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umbilical hernia or belly button?

C

cram10

New member
We have noticed maggie has a small lump of skin that sticks out where her belly button would be. It is not really a bulge, it just looks more like extra skin that protrudes. Could this be a hernia, or is it just an "outty" belly button.

The vet did not seem too concerned. He just said to keep an eye on it, and if it gets any bigger, then maggie will have to go through surgery to correct this. She was just spayed 2 weeks ago, I would hate to have to get her another operation. Has anyone else had anything similar to this on their cavalier?
 
Our puppy had this when we bought her. The vet had us watch it, and said he would take care of it when he spayed her, which he did.

Did your pup's only show after the spay? Seems like if it was before, the vet would have noticed and mentioned it.
 
My female Zoey had an umbilical hernia, and the vet corrected it when she was spayed. It did look like an outie belly button. I too find it strange your vet didn't suggest taking care of it during her spay. Hmmm:rolleyes:
 
Clara had this a few weeks back! I was so worried but the vet didnt seem too concerned she is 11 weeks now and it is gone! so i wouldnt worry too much :)
 
Possible Hernia ?

If the bulge was not there before the operation, it could simply be that it is swelling around or in between the stitches ? Is the area red or sore looking ?

Cavaliers do suffer from these hernias and they are passed on from generation to generation - not good, especially with bitches if it is too large and could cause issues with puppies.

If it is a hernia and the tiny hole has sealed over, it should not cause too many problems. I would not operate unless it is really necessary.

When puppies are young , slight pressure will pop it back and sometimes it will stay inside. Sometimes it comes out again ?

Obviously one would listen to your Vet in the first instance.

Good luck, Mark.
 
My Truman had an umbilical hernia, which was repaired when he was neutered. If it just appeared after the spay surgery I would see what your vet thinks...if she had it before the surgery I would have thought the vet would have repaired it then...maybe it's not a hernia?
 
it has always been there since we brought her home at 3 months. The vet initially told us that he did not think it was a hernia, but told us to keep an eye on it to see if it bulged or got any bigger. It stayed the same for a few months. As I mentioned, she was just spayed about 2 weeks ago. When we brought her back to the vet for the suture removal, we asked the vet to look at the spot again. Again, he said that he was unsure if it was a hernia or not and told us to continue to keep an eye on it to see if it gets bigger. He stated that if it gets bigger, she will need surgery to fix this. The vet also tried to push it in to see if there was a hole. He said that he could not feel it going back in, so he did not seem too concerned.

My question is shouldn't a vet know whether it is a hernia or not? And if it turns out to be one, I am going to be mad because now Maggie will have to have another surgery when it should have been corrected two weeks ago when she was spayed.
 
That's probably a hernia (dogs don't have belly buttons like people :) ). They are very common in the breed -- vets are not really sure why. Smaller ones don't need surgery. Your vet made a good call in my opinion -- many would have done possibly unnecessary surgery. But get a second opinion if you want. If your vet isn't sure then it is probably small enough that it probably is never going to be an issue.
 
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