I Might Have A Corn Dog

[Guest HeatherLee]

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B7WYe3y0SkwlV2toMEoxc0hLYkk

 

I think Gambler might have a corn. About 3 weeks ago he (seemingly) randomly started limping on his right hind. He wouldn't put any weight on it but there was no signs of serious trauma and we couldn't figure out the cause. So we waited a few hours to see if it would improve. He did improve to putting weight on it but obviously favoring it. A few hours after he walked on it but ONLY on smooth surfaces like the brick or concrete flooring but absolutely not on the gravel outside or rough concrete road. I inspected the hell out of his feet and saw nothing. Palpating his whole leg with not a problem and very minimal tenderness on the toes of that foot. (he's the kind of dog that will LET YOU KNOW if something hurts.. he's a princess, and a diva, he will growl and snap if it hurts.. but nothing)

 

He went to the park with other greyhounds the next day (a baseball field with soft grass) and ran around and played just fine, but slower than usual. He seemed to improve. A few weeks later he was walking better and playing a little better. He's living with me now in an apartment in downtown Phoenix so there's basically nothing but smooth surfaces so he seemed to be ok. He goes up and down the stairs but I can tell he ever so slightly favors that foot. Anyway.. today on a walk he went over a small rough gravelly area and started limping when we were crossing the street. Unfortunately I had to pull him across the road quickly so we wouldn't get run over. He put weight on it again walking on the sidewalk but it's sore again.

 

I gave him some pain medication and checked out his toe and noticed this (in the picture linked above). The toe is now visibly inflamed and there's a small dot there. I started researching corns and realized that he may have had this coming for awhile (if indeed that's it) because I do look at my dogs feet often and I remember months and months ago seeing a small black dot on his pad and thinking it was just natural pigmentation. Could that have been a sign of a corn? What are your thoughts? Does this look like a corn?

[Time4ANap]

Looks like a corn to me, but it also looks like there's possibly one starting on the next to also (small white dot).

[Guest HeatherLee]

Looks like a corn to me, but it also looks like there's possibly one starting on the next to also (small white dot).

Eeeesh.. Which one? The one above it or behind it? Poor baby. Any advice for treatment?

[Time4ANap]

Eeeesh.. Which one? The one above it or behind it? Poor baby. Any advice for treatment?

 

Behind it. There's a small white dot that could be a corn, or nothing, but is very round. I actually noticed that first and thought it looked like the start of a corn.

 

We haven't dealt with corns here, and I would want a few other opinions that it is definitely a corn before doing anything. I know some people get them hulled, others use the duct tape method. Hopefully one of the greyhound medical folks will answer shortly.

[RaineysMom]

I'm certainly no expert, but Larry has corns and I have to say that doesn't really look like a corn per se to me? I don't know if inflamed toes are common with corns but I know Larry's are not. And the area you photographed looks different than what a corn looks like, it's more extended and well, rougher looking for lack of a good word. For corns, they limp on any hard surface (with rougher ones like gravel worse) but still limp on hard areas, the only relief Larry gets is on soft surfaces like grass or carpet.

 

hoping you can find out. I swear by TheraPaws. BEST $28 I've ever spent in my life. Larry could not go out of the house without them....

[cleptogrey]

that's an easy one to hull

if you have the nerve, a sharp medical needle will do the trick, just pick along the outline- going in toward the center of the corn. loosen it up and then down a tad, you will be able to see how far. you can also use the cone shaped dremel attachment. be brave but first do a search on youtube for how to hull a corn. the boots are hot, once the corn is removed it's like shaking a pebble out of your shoe.

[Neighsayer]

Looks like a corn that's ready to hull. Keep the pad moist, and work around the edges of the corn. There are YouTube videos to show you how to do it. Pretty easy when it is ready to come out.

There is a greyhounds with corns Facebook group with lots of advice and pictures. Good luck!

[KF_in_Georgia]

Try putting a moisturizer of some sort on his pads for a few days. Typically, the pads will get softer and any corns will be much better defined. And the moisturizer won't do any harm.

 

(Your own hand cream, Bag Balm, something like that. But nothing actually greasy or oily: You don't want him slipping and you don't want oily prints on the furniture.)

[Guest HeatherLee]

that's an easy one to hull

if you have the nerve, a sharp medical needle will do the trick, just pick along the outline- going in toward the center of the corn. loosen it up and then down a tad, you will be able to see how far. you can also use the cone shaped dremel attachment. be brave but first do a search on youtube for how to hull a corn. the boots are hot, once the corn is removed it's like shaking a pebble out of your shoe.

I wouldn't mind doing it. But there's no way he'd let me. Even with help we'd have to restrain him too much and he'd just be traumatized.

 

Going to try some drawing salve (ichthammol, used a lot on horses) and try to get it out farther to make the process easier on both of us. Even if it's not a corn that ointment should help whatever it is regardless until I can get him to the vet.

 

Thanks for all the answers!

[Neighsayer]

Have you tried messing with it? Hulling doesn't hurt. My dog used to sleep through it.

[Guest HeatherLee]

Have you tried messing with it? Hulling doesn't hurt. My dog used to sleep through it.

Yeh it's tender. He pulls it away when I try to touch it. There's no way he'd sleep through that. He can barely stand to have his nails dremeled. And that's even with tons of peanut butter for a distraction. He's kind of an ass about certain things haha. Thanks for the suggestion though.

Try putting a moisturizer of some sort on his pads for a few days. Typically, the pads will get softer and any corns will be much better defined. And the moisturizer won't do any harm.

 

(Your own hand cream, Bag Balm, something like that. But nothing actually greasy or oily: You don't want him slipping and you don't want oily prints on the furniture.)

Yeh he has an issue with the concrete floors here. His paws just aren't that grippy. Was going to get some show foot for him but I don't know if it would stick to an ultra moisturized paw? Maybe it would work better?

[KF_in_Georgia]

Moisturized pads should have a better grip than smooth, dry pads.

[MaryJane]

I would not mess with it yet -- put some cream (bag balm) on for a few days and get it very moisturized and if it is a corn, you will see well-marked edges to it. Right now I don't see anything that looks like a corn.

[Mercsmom]

Help me to learn, please.

Which is the corn? I see two things within the green circle: A small white round spot just left and below center. And, a cluster of small red splotches just above center (which I would have taken for stone bruises).

[Neighsayer]

In the lower part of the circle, there is a round area that looks like it is sitting in the pad. You can see some of the defined edge around it. A very moist pad will pull away from the round part, leaving a groove around the corn. The corn sticks above the surface when it is ready to come out. Some fall out on their own. Check out the corn hulling videos on YouTube, or the Facebook page.

[FiveRoooooers]

Another method here: duct tape the corn. If the dog will leave the tape alone, and most do, the tape can help loosen the corn while offering some protection and padding until the corn can be dug out. If the dog is Bea, who views duct tape as an appetizer, you try the Murray Avenue method, which is where we are now.

[cleptogrey]

you want the pad dry when working on a corn, be it duct tape or hulling. a moisturizer will make it more difficult to see the edges. i love itchammol but corns can not be drawn out with that salve. they have a root in the paw. smothering it with duct tape will be the easiest. then if that doesn't work, muzzle w/ peanut butter inside the muzzle to keep him busy and have someone help you hold him and dremmeling the corn will be faster than hulling it. i'll send dh right over- felix is a PITA when it comes to his paws and he hates to help, but has to and does a good job!

[EddiesMom15]

And here I thought you'd been to the Iowa State Fair!

[marion]

My beloved Soldi was a corn dog. She wouldn't like me to hull it while being active, but when she went to sleep, I could hull it.

It came back after some time and I hulled it again. Sometimes she wore a booty.

[Guest Forewatch]

Duct tape worked for me. Cut a circle a little larger than the corn. Apply it over the corn and leave it alone. When it falls off, replace with a new piece. Not all brands of duct tape work. Make sure you get one that's really sticky. I wish I knew the brand I use, but the packaging is long gone.

[Guest HeatherLee]

Thanks everyone for the replies and advice! The outside of his toe is increasingly inflamed and getting red. I'll be taking him to the vet asap to get this checked out.

Thanks everyone for the replies and advice! The outside of his toe is increasingly inflamed and getting red. I'll be taking him to the vet asap to get this checked out.

[XTRAWLD]

Red is no good! That's very strange. I see that his pad near the corn is worn, and he could be compensating his weight to get off the corn itself, angering the healthy part of the pad. Hope everything turns out alright! Keep us posted.

[claudiav]

the round circle on the outside of the toe is the corn. have vet hull it. corn dogs will favor grass to any sort of hard surface.

 

corns do NOT cause the toe itself to get red or inflamed. that is something else.

Edited August 22, 2016 by claudiav

[Guest HeatherLee]

Just went to vet. Will update later.

Edited August 22, 2016 by HeatherLee

[Guest HeatherLee]

Well after soaking his foot in epsom salt yesterday, I was able to pick off whatever that circular piece was quite easily and it didn't look like a corn. I took him to the vet this morning and she confirmed she didn't think it was a corn. His pad looks fairly normal, except for the swelling.

 

I took him in for this and for a toe on the other (left) hind foot that is still swollen a month later after getting what seemed to be a sting or bite or something. (he was taken to the vet for that by the people he was staying with in another city, given antibiotics and x-rays) I was concerned why it was still swollen.

 

So after being a total pain in the ass with this vet (same office I usually go to, different vet) and the tech and asking them to come back a hundred time to explain everything to me because I was just pissed that it didn't seem like they were listening.. and offering too many extreme diagnoses.

 

For the right hind (the one in the pic) she said she didn't know what exactly was wrong or causing the inflammation. But it definitely wasn't corns. She explain a lot, showed me on his foot, I felt satisfied what that answer. Since this is the leg he broke at the track and his stifle (is that what you call it in dogs? the knee?) and hock seemed a little sore to her and his muscle mass wasn't as large on that side she wanted to x-ray. Makes sense. Said it could me arthritis, bone infection, torn acl, or cancer. In fact she said cancer a lot.

 

For the left toe she wanted to do a blood test for valley fever. This is not a cheap test and wanted to run a full panel with it. Ok.. I'm open to the fact it could be valley fever but it seems a bit extreme for a swollen toe with a clear puncture scab. Arthritis also seems like a bit much for it being so sudden. When I saw it when it first happened the whole toe was swollen, not just the joint, it was red and inflamed and itchy. The vet he was taken to the next day in Tucson who see's the adoption groups greys regularly and is very experienced with them. I mean I've had bug bites that have taken 6 weeks to go away so it's plausible that it could be that.

 

I"m just half unsatisfied with the vet and half very worried about Gambler. I usually have no problem with this vet office, they're usually the nicest most thorough people, but the vet and the tech must be new.. didn't care for them. But i'm pretty proud of myself for being a bit of a bitch and making them explain every freaking thing to me in detail.

 

So for now, because I'm on a very tight budget (and I want to discuss this with the other vet first).. we took home some antibiotics made to get into the joint, some anti inflammatory, and some pain meds. If nothing works, then it;s x-ray time.