buddybear Posted October 22, 2003 Report Share Posted October 22, 2003 We are getting another border collie pup. He was born on Sept. 9th. The owner recently contacted me saying that on the second vet visit the vet said he had an umbilical hernia. Everything else checked out fine. He said that it would not be that much to fix. Does anyone know about this kind of hernia and how much it costs to get fixed if it even has to?? I read somewhere that if it's small sometimes the pup will outgrow it. Any info on this would be greatly appericated. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keegan's Mom Posted October 22, 2003 Report Share Posted October 22, 2003 How old is the pup and wouldn't the breeder pay for this to be fixed before you take on the responsibility? D'oh, you mentioned he was born Sept 9th so about 6 weeks old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buddybear Posted October 22, 2003 Author Report Share Posted October 22, 2003 The owner didn't mention that, but said she would understand if we didn't want to take that pup, instead we could take his brother from the same litter. We're still talking it over and trying to figure out what to do. We don't want to have a pup with a problem already and find out that it needs this major operation. That's why I'm trying to find out about this hernia and calling the vets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK dog doc Posted October 22, 2003 Report Share Posted October 22, 2003 Hi Buddybear An umbilical hernia is usually not a big deal in terms of repair. Basically it's a failure of the body wall to close comepletely at the bellybutton. Small ones may scar down to the point that repair is optional, and although the hernia may constitute a potentially weak spot in the body wall, in practical reality little ones rarely present a problem. Larger hernias should be repaired. This is easily done at the time of neutering (if you neuter), or you can do it in puppyhood if you don't plan to neuter (we usually do them around four to six months of age unless it's a pretty big one). Your vet can advise you if it is likely to need repair and how soon it should be done. The risk with what's called an "open" hernia - in other words, things can move back and forth through the hernia - is that if a loop of gut slipped through it could strangulate and then you have a big problem on your hands (most of the time all that can fit through is a little bit of fat, though). If it's a REALLY big hernia, you could risk evisceration if there were an abdominal trauma - but I've only seen this happen once and we see uncomplicated hernias probably every week, so it's pretty rare to hve a really bad one. The vast majority of umbilical hernias in puppies are not a serious problem in terms of the pup's health. Either they scar down on their own, or we repair them. There is a hereditary componant, so if you breed you might try to avoid that problem with the female's genetics. You might ask the breeder if they would allow you to get a pre-purchase exam for the pup at your own vet so s/he can advise you, and/or if they would decrease their fee in view of the fact that you would have to spend money on the hernia. (They may prefer to sell you the other pup, though, and find someone who won't ask them for a financial consideration based on a hernia to buy the hernia pup - depends on the breeder.) Naturally I can't tell you what it would cost at your vet to do the hernia, but at our place it would approximately double the cost of a neuter IF it was done at the same time as the neuter; if it was done without the neuter, it would cost more. If you really like THIS pup as opposed to wanting A pup from this litter, I'd get the prepurchase exam to see what your vet thinks first (be sure to ask if both testicles are descended, as this is another thing that can cost money later on), then make whatever decision seems reasonable from there. Good luck, and too fun you're getting a puppy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buddybear Posted October 22, 2003 Author Report Share Posted October 22, 2003 We contacted some vets in the local area and they all said that they would just fix it during the time he would come in for neutering at around 6 months, it isn't that big of a problem. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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