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Corns Again


Scooby172

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Jack my 8.5 year old grey has a corn on his pad.  I have joined the facebook group greyhounds with corns and am getting a lot of good information.  I have had greys for 25 plus years and this is my first grey with a corn so I am just looking for additional advice.  I am very familiar with Greytalk and have gotten so much good advice over the years I thought I would just check here to see if anyone had recommendations regarding treatment.  I have started soaking Jack's foot in epsom salt twice a day and have been applying bag balm.  The corn has not yet erupted so cannot be hulled at this time.  I have read about using duct tape, nail polish, Lori Rose Homeopathic cream and am feeling a bit overwhelmed.  I want to try more conservative methods before going the flexor tenotomy route and have ordered Jack a Therapaw boot.  I am very thankful this turned out to be a corn as has been very lame and although  x rays showed nothing I was worried about osteosarcoma.  Thank you all for your support and advice.

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We are going the flexor tenotomy route. There are only 2 vets here in Ontario and luckily, one is about 1/2 hour from us. 

We based our decision on a few factors 1) Emmy is limping a lot, she’s obviously in a lot of pain 2) we’ve had it hulled by our vet and it grew back very quickly both times 3) if we don’t get rid of the source, it will always bother her 4) she’s only Nine 5) the vet is close by and knows a lot about Dr. Guilliard and has great success with previous tendonectomies. 
 
I will let you know how it goes. It’s not cheap here, but I hate seeing Emmy in pain. Hope you find a solution that works.

Jan with precious pups Emmy (Stormin J Flag) and Simon (Nitro Si) and Abbey Field.  Missing my angels: Bailey Buffetbobleclair 11/11/98-17/12/09; Ben Task Rapid Wave 5/5/02-2/11/15; Brooke Glo's Destroyer 7/09/06-21/06/16 and Katie Crazykatiebug 12/11/06 -21/08/21. My blog about grief The reality is that you will grieve forever. You will not get over the loss of a loved one; you will learn to live with it. You will rebuild yourself around the loss you have suffered. You will be whole again but you will never be the same. Nor should you be the same, nor would you want to. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

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Both of our senior broodies have corns.  Kate will let us work on hers, but Petunia tucks her paws under her body and won't let us near her feet. Kate seems to have some pain with hers and still has somewhat of a limp from the corn.  We started trying to soften the corn and found that Burt's Bees Hand Salve worked well to soften the corn.  It had to be applied daily and consistently. Eventually, the biggest nastiest corns on Kate were able to be popped off and she definitely felt batter.  It became obvious within a week or two that the corn(s) were re-developing, so we are still softening and removing them as needed.  Due to age, I don't think we want to do anything surgical unless she has to go under for something else. Kate still runs and plays on the soft surfaces, but concrete, tile etc are an issue and painful for her. Now that we have the biggest of the corns off, we may try a boot or slipper depending on what the vet wants to do at her upcoming exam. 

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Camp Broodie. The current home of Mark Kay Mark Jack and Gracie Kiowa Safe Joan.  Always missing my boy Rocket Hi Noon Rocket,  Allie  Phoenix Dynamite, Kate Miss Kate, Starz Under Da Starz, Petunia MW Neptunia, Diva Astar Dashindiva, and LaVida I've Got Life

 

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Since most of us get our info from the FB group there probably won't be much new for us to offer.

I will say, in an opposing opinion, that I would think long and hard about doing a Flexor Tenotomy which is really just a surgical procedure creating a "sprung toe" on your dog.  Many people have done it and had great initial success, but it's a really new procedure (only started being done about 2 years ago) so there is really no info about long term effects or success.  Our corn dog passed last year, but we explored doing it on him with our vet.  She read all the literature and even called Dr Guillard and spoke with him about it.  She decided there were just too many questions and unknowns for her to recommend it, the biggest one being there doesn't seem to be any recourse if your dog develops corns on pads adjacent to the toe that was operated on.  The FT people say one should just keep on cutting tendons in your dogs foot, but that seems to me like a big, dark rabbit hole to go down.  With that advice, you would really compromise your dogs physical ability to use the foot properly, perhaps even leading to corns on other feet due to the altered gait - and on and on.

IMO, a conservative approach of daily soaking, daily moisturizing, and regular hulling seems to give the best long term results.  It's a pain to have to manage feet daily, but it's just what you do when you have a corn dog.  No one is really sure *why* methods of using duct tape or nail polish work -  starving the corn, which is dead tissue, of oxygen seem counterintuitive - but they do seem to accelerate the rate for hulling them, and don't involve a lot of messing around with the feet (a plus if your dog is really touchy).

Corns suck rotten eggs and I hate them.  Good luck with yours!

Chris - Mom to: Felicity (DeLand), and Andi (Braska Pandora)

52592535884_69debcd9b4.jpgsiggy by Chris Harper, on Flickr

Angels: Libby (Everlast), Dorie (Dog Gone Holly), Dude (TNJ VooDoo), Copper (Kid's Copper), Cash (GSI Payncash), Toni (LPH Cry Baby), Whiskey (KT's Phys Ed), Atom, Lilly

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6 hours ago, greytpups said:

We are going the flexor tenotomy route. There are only 2 vets here in Ontario and luckily, one is about 1/2 hour from us. 

We based our decision on a few factors 1) Emmy is limping a lot, she’s obviously in a lot of pain 2) we’ve had it hulled by our vet and it grew back very quickly both times 3) if we don’t get rid of the source, it will always bother her 4) she’s only Nine 5) the vet is close by and knows a lot about Dr. Guilliard and has great success with previous tendonectomies. 
 
I will let you know how it goes. It’s not cheap here, but I hate seeing Emmy in pain. Hope you find a solution that works.

Good luck! My vet has done several of these and the results have been nothing short of miraculous. Let us know how Emmy is :goodluck

Old Dogs are the Best Dogs. :heartThank you, campers. Current enrollees:  Punkin. AnnIE Oooh M

Angels: Pal :heart. Segugio. Sorella (TPGIT). LadyBug. Zeke-aroni. MiMi Sizzle Pants. Gracie. Seamie :heart:brokenheart. (Foster)Sweet. Andy. PaddyALVIN!Mayhem. Bosco. Bruno. Dottie B. Trevor Double-Heart. Bea. Cletus, KLTO. Aiden 1-4.

:paw Upon reflection, our lives are often referenced in parts defined by the all-too-short lives of our dogs.

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I'm with greysmom on having the flexor tenotomy in that if your hound develops corns on the other pads what happens then.

My Grace has corns on three of the pads on her front left foot and after trying various remedies I taken the decision that it is something we are both just going to have to live with and manage. I grind the corns down first thing every other day using a cordless nail grinder and put Burt's Bees Hand Salve on the corns. I put a baby sock and boot on her foot if she's going to walk on hard ground and take her to the park in the car so she can walk on the grass without going on the pavements.

The reason for the baby sock is to stop the inside of the boot getting gummed up with the hand salve and it makes putting the boot on easier as it keeps her toes and dew claw from catching on the boot.

Grace (Ardera Coleen) b. 18 June 2014 - Gotcha Day 10 June 2018 - Going grey gracefully
Guinness (Antigua Rum) b. 3 September 2017 - Gotcha Day 18 March 2022 - A gentleman most of the time

 

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Thank you everyone for your perspectives.  Hearing everyone’s experiences and opinions helps me to make decisions for Jack. Everyday it gets a little less overwhelming and just something to manage the best way we can.  I did get a Therapaw boot which has helped, twice daily epsom soaks, nails trimmed short and keeping pads moisturized is my plan for now. Just started this course of action so we will see if it helps. Jack does go to the vet this week so I will also see what she says.  Thanks again I will keep updates going as I am sure to have more thoughts and questions. I am on greyhounds with corns Facebook which I am sorting through, just have always trusted the expertise on this forum!

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We are considering flexor tenotomy for phog.  He has struggled with corns so and will hardly let us look at his feet.  We have spoken with a surgeon.  We don’t do Facebook so we aren’t able to access any info posted there.  Is scary- but if it worked he would be such a very happy boy

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Our gentle sweet Lucas has corns on three paws - and one of those has two pads with corns. I don't do Facebook either. Over the years, I've seen lots of discussion about corns here on GT. We tried epsom soaks, icthammol salve, various paw creams, etc. and while these options do speed up the time it takes to loosen the corn enough to hull it, the corns seem to come back with a vengeance. He also seems more sensitive to the newly growing corns than the old pesky been-there-forever ones.  I, too, dremel the surface of the corns down a bit.  Our solution has been boots for all four feet. It took a very long time to find the right combination as most boots either were not sturdy enough or created a different worse!) problem from rubbing skin off of his knuckles. :cry1 

Neopaws Summer Cool Performance shoes for his front feet size M+ and NGAP booties (XL) for his back paws have been our solution for a couple of years. He wears his shoes on every walk and has earned a reputation for his sporty look in our neighborhood. We're able to take 2 mile walks on pavement without any limping.  With no boots on, he's able to walk on grass in our yard and on most surfaces (preferably rugs) in our house without too pronounced a limp. On hard surfaces or gravel he really struggles because three paws are giving him pain. And with three paws affected, surgery is definitely not an option for us.

I wish we had a better solution. The boots are really only a compromise.  But he is patient as can be while we put on his boots for walkies.  He seems happy as ever and jumps for joy whenever we go grab the leash - so that's what we're doing for now. Love him to bits. :wub:   Hate the corns with a passion :angryfire

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13 hours ago, GreytOwl said:

Our gentle sweet Lucas has corns on three paws - and one of those has two pads with corns. I don't do Facebook either. Over the years, I've seen lots of discussion about corns here on GT. We tried epsom soaks, icthammol salve, various paw creams, etc. and while these options do speed up the time it takes to loosen the corn enough to hull it, the corns seem to come back with a vengeance. He also seems more sensitive to the newly growing corns than the old pesky been-there-forever ones.  I, too, dremel the surface of the corns down a bit.  Our solution has been boots for all four feet. It took a very long time to find the right combination as most boots either were not sturdy enough or created a different worse!) problem from rubbing skin off of his knuckles. :cry1 

Neopaws Summer Cool Performance shoes for his front feet size M+ and NGAP booties (XL) for his back paws have been our solution for a couple of years. He wears his shoes on every walk and has earned a reputation for his sporty look in our neighborhood. We're able to take 2 mile walks on pavement without any limping.  With no boots on, he's able to walk on grass in our yard and on most surfaces (preferably rugs) in our house without too pronounced a limp. On hard surfaces or gravel he really struggles because three paws are giving him pain. And with three paws affected, surgery is definitely not an option for us.

I wish we had a better solution. The boots are really only a compromise.  But he is patient as can be while we put on his boots for walkies.  He seems happy as ever and jumps for joy whenever we go grab the leash - so that's what we're doing for now. Love him to bits. :wub:   Hate the corns with a passion :angryfire

Have you tried the duct tape method? It really worked for Pal, and worked for Bea when she would leave the tape alone and not eaten it! Putting a toddler sock over the tape or a soft soft from dogbooties dot com can help.

Old Dogs are the Best Dogs. :heartThank you, campers. Current enrollees:  Punkin. AnnIE Oooh M

Angels: Pal :heart. Segugio. Sorella (TPGIT). LadyBug. Zeke-aroni. MiMi Sizzle Pants. Gracie. Seamie :heart:brokenheart. (Foster)Sweet. Andy. PaddyALVIN!Mayhem. Bosco. Bruno. Dottie B. Trevor Double-Heart. Bea. Cletus, KLTO. Aiden 1-4.

:paw Upon reflection, our lives are often referenced in parts defined by the all-too-short lives of our dogs.

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7 hours ago, FiveRoooooers said:

Have you tried the duct tape method? It really worked for Pal, and worked for Bea when she would leave the tape alone and not eaten it! Putting a toddler sock over the tape or a soft soft from dogbooties dot com can help.

I did try it in early days when the corns were barely visible, but didn't have success. I may give it a try again - he's very patient when we work on his feet.  I haven't had success keeping socks on either, but maybe the soft boots would be helpful as they have velcro. Thanks, FiveRoooooooers!

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2 hours ago, GreytOwl said:

I did try it in early days when the corns were barely visible, but didn't have success. I may give it a try again - he's very patient when we work on his feet.  I haven't had success keeping socks on either, but maybe the soft boots would be helpful as they have velcro. Thanks, FiveRoooooooers!

You're welcome. We've been using those velcro soft boots for years and they do stay on. Good luck and keep us posted!

Old Dogs are the Best Dogs. :heartThank you, campers. Current enrollees:  Punkin. AnnIE Oooh M

Angels: Pal :heart. Segugio. Sorella (TPGIT). LadyBug. Zeke-aroni. MiMi Sizzle Pants. Gracie. Seamie :heart:brokenheart. (Foster)Sweet. Andy. PaddyALVIN!Mayhem. Bosco. Bruno. Dottie B. Trevor Double-Heart. Bea. Cletus, KLTO. Aiden 1-4.

:paw Upon reflection, our lives are often referenced in parts defined by the all-too-short lives of our dogs.

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On 9/18/2020 at 5:14 PM, FiveRoooooers said:

Good luck! My vet has done several of these and the results have been nothing short of miraculous. Let us know how Emmy is :goodluck

Emmy had the surgery and is doing really well. Prior to the surgery she couldn’t put any weight on her paw, but now, 2 days later, just a a very slight limp which I expect will go away once she’s fully healed. 

Jan with precious pups Emmy (Stormin J Flag) and Simon (Nitro Si) and Abbey Field.  Missing my angels: Bailey Buffetbobleclair 11/11/98-17/12/09; Ben Task Rapid Wave 5/5/02-2/11/15; Brooke Glo's Destroyer 7/09/06-21/06/16 and Katie Crazykatiebug 12/11/06 -21/08/21. My blog about grief The reality is that you will grieve forever. You will not get over the loss of a loved one; you will learn to live with it. You will rebuild yourself around the loss you have suffered. You will be whole again but you will never be the same. Nor should you be the same, nor would you want to. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

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2 hours ago, greytpups said:

Emmy had the surgery and is doing really well. Prior to the surgery she couldn’t put any weight on her paw, but now, 2 days later, just a a very slight limp which I expect will go away once she’s fully healed. 

That is awesome!  We had our vet consult last week and are trying to make a decision - i so wish I had a crystal ball - and thank you so much for posting!!  

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2 hours ago, greytpups said:

Emmy had the surgery and is doing really well. Prior to the surgery she couldn’t put any weight on her paw, but now, 2 days later, just a a very slight limp which I expect will go away once she’s fully healed. 

Sounds very encouraging! Please let us know how Emmy's recovery progresses.

teri, we were posting at the same time lol

Edited by FiveRoooooers

Old Dogs are the Best Dogs. :heartThank you, campers. Current enrollees:  Punkin. AnnIE Oooh M

Angels: Pal :heart. Segugio. Sorella (TPGIT). LadyBug. Zeke-aroni. MiMi Sizzle Pants. Gracie. Seamie :heart:brokenheart. (Foster)Sweet. Andy. PaddyALVIN!Mayhem. Bosco. Bruno. Dottie B. Trevor Double-Heart. Bea. Cletus, KLTO. Aiden 1-4.

:paw Upon reflection, our lives are often referenced in parts defined by the all-too-short lives of our dogs.

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Emmy is doing amazingly well. she went from not putting any weight on her paw to a slight limp right after surgery.

Jan with precious pups Emmy (Stormin J Flag) and Simon (Nitro Si) and Abbey Field.  Missing my angels: Bailey Buffetbobleclair 11/11/98-17/12/09; Ben Task Rapid Wave 5/5/02-2/11/15; Brooke Glo's Destroyer 7/09/06-21/06/16 and Katie Crazykatiebug 12/11/06 -21/08/21. My blog about grief The reality is that you will grieve forever. You will not get over the loss of a loved one; you will learn to live with it. You will rebuild yourself around the loss you have suffered. You will be whole again but you will never be the same. Nor should you be the same, nor would you want to. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

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5 hours ago, greytpups said:

Emmy is doing amazingly well. she went from not putting any weight on her paw to a slight limp right after surgery.

Fantastic!!

Old Dogs are the Best Dogs. :heartThank you, campers. Current enrollees:  Punkin. AnnIE Oooh M

Angels: Pal :heart. Segugio. Sorella (TPGIT). LadyBug. Zeke-aroni. MiMi Sizzle Pants. Gracie. Seamie :heart:brokenheart. (Foster)Sweet. Andy. PaddyALVIN!Mayhem. Bosco. Bruno. Dottie B. Trevor Double-Heart. Bea. Cletus, KLTO. Aiden 1-4.

:paw Upon reflection, our lives are often referenced in parts defined by the all-too-short lives of our dogs.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Update on Jack.  After two weeks of Epsom salt soaks and Burt's Bee's Hand Salve then duct tape, I was able to pull two corns off his pads, one on each foot.  They both came off relatively easily, one was small and the other one was bigger and came out with a long root attached.  Has anyone experienced this, he was not bothered by me fooling with his feet, he is still limping a bit but I imagine he may be a little sore.  I soaked the foot after the corns came out and am keeping them moisturized and clean.  Nails are kept short.  I have some colloidal silver for the pads but have never used it, anyone with experience with colloidal silver?  I feel much better prepared for corns if they return, not so overwhelmed.  Thanks for all your help and guidance. 

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You can put the silver in the divots after the corn is hulled.  It may extend the cornless time and help with the healing.  It's highly likely that they will return, unfortunately.

Chris - Mom to: Felicity (DeLand), and Andi (Braska Pandora)

52592535884_69debcd9b4.jpgsiggy by Chris Harper, on Flickr

Angels: Libby (Everlast), Dorie (Dog Gone Holly), Dude (TNJ VooDoo), Copper (Kid's Copper), Cash (GSI Payncash), Toni (LPH Cry Baby), Whiskey (KT's Phys Ed), Atom, Lilly

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As always GT is the best for advice, help and friendship.  Thank you so much to greytpups and fiveRooooers for all your guidance and PMs.   Phog has fought Corns since we got him - we have tried everything - and I mean everything.  I have been researching and following flexor tenotomy surgery since we first heard about it (on GT, I’m pretty sure)... Wednesday he is having the surgery.  Believed to be the first in KC.   thanking all here for thoughts and prayers in advance.   

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14 minutes ago, teri_d said:

As always GT is the best for advice, help and friendship.  Thank you so much to greytpups and fiveRooooers for all your guidance and PMs.   Phog has fought Corns since we got him - we have tried everything - and I mean everything.  I have been researching and following flexor tenotomy surgery since we first heard about it (on GT, I’m pretty sure)... Wednesday he is having the surgery.  Believed to be the first in KC.   thanking all here for thoughts and prayers in advance.   

Wishing Phog all the best possible results.

Our vet has shown a lot of interest in learning this surgery and is going to contact the vet who performed the surgery on Emmy. She continues to do well and we’re still pleased with our decision. 

Jan

 

Jan with precious pups Emmy (Stormin J Flag) and Simon (Nitro Si) and Abbey Field.  Missing my angels: Bailey Buffetbobleclair 11/11/98-17/12/09; Ben Task Rapid Wave 5/5/02-2/11/15; Brooke Glo's Destroyer 7/09/06-21/06/16 and Katie Crazykatiebug 12/11/06 -21/08/21. My blog about grief The reality is that you will grieve forever. You will not get over the loss of a loved one; you will learn to live with it. You will rebuild yourself around the loss you have suffered. You will be whole again but you will never be the same. Nor should you be the same, nor would you want to. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

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I’m sure Dr Millard would be happy to talk to other vets too - she was very pleased with how the procedure went today.  He is home!  Of course the weather here (after months of dry weather) has turned damp - so until the bandages come off - we have to keep them dry when leash walking ☹️ They sent him home with iv bag coverings 😂😂 but my brilliant hubby has taken a pair of his bike socks and is spraying the bottoms with flex steel paint - hopefully the invented socks will be easier to put on and take off.   I’ll keep you posted on his recovery and success (hopefully)

thursday update - he had a peaceful night!   Even with bandages and outside plastic coverings it LOOKS like hes going great - now if we can figure out how to get all his pills down - he is a smartie pants and finds them in anything/everything - 

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