# Umbilical hernia



## peppersb (Jun 5, 2011)

I fostered a retiring momma dog for a month, had her spayed and found a home for her. She had a small umbilical hernia that had caused her no problems through 5 pregnancies (according to the breeder). When she was spayed, my vet was able to fix the umbilical hernia at no extra charge.

So in this case the umbilical hernia was no big deal. Not sure if that is uniformly the case or not. Perhaps it would be a good idea to call your vet to ask?


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## cailinriley (Oct 30, 2011)

I'm not a breeder, so I'm not sure if you want me to share my experience.  I got two pups (one male, one female) from the same breeder (different litters) that had umbilical hernias. Both were fixed, easily, at the same time they were neutered. Because the female was already on an insurance plan, we were reimbursed for the cost of the hernia repair (surprisingly, it was not considered a pre-existing condition). Neither dog's hernia was very large; the vet told us it was our choice to fix or leave them. We decided it was best to fix them to prevent any possible future problems (just to be sure), and to make grooming easier (didn't have to worry about the protrusion). An umbilical hernia would not make me turn down a pup that was otherwise perfect for our family.


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## Mazel (Dec 28, 2012)

Thanks for the responses. It seems it's not that uncommon and certainly not a red flag to not adopt the puppy. Thanks again for sharing your experiences.


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## Specman (Jun 14, 2012)

My vet told me as long as the abdominal wall is closed it is not an issue.


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## hilshaven (Sep 20, 2012)

My spoo has an umbilical hernia. The vet just watched it. She said that it is small and firm and should never cause any problem. My understanding is that they are fairly common. Sometimes caused by the mother pulling on the cord to sever it after birth. Btw 3 of my 5 human kiddos had hernias too.


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