Optimal treatment for your pet requires a combination of home and professional veterinary care. Most dogs are sent home wearing an Elizabethan collar to prevent self-trauma to the surgery site. Follow-up visits are important, especially if recurrence of the eyelid tumor is possible. Administer all prescribed medication as directed. Alert your veterinarian if you are experiencing problems treating your pet. If any signs of squinting or yellow-green infected discharge occur following the surgery, notify your veterinarian. Sutures are usually removed 10-12 days after the surgery.

The risk of recurrence or re-growth of eyelid tumors after surgical removal is a possibility for some of the malignant tumors. Fortunately in the dog, the majority of eyelid tumors are benign, and complete removal of the tumor prevents recurrence. Early diagnosis and prompt treatment result in the best outcome for all eyelid tumors. The chance of recurrence for malignant tumors depends upon the type of tumor, whether or not chemotherapy effectively caused decrease in size of the tumor, the stage of tumor development at the time of surgery, and whether or not the entire tumor could be surgically removed.