So we are waiting on our 'revised' treatment from Lori. It is on its way. I am continuing with the oil massages and weekly pill from Baron's original treatment until the new stuff arrives.
The corn is really protruding and looks like it should just come right out, but of course remains firmly in place. I wanted to work on it a bit - just wiggle it, loosen it, and try to get that one side that is so firmly attached, so I decided to soak Baron's paw to make it easier to work on. To do this, I wetted a couple of paper towels-drippy wet (as we say in Texas - soppin' wet), then put them in a sandwich bag. I then put Baron's paw into the bag and loosely fastened the bag with a velcro tie. I left that on for about 20 minutes. Early afternoon works well for this, because I know Baron will nap until dinner time.
So after the pad was good and soaked, I then began working my way around the edges of the corn with just my fingernail. Baron does NOT like me to spend much time on his corn, so I worked a few seconds, then paused, worked a few seconds, paused, etc. I was able to make some progress I think. I did manage to get the top of the corn off. This of course, gives him zero relief, but I am hoping that by massaging oil into the corn right after removing the top, maybe it will speed up the process? Who knows..........
I got to thinking about the FIRST time we had his corn hulled. We had the best results from that hulling. He probably got about 4 weeks relief - the most he's ever gotten from a hulling. It also yielded the largest amount removed.
First Hulled Corn
First Hulled Corn v Later Hullings
First Hulled Corn v Little Chip
Here is what his corn looks like now. I also took a couple of pictures of his new corn. It looks like nothing but a dot, but my goodness does it ever cripple Baron. I absolutely HATE these corns!!!
3/30/13
3/30/13
3/30/13
New Corn-back left paw
New Corn-back left paw
Watching the mail for Lori's treatment.................
Well here we are at Week 8. The corn is still with us. Ugh! So very frustrating. It looks about the same as it has for the last couple of weeks. This was taken 3/23/13.
I have also added footage of the new corn - oh boy! Since I am treating this new corn, I might as well document it from the very beginning.
I corresponded with Lori Rose this week. She has decided to make an adjustment to his treatment. It seems Baron has a really stubborn corn and it will just take a while longer to get rid of it. We shall be receiving this new treatment in the next couple of weeks. There will be a change in both the pills and the oil. In the meantime, we will continue with what we have until the new pills and oil arrive. I am hopeful that the newly developed corn will not be as difficult as his first, since we started treatment on it in its' early stage.
So many things going on with our cornboy this week.........
Unfortunately, Baron still has his corn. I don't think we are losing ground, but rather we seemed to have stalled - hopefully only briefly. It is still protruding from the pad, but is also still firmly attached at one end.
I did try filing it just a bit, then massaging the oil into the corn/pad - don't really know if that helped - we shall see.
Another thing going on with the boy - it looks like he may be developing a second corn. Good grief! About two weeks ago, I noticed him favoring his back left paw. Baron's original corn is on his front right paw. He walks with two boots on his front paws to even him out. We could not see anything on his rear paw pads, but when we went on our daily walks, he was definitely favoring that back left leg/paw. I put a third boot on him and ........no limping. Fast forward to last night - 3/13/13, and my husband and I both noticed a tiny black spot on his pad-looking very similar to the way the original corn started out. Below is a very short video showing how crippled he is when walking on a hard surface without his boots.
Poor fella! The addition of another corn really feels like a punch in the gut. I am so down about it all right now. He is so silly and goofy. He wakes up happy, silly, and goofy - rolling around in his bed, roaching - just so ready to start his day. He still very much wants to go on his walks, happily enduring three boots. My husband and I don't want him to lose his zest for life, and yet with the pain of the corn (and now corns) it is a legitimate concern.
We are NOT giving up. I guess maybe we expected too much too soon? I really have no idea the timetable on this corn treatment. I know each dog is different, so the amount of time will be different also. I am frustrated and impatient - just so ready to have a corn-free dog. We will continue with Lori's treatment. I have an email in to her to see what to do about this second corn and also to see if there need to be any changes to the treatment plan. I keep telling myself he has a really nasty corn and it is just going to take a little more time.
Lastly, unrelated to the corns, Baron hurt his right eye this week. A trip to the vet revealed a superficial scratch on his cornea. He was given an antibiotic for infection, but it will have to heal on its own. So now he is hobbling around with only one eye open! My goodness what a week. So relieved it was nothing more than a minor scratch. It doesn't keep him down. He is still bouncing around for a cookie, and anxiously waiting for a walk with Amber.
So here we are at Week 6. I don't see much of a change. A few days ago as I was massaging Baron's corn with the treatment oil, the very top layer of the corn flaked off. It was so small however, that I couldn't even find where it landed in Baron's bed.
I decided to make a short video. I think it gives a much clearer view of his corn. This was taken on 3/6/13 - the same as the other photos on this page.
3/6/13
3/6/13
3/6/13
I emailed Lori this a.m. with this latest update. We shall stay the course unless she suggests a change.
After 5 weeks of treatment the corn is still with us. We are steadfast in our resolve to rid Baron of this evil corn. It continues to protrude, with one side remaining flush with his pad. I have noticed that his pad, at times, is dry and very rough to the touch. After a walk in his Therapaws boots, his pad is smooth and moist. This is when I am able to 'work' on the corn....wiggle it, and try to loosen that one side that remains attached.
2/28/13
2/28/13
Baron is such a good patient! I am continually amazed at his patience with both the corn and me! He tolerates so much.
After 4 weeks we remain diligent with our treatment. The corn remains...........a very stubborn, nasty, corn it is too. As I massage in the oil, I talk to Baron, and together we 'will' the corn out of his pad. Never underestimate the power of positive thinking! These pictures seem a bit blurry. Baron is not always thrilled to have his ailment documented, so I have to be quick to snap a photo sometimes.
Ok, it has been 3 weeks of treatment. After two weeks, the corn was protruding from the pad. We were quite hopeful it would just push on out and ta dah! It would be gone. Sadly, not to be. In the photo above, you can see the bottom part of the corn has a flat edge to it. We are guessing, it broke off when Baron was walking on a hard surface.
2/12/13
We continue the treatment................
We are making progress! Here we are after two weeks of the Lori Rose treatment. The corn is protruding, but one side is still flush with his pad. The corn remains firmly attached, but at times I can wiggle it a bit. Baron has more difficulty walking now that the corn is raised. We continue with the oil massages, and now once weekly pills.
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