When Matti Was in Pain
Her true self became more apparent
Sitting on the living room floor, my sister and I patted our greyhound Matti’s brindle fur while a fellow greyhound owner used a tool to extract pieces of the corn embedded in her paw. Each time our friend touched her sensitive pad, Matti — a typically calm, quiet girl — screamed and writhed. After several such attempts, Matti expressed her displeasure in a way we’d never seen. She snapped at our friend.
I don’t blame Matti. For months, this corn had rendered her nearly unable to put weight on her front right foot, so she silently lifted her foot off the floor whenever she stood. Walks became progressively difficult, Matti trotting with a limp that rocked her body like a ship on rough seas.
My mom, sister, and I tried a variety of remedies, from Epsom salt soaks to creams and salicylic acid drops dutifully rubbed into the corn each night. Matti is one of the unfortunate greyhounds prone to corns, and apparently there is no cure. Our friend, who also has a greyhound with this affliction, said that even surgery (which Matti eventually had) is only a temporary solution, as the corns stubbornly return.
It crushed us to see our cheerful, loving, sweet Matti — the girl who normally stomps her feet with excitement at the prospect of a trip to the park and who delightedly tosses…
