Advice please re a lame greyhound cross

[pago43]

Hi, I've joined this forum in order to get some advice hopefully. I have a lovely greyhound cross who is about 7 years old. over the pas couple of years he has limped on his right front paw from time to time. This has got worse over that last couple of months and i think he is suffering some pain for which we have painkillers. I have seen several vets with no firm diagnosis, the last vet thought maybe ligament damage, I am unconvinced. 
He has been x-rayed but no results there either. 
I wonder if it may be a corn, but I can't see anything. I have bought a "thera-paw" shoe but it doesn't really help that much. 
Can anyone give any advice please? Any ideas as to what to look for? Suitable pain relief? 
Stanley (dog) and I (Paul) would be very grateful for any info.
We live Lincolnshire, does anyone know of a good vet that specialises in greyhounds?

Thanks

[Flaperoo]

Presumably all the vet checks and tests you have had done have ruled osteosarcoma and any other real nasties so that at least is a relief.

Ligaments can take a very long time to heal. I once had a boxer with ligament damage who had to be walked on lead for months and not allowed up or down any stairs - not easy with such active dogs. If it is a corn they can be pretty stubborn things to get rid of. It has happened to me twice with two different greyhounds, with the vet trying all sorts of treatments - one responded well to a simple treatment of mushers secret (and I have heard others say ordinary vaseline can help) but the other had to have his toe amputated. It caused him no problem and he went on to live a long and happy life.

Good luck

[ragsysmum]

If he walks better on soft surfaces like sand, grass, carpet and limps more on hard surfaces then it is probably a corn.

[jodav]

As has been said, if the hound favours grass and soft surfaces over pavement etc, it's a good indicator of a corn. They can be very difficult to spot and a lot of vets have insufficient experience to see them. Corns very often appear on the middle pads of the front legs, although not always. Washing the pad with toothpaste can sometimes show an outline or gently squeezing the edges of the pad and watching for a flinch can show it.
Moisturising the pad and hulling can provide temporary pain relief, unfortunately they often grow back. They do get used to the Therapaw boot with a sock inside over time.
Vet Daniel Doherty in Uxbridge has had a lot of success in corn removal, which requires 3 visits. He successfully treated one of ours who had a deep corn.
Hopefully you can find something to help Stanley.
Jo