Corns

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Shalista
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Re: Corns

Post by Shalista »

i dont know anything about corns or pads but i would say its more of a muscle issue then a joint. joints tend to just get worse with exercises, muscle can warm up
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JudyN
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Re: Corns

Post by JudyN »

Thanks Shalista :D

Last night in my Running Dog Maintenance book I read that I could use Padnasol cream, but it doesn't seem to exist any more. I'd love to find a cream that would toughen and repair the worn pad rather than soften it.
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Nettle
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Re: Corns

Post by Nettle »

There's a Padnasol lookalike that mushers use. I'm sorry I can't remember the name (not had my coffee yet!) but I'm sure Google would find it. Or try a UK mushers website.
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Re: Corns

Post by JudyN »

Could it be Musher's Secret, Nettle? I was worried that it might soften the pad and make it wear more, but I've seen some people saying it will help toughen it up.
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Re: Corns

Post by Nettle »

That sounds like the name. I have no direct experience, but logic suggests that a supple pad would have more resilience than a stiff one. What think you?
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Re: Corns

Post by JudyN »

Nettle wrote: Wed Oct 10, 2018 4:16 am That sounds like the name. I have no direct experience, but logic suggests that a supple pad would have more resilience than a stiff one. What think you?
I'm now trying slathering both worn pad and corn with MS before and after each walk, and at bedtime. As he seemed so sore, I'm thinking he needs a bit of a break and a chance to heal rather than toughen, so my plan is to walk him on soft ground where he's not so uncomfortable in the morning (there's a recreation ground near here which is all fields so potentially a bit boring for him, but still had novelty value this morning), then a bit of pavement walking to the park in the afternoon. If/when he seems more comfortable on pavement, I shall lengthen the dry pavement walking, maybe cutting back on the Musher's Secret to increase the toughening effect of the pavement. I'll try to avoid rough paths/sandy areas but there will be times when he needs a change of scenery - he's not the sort of dog who is happy to go to the same place day in day out.

I've also got some padded corn plasters (no medication, just a circle with a hole) which I can try putting on at the start of the walk so he'll be distracted, to see if they seem to relieve the pain. If they do, it'll be a clear indication that it's the corn that's causing the pain.

Does that sound like a plan? I feel at the moment the vet can advise on the theory, but putting it into practice (e.g. finding the point at which pavement walking tips from toughening pads to wearing them further) will be a different matter as so much will depend on his feet, his exercise requirements, the relative contributions of worn pad & corn (& possibly something muscular), the areas we can walk.....
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Re: Corns

Post by Nettle »

I think it's worth a try, and as you know Jas so well, you'll be on your toes ready for Plan B (C, D, E) if needed. With him, a bit of lameness is not as bad as being bored with his walks. But ideally, you don't want either.
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Re: Corns

Post by JudyN »

After getting significantly worse, Jasper is now on a longer trial of Rimadyl. It definitely improves him - I suspect that the limping from the corn has led to joint problems, and the Rimadyl helps with the joint but not the corn. We're waiting to see what happens when he stops taking it - if he gets worse again, then the vet will put him under for a thorough check/X rays. I do need to be forthright and ask him how much experience he has at surgically removing corns.

My main concern is that if he should need any form of dressing, he is NOT good at being bandaged - just a bit of Vetwrap draped over his leg is scary. I also can't get anything to stay stuck to his corn, so would really like to be able to put a sock or boot on him. I've been working on putting a sock on him (on walks because then he's muzzled anyway) - managed it a couple of times wth a loose sock, but I tried to move up to a slightly tighter sock today and when I tried to pull it over his foot he grrred at me.

So I'm after any hints & tips for desensitising him to this. I feel as if I need four hands - one to hold his foot, two to pull the sock over his foot, and one to hold a treat under his nose - and two pairs of eyes - one to look at what I'm doing and one to check whether he's about to protest. I had thought of clicker training, but that would require yet another hand. And also, he's smart, and very suspicious - it's going to take a lot to move from 'Just WHAT do you think you're trying to do?' to 'Yay, I like this game, I get treats!' Even when I rub a bit of Burt's Balm on his foot he's not really relaxed, even though I've been doing it for ages now and always follow it with praise and a treat.

When it comes to bandages, my vet says we'll cross that bridge when we come to it, but I think we should have some sort of plan.

Someone on Facebook suggested acupuncture to help with J's 'feistiness'..... :shock: I can see a bit of a Catch 22 situation there :lol:
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
Colt_An2
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Re: Corns

Post by Colt_An2 »

Damn, your dog is way too smart for his own good :lol: do you think it would be possible to apply something like a band-aid over the corn? It would be smaller and less restrictive than a sock, but the main issue is to know how long this will hold...
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Re: Corns

Post by JudyN »

I've tried duct tape and Gorilla tape, but they don't stay on long at all. Other people have had success with them, but I can only guess they have sedate calm greyhounds who don't scrape with such gusto when they've had a poo that they dig furrows in the ground, and do handbrake turns. The point of the sock is really to stop the tape coming off... but first the sock has to stay on :lol:

Someone recommended polytunnel fixing tape, which I guess needs to be pretty strong, but I think I'll wait till I see what happens after he comes off the Rimadyl and where we go from there before I invest.

I really should try bog standard Band-Aid though - thanks for the suggestion. I'm allergic to the fabric stuff, but I still remember the pain of pulling it off my scabby knees when I was a nipper!

I got a sock on him twice today :D It seems to go better when we're walking with someone else, though I haven't figured out whether it's his mental state or mine that is different.
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Re: Corns

Post by JudyN »

Ten days on Rimadyl and Jasper was much better. Not perfect, but at least he was comfortable. Two days off and he was struggling again. So he's been booked in for sedation/possible anaesthesia on Monday for a thorough investigation & X rays. I'm really hoping that they can pinpoint the cause because he's much too young to be on Rimadyl long term. I'm also a little bothered that my vet doesn't have a lot of experience with corns, possibly none. But I don't think he's inclined to go in with scalpel blazing, and he's very aware that healing could be very tricky with a dog who won't tolerate being bandaged.

At least, while he's under, he can have his nails clipped, teeth checked & cleaned, MOT & service, full valeting....

Then we'll have the usual joy of him crying all night after, as he stares at imaginary monsters with big bug eyes (that's him with big bug eyes but you never know, maybe the monsters have too :lol: ), spoonfeeding him mince through the stairgate in case he loses his appetite but still guards his food, and a good week waiting for his brain to return completely to what passes for normal for Jasper.

He actually managed a very long walk this morning and had a spring in his step at times - he's always been better when he gets going, but now he's hobbling round the house. I'm letting him go as far as he wants because even if it's not good for him, the worse he is the more chance there is of it showing up when the vet examines him. I'll not be happy if the vet can't find anything.
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Re: Corns

Post by JudyN »

After a loooooong morning at the vet's, we have answers :D The X rays & exam showed his joints to be in excellent health, and his teeth are treat too - the vet scraped off a couple of bits of tartar but that's all that was needed. Not bad for a very nearly 9 year old! She (not our normal vet as he just does consultations now) has also dug out as much corn as she could - which might not be the whole thing, but she didn't want to go in further and risk infection given his dislike of dressings. She concludes that the corn was the sole problem all along (and unlike our normal vet thinks that Rimadyl would have helped with the pain from the corn).

So possibly the best outcome, really - no joint problems and, with any luck, the corn gone - or gone enough that he'll be much more comfortable.

But oh, poor Jasper. Sedations, ops, etc. are done at a different branch to our normal one and when we got into the waiting room he was trembling, and his heart was going at a tremendous rate - not ideal for sedation. There was no way she could safely inject into a vein, and oh the howling when she injected into his muscle! At least he lay down before the sedative took effect rather than toppling over, but he didn't look very comfortable as his front end wanted to lie on his right side and his rear end wanted to lie on his left...

And he was back in a state pretty soon after coming round. Apparently he'd weed everywhere after waking so they'd taken him outside, and we heard him whining as we walked up the road. He's pretty much not stopped whining and salivating since. He's lying down, but when he was pacing earlier his back end was all shaky. Here's vid of the poor lad from earlier: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VscoOaYphwM
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Nettle
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Re: Corns

Post by Nettle »

I do hope that does the trick. Wine and chocolates for you, and healing vibes for Jas.
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Re: Corns

Post by JudyN »

Thanks Nettle. Finally, in the last hour, he's crashed out and is sleeping like a baby (overnight he slept like a baby, but the sort of baby my older son was .... :roll: ). The only negative is that he's blocking access to the chocolates and I don't want to disturb him.

Interesting observation - normally if he needs to go out in the night I don't have to turn any lights on but last night when he asked to go out (he didn't need a wee, probably just worried about the monsters down the bottom of the garden), he wouldn't move till I turned them on. I'm wondering if the drugs caused his pupils to constrict so he couldn't get by on the light from the moon/streetlights.
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Re: Corns

Post by Nettle »

Interesting. Might well be the case.
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