Umbilical Hernia

[ShellyBeggs]

My 16wo kelpie pup has an umbilical hernia.

It isn't very big, is healed and looks just like he has a outie belly button about the size between a 10 & 20 cent piece.

My vet didn't seem concerned claiming he just has a bit of fat poking through and when (if) i desex him they can remove it then if I wish as its mostly cosmetic..... I told the vet that if I do have him desexed it will be in 12-18 months and he didn't seem worried.

Another vet has said that I need to have it removed immediately and that it is dangerous (he hasn't seen the pup) as bowel can poke through and maybe even kill him. This vet claims to have treated lots of pups that have died from umbilical hernia because it wasn't removed immediately.

Who should I believe???

I don't want to put the pup through an unnecessary operation if it can be done later but also I don't want him in danger or pain.

It certainly doesn't bother him at the moment and he runs around all day like a crazy psyco, has been known to eat as much as my lab (and still vacuuming the floor in hope) so it doesn't effect his appetite, he can certainly leave enough surprises on the floor so it isn't effecting his digestion and it doesn't hurt him to poke it or touch it.

I don't want to just hope my vet is right........but I dont want to believe this other vet who someone told me can be a bit panicky and a bit of a drama queen.

Google doesn't help......most sites claim it isn't critical unless involving the bowel.....and some sites have grusome pics of operations and bowel protrusions the size of tennis balls.

Has anyone had any experience with this? Any thoughts on who I should believe?

Thanks heaps

Shelly

P.S if it makes any difference....... my vet is a country vet used to dealing with working dogs (and people who struggle to find the money) and the hysterical vet is a city vet from a well to do burb.

[WreckitWhippet]

What your puppy has, without seeing it, sounds like what is known as a "delayed closure", this is not a true "umbilical hernia".

Delayed closures are for the most part cosmetic. It has not yet been determined if they are inherited, I for one feel that they are and have evidenced them running through certain lines. I personally will not breed from a dog or bitch with a delayed closure, but that choice would be yours.

If you are waiting until your puppy matures , before desexing, just keep and eye on it. It can be fixed at the time of desexing but many dogs live with them all their lives and do not have an problems as a result of a delayed closure.

If you had a "true umbilical hernia" I would be be booking the puppy in now for both desexing and the hernia op, at whatever age the vet recommends

[jellybean]

Hi Shellybeggs

One of my Boxers had what sounds like the same thing. A vet did tell me at the time that if it is small and reducible (meaning able to be pushed back in ) that it would be ok. He also said to gently push it back in when you are playing to help it close over. I did this when she was little.

She is now 4 and shows no sign of it.

[sidoney]

One vet has seen it and one has not. That says something to me. If you want a different opinion then see if you can get it from someone who actually sees it.

My two rescue foster sheps both had what you describe. I had them fixed when they were desexed. It was never an issue for them, I just thought it might help with their adoptability - it's possible (one never knows) that this is why they landed in the pound in the first place.

[Falling_dawn]

The Puppy I was going to get from the breeder was discovered to have a hernia she swaped the puppys as she said the other one would need to have it fixed when she was desexed at 5 months she said it was not a huge deal but that it did need to be fixed she has been a registered breeder for 25 years so I assume she knew what she was talkng about

[Dogsfevr]

With our pups if any one gets it we pay for it to be fixed at spaying it is condidtion it is fixed although only get one in a blue moon

If it is a severe hernia dogs have died or certainly had to have emergency surgery,Actually know of quite a few dogs where this has happened & the worse part is the owners have come home from work to find there dog in all sorts of trouble

[Poodle wrangler]

My dog had a small umbilical hernia repaired at the same time as desexing at 6 months. It caused him no probs and vet said she'd have left it if he wasn't getting desexed anyway.

In an true umbilical hernia, part of the bowel comes thru a weakness in the muscle wall. It is not a problem unless the bowel becomes twisted and/or stuck such that the blood supply gets cut off ("strangulated hernia") --> dead bowel --> leaks into abdomen --> life threatening + emergency surgery required.

If it were my dog, I'd be OK with checking the hernia daily, especially if my vet said all was OK. It must be "reducible" i.e. can be gently poked back in. If not, strangulation is possible.

It would be a shame to put your dog through a general anaesthetic if not really necessary. Have another chat with your vet, if only to put your own mind at rest?

[WreckitWhippet]

There is a huge difference between a true umbilical hernia and a delayed closure. What is often referred to as a hernia, is most often a delayed closure.

With the delayed closures that i have had, I have paid the amount to the owner, that it's costs to have fixed at the time of desexing.

Umbilical hernias are far more serious.

[WreckitWhippet]

UMBILICAL HERNIAS

Conventional wisdom says that umbilical hernias are inheritable, and a dog with a hernia should not be bred. Conventional wisdom, however, does not differentiate between "true hernias" where there is a defect in the body wall, and "delayed closures", where a small bit of omentum slips out of the area before the umbilicus closes. In 26 years of dealing with breeders and reproduction, I do not have any evidence that "delayed closures" are inheritable.

"True hernias" are indeed highly inheritable. They generally have a thick cartilage edge with an irregular, more or less circular shape. They may extend up into the diaphragm, causing a communication between the thoracic (chest) cavity and the abdominal cavity. These are very difficult to repair surgically because there is a great deal of tissue missing and the tissue is hard and inflexible. They often require the use of a mesh implant to close the defect. These hernias can be related to other midline defects such as heart abnormalities and cleft palates.

"Delayed closures" are just that. There is an area in the abdominal wall where the great vessels of the umbilical cord exit the body of the fetus to derive nutrition and oxygen from the placenta. After birth, these vessels close and shrink up. There is left behind a small area in the midline where the vessels formerly escaped the body. The nature of this structure is a linear slit in the midline, lined with normal connective tissue. There are other structures on the 'midline' that undergo similar development after birth. In the heart, there is a hole between the upper chambers that allows the fetus to bypass the lungs, which, of course, cannot contribute any oxygen to the blood before birth. Oxygen is obtained through the umbilical cord from the placenta, where the mother's blood stream exchanges oxygen and carbon dioxide with the baby's circulation. When there are delayed closures in the heart, it may be possible to hear a murmur at 4 or 5 weeks that is no longer audible by 6 or 8 weeks. This is normal development. These holes, like the umbilicus, must be present in the fetus and close over a period of time after birth.

Omentum is a kind of slippery thin sheet of tissue which is present in the abdomen. It provides several services to the abdominal organs. It has blood vessels travelling through it to the intestine. Its surfaces produce serous fluid which lubricates the abdominal organs and makes it possible for them to slide against each other without rubbing. It carries lymph nodes for the abdomen, and is a major depot for fat storage. It partially contains the abdominal organs - especially the small intestine - and supports them in a kind of "plastic bag". As the puppy puts on weight, it is possible for a bit of this thin slippery tissue to protrude through the umbilical slit. As the normal process of closing of the umbilicus proceeds, it is possible for this bit of tissue to be entrapped. The danger here is whether it is solely omentum that is escaping, or if the defect is large enough for a loop of small intestine to escape the abdomen as well.

It is essential with either condition to "reduce" the tissue escaping at least once daily. Turn the puppy on its back and gently massage the protrusion and slide the contents back up into the abdomen. This lowers the risk of a loop of intestine becoming strangulated in the protruding tissue. If the 'hernia' is a closure defect, the normal process of closing will continue, and at some point a small amount of omentum may be entrapped in a bubble outside the essentially closed body wall. This is viewed by most people as a hernia, and a serious problem. If the dog is a year old, has a small bubble, or 'belly button', and it cannot be reduced, has been there since it was a baby, and the dog is healthy and well, it is pretty obvious that the bubble does not contain any intestine. While the puppy is younger, it may not be clear. The very tiny holes with a small bubble of omentum do not require surgery. Slightly larger holes should be closed to be sure that no intestine becomes strangulated in the process of closure. NOTE: no delayed closure can ever close completely simply because there is something sticking through it. If there were no omentum sliding out, they would continue to close normally. What they do, is they close tightly around the omentum, trapping it outside in an absolutely firm unchanging bubble.

"True" umbilical hernias can make no progress in closing, ever. They must always be surgically repaired. These individuals should never be bred. These are quite serious.

I have never seen a bitch with a delayed closure and trapped omentum bubble show any sign of problem in carrying a litter or whelping. I have never seen one of these bitches produce puppies with hernias.

The catch is, you must know which you have. Most veterinarians don't draw these kinds of conclusions or try to differentiate the two different conditions. Your vet may or may not be of help to you in this. Breeders with years of experience often know the difference intuitively. Indeed, since "true" hernias are relatively rare, most have never seen one, unless they are breeding a line that produces them. In these cases, they see true hernias with great enough frequency that any breeder with any common sense will abandon that line.