My Greyhound Limps on Hard Surfaces. What Should I Do?

The most common reason for lameness in greyhounds is a medical condition called Corns. Corns appear on the paw pad and can feel like a hard spot.

Corns are generally round in appearance and may have raised edges or a pale ring around them. Corns may be very small or very large, so look very carefully at each toe. Even the tiniest corn can cause a seemingly disproportionate amount of pain. 

Read more about Corns: Causes, Prevention and How to Help

What Should I Do If My Greyhound Is Limping?

Before you self-diagnose your greyhound with a corn, you must have a thorough look at the paw for any sign it is something else.

Clean out the paw with warm water, look out for any blood or perhaps a thorn which might indicate a reason for the limping. Push lightly on the paw pads and look in between the individual toes to see if there is anything unusual.

Also, check the toenails for any reason for lameness, such as being too short or a stone underneath the nail.

Why Does Hard or Stoney Ground Effect Corns?

Something particularly indicative of corns, is that your greyhound seems to be fine when walking on softer surfaces (grass, carpet etc.) but is lame on harder surfaces (concrete, asphalt and gravel). You may notice that your greyhound is choosing to walk on grass as opposed to pavement when you are out on walks.

Take your greyhound to your vet for a confirmed diagnosis. It's also important to know that some vets have little or no experience of corns and incorrect diagnosis is relatively common. 

How Can I Help My Greyhound Not Limp?

It is time to get your greyhound on the road again and this time, not limping! 

Some greyhound owners opt for corn surgery, and you can read more about corn surgery here.

Other owners choose to put boots on their greyhound, once greyhounds put on boots, most of them stop limping immeditately as their corn has protection from hard surfaces. The best are Hunnyboots as these special greyhound boots are slim and long like your greyhounds paw shape, which means importantly these boots don't come off. 

Find Hunnyboots here

Join the Excellent Facebook Group

There is an excellent Facebook group called 'Greyhounds with Corns' especially designated to greyhounds with corns. Greyhound owners share ideas, treatments and frustrations with corns.

Join the Facebook group Greyhounds with Corns here.