malignant tumour in dog

Question
I am hoping you can give me a little information.  About three weeks ago we noticed a lump on my dog's right front leg.  She is an 11 year old shepard/lab mix.  We took her to the vet and he recommended having it removed and sent to pathology.  The surgery was done one week ago.  She has had a few problems with the area and is now wearing a collar and we are wrapping it with gauze and putting an antibacterial ointment on it.  The area (which is on her elbow) now has a fluid buildup above it.  We found out yesterday that the tumour was malignant.  From what I could gather from the report, the tumour was like a series of capsules.  He said the recurrance rate is about 50% for this type of tumour but very likely won't spread anywhere else.  My question is....is there anything else we could be doing for her.  She seems very sad, and we are not sure if it is the pain, or the indignity of the colar and gauze.  She stills is very happy to see us and spend time with us, but I am worried.  Is there anything I should be doing for her recovery from surgery or to help her prognosis?  During our visit I was more concerned with the problems of the area where her surgury was and didn't seem to grasp the info on the tuomour as well as I would have liked.  Do you know anything about this type of tumour?

Answer
What was the diagnosis or specific tumor name?  Without the specific name, I can not comment.

As far as what to do medically for the tumore from here really depends on the TYPE of tumor.  

As a general health recommendation, you should feed an all-natural, high quality diet that is free of dyes, preservatives and meat by-products.  Supplementing the diet with fresh veggies, whole grains and raw chicken is also a good idea.  Giving digestive enzymes with Bromelain will help aide in recovery as well as Ester C, B complex Vitamins and Vitamin E.  A supplement called Transfer Factor can help boost the immune system and help fight cancer and I would highly recommend starting her on the Transfer Factor Canine Complete  

for more info
www.transferfactor.com ....  
www.4tf-pets.com/testimonials

As far as her being uncomfortable, you can ask your vet about pain medication such as Torbutrol tablets as well as an NSAID such as Rimadyl, Etogesic or Metacam.

Good luck,
Dr. Fry
www.my4life.com/drfry