UMBILICAL HERNIA

My 4 month old lab puppy was fine this morning and tonight i noticed she had a quarter sized bulge on her stomach.

What would cause a hernia to develop so fast.



Hi
That's unusual, hernias are usually a defect the puppy is born with.

True hernias are rare and often include defects in the chest wall. They're serious, needing surgery and often impacting the puppy's health.

The more common defect referred to as a 'hernia' is really more of a delay in the closing of the abdominal walls. It usually fixes itself as the puppy grows and they rarely need surgery. There's generally no effect on the puppy's overall health, unless the hernia becomes 'strangulated' (that is some intestine becomes pinched between the muscle walls).

I would imagine that if this is a hernia, it's a delayed closure and that your puppy may have had it for some time, it's just not been noticeable. I've personally never heard of one developing later on.

It could be that a bit of your pup's intestines has become trapped (or pinched) by the muscle walls. If you cannot gently push the bulge back through the opening (best tried with pup lying on his back), there could be a problem.

If this is the case, or if the swelling seems tender or causes pain to your puppy, you need to have him seen by a veterinarian right away. This kind of complication can lead to serious consequences if not treated quickly.

Even if your pup seems unconcerned by this, and there doesn't seem to be any pain etc. associated with it, I would suggest you have your vet take a look to be on the safe side. It's possible this isn't a hernia at all, but it's impossible for me to tell and as I'm not a vet I would really encourage you to have a professional examine your pup.

Best of luck with him!