OldieA corn is a hard, painful circle of thickened keratin in a paw pad, almost always in a sighthound. In a series of 30 dogs with corns, 28 were Greyhounds and the other two Whippets and Lurchers; the lesions sat on the digital pads of the front feet in most, and a mechanical cause was proposed, with pressure from the toe bones on a thin pad1. The sign is a lameness that is worse on hard ground and eases on grass or carpet, with a dog that lifts a foot or holds back on walks.
Corns come back after simple excision in many dogs, and a later study describes cutting the superficial digital flexor tendon of the affected toe, which unloads the pad and gave lasting relief in most cases2. If an older sighthound is suddenly footsore on pavement, ask the vet to look at the pads before assuming arthritis.
This is general information, not a diagnosis. Your vet knows your dog.
Sources
- Corns in dogs; signalment, possible aetiology and response to surgical treatment (Guilliard MJ, Segboer I, Shearer DH). Journal of Small Animal Practice 51(3):162-168, 2010 (peer reviewed). Accessed 2026-09-22.
- Superficial digital flexor tendonectomy for the treatment of corns in sighthounds (Guilliard MJ). Veterinary Dermatology, 2022 (peer reviewed). Accessed 2026-09-22.