A retrospective evaluation of four surgical methods of treating canine transmissible venereal tumour

A total of 109 lesions were treated in a total of 109 dogs and bitches using simple surgical excision or diathermy, with or without the simultaneous removal of the gonads. Evaluation of the case, 49 months after surgery, showed that 35 (32.1 per cent) of the tumours had regressed completely whilst 74 (67.9 per cent) had recurred. Excision using diathermy was the more effective treatment irrespective of whether the gonads were removed. There was a significant difference in the frequency of recurrence and the time interval for it to recur (P < 0.05 and P < 0.25 respectively) when the methods of treatment were compared, however castration of either males or females had no significant effect upon the frequency of recurrence.