tbhounds]

Looks like a foreign body to me. Did the limping come on acutely?? Rads don't always pick up everything unless the foreign object is metal you won't see anything. Wood, plastic, glass will not be seen (you would need advanced imaging like an MRI)--what you might see is inflammation. Personally, I would soak that toe in warm water (I wouldn't use Epsom salts for fear of drying out the pad) as many times as you can daily. In between soaking I would apply an oily ointment (bag balm...) to keep the pad moist.

To soak place the foot in a baggie and wrap a towel around the top to avoid soaking yourself. If you can't use a bag or a pan then use a warm, wet washcloth and wrap the toe.

Edited to add-one of the reasons I'm leaning towards a FB is because of the mention that the Metacam helped--metacam will reduce inflammation-doesn't typically help with corns.

Edited July 12, 2015 by tbhounds

[Houndtime]

My girl's corn started just like that. I used duck tape to bring it up and eventually just picked it out myself. I am certain it will come back, as I am not sure that I got it all out.

[JohnF]

Looks like a corn to me. Peggy had one of those.... walked better on grass, MUCH worse on solid surfaces. You can make them show up better buy putting on some of that lightening toothpaste.

There is one here with a pit in the centre...

[tbhounds]

I took another look--I stand behind my assumption that it's a foreign body. Look closely around the pad--you can see where there's been inflammation--discolored pad. Soak that toe and see if that dark colored center area can be picked out. Don't need to hull--if it's soft enough you should be able to flick it out with your fingernail.

[Guest AngelPup]

Lily, your experience so far is almost exactly what we went through when trying to diagnose why Cindy Lou was limping. But we didn't see anything on her pad in the beginning. Several vets at the office looked at her and couldn't find anything. Xrays were clear. We actually did have an orthopedic surgeon look at her and he couldn't figure out why she was favoring that leg. He recommended physical therapy. Thankfully, a friend recommended two greyhound-savvy vets in my area (they actually both worked at a track before it closed) and after a thorough examination, she poked around her pads and discovered a corn on one of her pads. It was a VERY expensive diagnosis.

 

Having said that, the pictures look more like a foreign body may have penetrated the pad. It could be the beginning of a corn, but there is what appears to be an indent there. Cindy Lou's corn started out as a pin-head, then developed into a flat corn, and now it's larger and I'm able to hull or cut out the outer layer every so often.

 

In either case, I'd soak the paw in warm water and Epson salt to try to draw whatever it is out. If you are on Facebook, check out Greyhounds with Corns FB page. There's TONS of info and your pictures look very similar to someone who just posted and theirs turned out to be a foreign body that the vet pulled out.

 

Good luck!!