Whippet with a corn.

I think Mabel has a corn on a pad. She’s due to have her nails cut tomorrow so I’ll get a precise diagnosis. Doesn’t seem to be causing her any pain/discomfort but she never complains anyway. Should it be a corn has anyone treated such successfully? Mabel goes into meltdown at the vet’s so I’d rather not put her through that ordeal.

Jasper had a corn that caused him discomfort... I tried everything to get rid of it - everything he'd let me do, anyway (which wasn't a lot!), but in the end I gave up and eventually it went away of its own accord. There's a good Facebook group, called 'Greyhounds with corns' I think. The general consensus was that if it's not causing a problem then it's not worth trying to treat it. If you're not on FB you might at least be able to see lots of photos of corns and read some methods used here: Greyhounds with corns | Facebook

Bear in mind that a lot of vets and other 'dog experts' know very little about corns, so you might not get a clear diagnosis today. Let me know if you'd like me to dig out any more details - I'm sure I can find something from my past research.

JudyN said:

Jasper had a corn that caused him discomfort... I tried everything to get rid of it - everything he'd let me do, anyway (which wasn't a lot!), but in the end I gave up and eventually it went away of its own accord. There's a good Facebook group, called 'Greyhounds with corns' I think. The general consensus was that if it's not causing a problem then it's not worth trying to treat it. If you're not on FB you might at least be able to see lots of photos of corns and read some methods used here: Greyhounds with corns | Facebook

Bear in mind that a lot of vets and other 'dog experts' know very little about corns, so you might not get a clear diagnosis today. Let me know if you'd like me to dig out any more details - I'm sure I can find something from my past research.

Click to expand...

That’s very kind, JudyN. No, it doesn’t seem to be causing any problem nor is there any reluctance on her part to let me examine her feet - she’s really come round. Have discovered another corn on the other front foot. It’ll be interesting to hear what our whippet rescue lady has to say when she does Mabel’s claws. Will get back to you. Once again many thanks.

Although they didn’t seem to be causing a problem, I noticed that the corns on Mabel’s toes seemed to be raised and I was concerned that they could catch on something. Yesterday afternoon while she was sleeping (plus ça change) I decided to gently rub some cream onto her toe in order to soften the skin. It was going fine for a few minutes until she woke up, saw something unusual was going on and legged it, leaving paw marks on the carpet.

I had no choice but to pick her up and bring her back to the sofa. On the basis of “might as well be hanged for a sheep, etc” I decided to carry on an pick the corn off her pad. She knew that there was no escape and I slowly prised the offending corn off.

During the procedure she was only licking her lips. At no time did she whimper. My question is, would she not cry out if I’d hurt her?

Following the removal she wasn’t speaking to me although she did take a dry chicken strip from my hand.

She’s currently asleep beside me on the sofa and I managed to take this photo of her other front foot where you should be able to see, to the centre of the photo, the remaining corn which is lifting. Apologies for the lack of clarity.


On the basis that yesterday’s procedure hasn’t caused any major trauma I’m thinking of having a go at getting shot of this one in the next few days but I’m prepared for any comments/advice from forum members. Thanks for reading the lengthy screed.

The 'official' line would be that if you sneak up on her when she's asleep, and impose this on her, she will become increasingly suspicious, lose the trust you've built up (which I know hasn't been easy), become harder and harder to treat, and possibly end up biting you. You know your dog, of course. But it's better that you take a few weeks to work up to being able to deal with the corn than risk her not allowing you anywhere near her paws in the future, particularly because whatever you do, there's a good chance they'll recur.

Given that the corns aren't causing her a problem (yet), I would get her used to having her pads moisturised (paired with treats so she hopefully comes to enjoy it) and from that build up to a gentle pick. (The trick here is that you don't 'reward' her after you finished moisturising/picking, but the treats start when you first touch the paw, and don't stop until just after you stop moisturising/picking. It's the paw handling that predicts the treats, and stopping paw handling predicts the cessation of the treats.

Obviously, it helps if you have at least three hands...

I dare say you've had a read around, but this page seems to give a fair overview of options: Corns – Greyhound Welfare Though the chances of any one method being successful is probably inversely proportional to the number of remedies that 'some people' think seemed to help....

JudyN said:

The 'official' line would be that if you sneak up on her when she's asleep, and impose this on her, she will become increasingly suspicious, lose the trust you've built up (which I know hasn't been easy), become harder and harder to treat, and possibly end up biting you. You know your dog, of course. But it's better that you take a few weeks to work up to being able to deal with the corn than risk her not allowing you anywhere near her paws in the future, particularly because whatever you do, there's a good chance they'll recur.

Given that the corns aren't causing her a problem (yet), I would get her used to having her pads moisturised (paired with treats so she hopefully comes to enjoy it) and from that build up to a gentle pick. (The trick here is that you don't 'reward' her after you finished moisturising/picking, but the treats start when you first touch the paw, and don't stop until just after you stop moisturising/picking. It's the paw handling that predicts the treats, and stopping paw handling predicts the cessation of the treats.

Obviously, it helps if you have at least three hands...

I dare say you've had a read around, but this page seems to give a fair overview of options: Corns – Greyhound Welfare Though the chances of any one method being successful is probably inversely proportional to the number of remedies that 'some people' think seemed to help....

Click to expand...

As usual, JudyN, I’m indebted. Yes, it does make sense. Many thanks.