Health and Genetic Inform

Hello Families!

I've been talking with one of our new puppy owners about umbilical hernias and I felt like I should make a quick post on the topic.

None of the hernias that any of the puppies have had have made me concerned, I think maybe there was one in my first litter, that we discussed was on the larger side (it might have been Rowdy, Lyndsay, if I'm remembering correctly).

If any puppy is born with a large enough hernia to be concerning, I would have it corrected prior to going to it's forever family. Vets will offer to fix any "normal" hernia at the time of spay/neuter, usually at a nominal fee depending on your clinic($100 to $200) if you feel it is worth the added cost to repair it, then by all means, it is added peace of mind for you, and can really only be seen as a good thing. Lois has a hernia, which we've always assumed is a genetic component, as her labour and deliveries have been fairly normal with no added umbilical trauma, so likely her puppies have just gotten her hernia genes. If you google "umbilical hernias" you will see the differences in size, those that are concerning you will notice are quite large, anything under the size of a loonie is "normal" and I would argue doesn't need repairing. All of the few hernias we've seen have been reducible, and often with age will close on their own, leaving a small "soft bump" of fatty tissue. Often to "repair" this your vet will cut through the scar tissue, and suture it back closed... which is exactly what has already been done naturally. If you can push the fatty tissue back through the "opening" then you know the hernia is still "open", which may be your deciding factor on whether you would like to pay the additional fee to repair it at the time of surgery.

I would like to hear from the families if there have been any concerns with your hernias, or what your thoughts are on the topic. Also to see if any of you have decided to have them repaired?

I have some websites I found that are fairly reputable, but I haven't been able to find any peer reviewed articles on the topic. From what I can tell(online and through discussions at work), umbilical hernias are fairly non-concerning, and for me honestly as I said if it was worrisome enough for me or my vet at their 8week puppy check, I would have had them fixed long before they were available for adoption. Here are some excerpts from the websites that I found helpful, and I'll post the links as well. I will also take a perusal through my Tech books tomorrow morning to see if I can find any additional information to be helpful to any of you who may be concerned or unsure of what to do.

I hope this information finds you all well, and that we can have some great discussions on the topic if it's something that concerns you, or something that you'd like to have more information on.

https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/hernia-umbilical-in-dogs

https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&catId=102903&id=4952951

https://petcentral.chewy.com/umbilical-hernias-in-dogs-more-common-than-you-think/