This is when the flexor tendon of the affected toe is surgically cut just below the wrist or the hock in a greyhound. This procedure is called a tendonectomy. The rationale behind this approach is that cutting the flexor tendon unloads the pad, reducing the pressure, causing the lameness to resolve and the corn to grow out and disappear.
- It is considered simple to perform and recovery relatively quick. Within about 10 days the surgery site would have healed, and the lameness should improve
- A study of 29 greyhounds with corns treated with Tendonectomy surgery found 26 of the 29 greyhounds improvement at Day 7
- Three greyhounds did not show an improvement had pre-existing conditions that affected their recovery. At the 6–8-week period only 21 dogs remained in the study and of these 17 showed NO lameness and four dogs has slight lameness remaining
- All owners were satisfied with the outcome and the dogs were happier and willing to exercise normally
Treatment for Greyhounds with Corns
There are many as is often the case when there is none that gives reliable results.
Any treatment that does not remove the entire corn will result in recurrence and this includes hulling and the various lotions.
- Conservative management: the protruding hard tissue is regularly filed down and a protective boot fitted for exercise.
2. Lotions and creams: these consist of chemicals that will dissolve, soften or burn the corn and again will need regular applications.
3. Surgery:
Surgery 1: Excision is a surgical procedure that removes the entire corn with suturing of the greyhound pad. Complete surgical excision has been shown to give the best long term results but about 50% of corns will have recurred in a year. The reason for the failures is that the underlying anatomical cause has not been addressed and in many cases this will not be obvious as it can be a result of previous injury, degenerative change of possibly conformation as seen with corns appearing in the same digit on both fore feet.
Surgery 2: Amputation of the last joint preserving the greyhound pad. Amputation of the last joint can produce a permanent resolution of the corn but in many cases this will be unsuccessful due to the difficulty in positioning the pad in an unnatural position over the stump of the toe.
4. Hulling is popular and involves digging out the corn with a dental elevator or Dremel drill.
5. Amputation of the entire digit. The ultimate treatment is amputation of the entire digit permanently removing the problem and it usually has no untoward consequences.
6. Flexor Tenotomy. Flexor tenotomy has given excellent results to date and taken these dogs out of pain giving them back a great quality of life.