Letters from readers:

Homeopathic help after
surgery for tumour

Hello,
My seven-year-old dog was recently diagnosed with chondrosarcoma in the nasal cavity. Within days he had surgery to remove the large tumor. While the surgery went well, he has a 90-95 percent chance of the tumor returning, resulting in death within six months to a year and a half. What homeopathic remedy would you suggest to help prevent the tumor from returning? - Elizabeth

Hello Elizabeth,
Two good websites to visit are:
http://www.dog-health-guide.org/CanineChondrosarcomaTreatment.html and http://www.nativeremedies.com/petalive/index.html which both have information on the chondrosarcoma type of bone cancer.

Apart from that, you can help your dog maintain optimum resistance and natural immunity by feeding a natural, organic diet. Basically, if the list of ingredients includes the words "derivatives, byproducts, meal, preservatives such as EDTA, BHA, MSG (hydrolised vegetable protein)" and others, then don't buy it! There are so many books being produced now that contain natural recipes for warm and cold meals for your dog as well as for home made biscuits, that it has become very easy to avoid the trash.

If you must feed ready-prepared foods then just be very careful about the ingredients and read the list critically. If the ingredients are not listed then assume the worst and don't buy it! The main thing is to help your dog's system to fight off any further illness by keeping food sources fresh and nourishing to build up natural immunity, while keeping chemical invasion to a minimum - your dog may need chemotherapy and if so, don't expect his weakened body to also cope with vaccinations, flea collars or medications such as flea, tick and worm treatments that are not 100percent required. If they are required, choose a natural alternative where possible.

I hope this helps - the health guide website indicated that chondrosarcoma is slightly less malignant than osteosarcoma so the possibility of it returning may hopefully be less than the 90-95 percent you have been led to expect. After doing a bit of research I also found that: Hecla Lava 30c is recommended for bony tumours of the face and jaw regions, and Calc. Fluor. 30c for more fibrous tumours around face and jaw.

You may also wish to contact the American Holistic Veterinary Medicine Assn at: AHVMA@compuserve.com or visit their website at: www.altvetmed.com. I hope that helps your boy to remain healthy and keep any return of his illness away. - Ed