inguinal hernia

    • Gold Top Dog

    inguinal hernia

    Has anyone here dealt with a dog with a inguinal hernia( groin hernia.
    My 8 year old little girl Shanti has what I believe is a inguinal hernia. I took her to the vet and he says it is either a inguinal hernia or a testicle. She is going to have surgery but the vet wants to cut her tummy open to make sure what it is. I don't want her tummy to be cut open if it is just a hernia repair. The hernia is on the inside of her back leg, between the  inside top of the leg and the tummy. I know that for hernia surgery they cut to the muscle and stitch the muscle closed.
    Does anyone know if x-ray or ultrasound will show what the real problem is.
    I really don't want her abdomin cut open if it isn't necessary.
    Your feedback would be very much appreciated.
    Thanks
    • Gold Top Dog
    Wow, I can't believe I am the only one on here with a doggie with this problem :(
    Thanks anyway.
    • Gold Top Dog
    My 8 year old little girl Shanti has what I believe is a inguinal hernia. I took her to the vet and he says it is either a inguinal hernia or a testicle.

     
    Lena - It's Monday morning, so maybe it's just me, but if she's a female, how can this possibly be a testicle? 
    • Gold Top Dog
    Cathy, the vet thinks she may be a Hermaphrodiate. I have made her an appointment at a different vet for tomorrow and she is going to be spayed and have her boo-boo fixed up on Thursday. I have never heard of a female having a testicle but this vet seems to think it is possible.
    Not the best thing to think about on a Monday morning.  :)
    • Gold Top Dog
    Cathy, the vet thinks she may be a Hermaphrodiate.

     
    Well, this will be a first for the topic, or at least the first time I've seen it.  I hope it's easily fixed and she/he ([;)] just kidding) will be fine.  I had a kitty with 6 toes and I thought that was odd, but you've got me beat for sure.
    • Gold Top Dog
    Hey Cathy,
    Got the word today, it is a hernia. She actually has one in each groin so on Thursday she's going for a double hernia repair, a spay and having two teeth extracted. I am a bit freaked out because this seems like alot of stuff being done in one surgery.
    I was expecting this huge bill and couldn't believe how reasonable this vet is, $686.35( and this is Canadian). I switched vets after Penny passed away and am now using my dads vet. He's a real animal person unlike my old vet.
    • Gold Top Dog
    Awww,  poor girl.  I'm glad you got a definitive diagnosis and although it sounds like a lot, she should be fine and good as gold after a few days recovering.  I'll be thinking about her though, so please post on how she's doing.
    • Gold Top Dog
    Hi Cathy,
    Shanti made it through all surgerys just fine.
    She had to have not 2 but 8 teeth pulled. I am quite peeved at her old vet because when he saw her in Sept, he said her teeth weren't to bad and we would wait until this Sept to have them cleaned.
    Grrrrrrrrrrr.
    Any suggestions you may have on ways to keep her teeth clean would be muchly appreciated. Up until now she has been getting Innova kibble and bully sticks.
    • Gold Top Dog
    I forgot to say that Sweet Pea is so mad at me for taking her best friend this morning and not returning with her. She is totally ignoring me. Talk about double guilt  :(
    • Gold Top Dog
    So glad to hear she made it thru okay.  I'd be ticked off at the vet too.  8 teeth seems like a lot, but I'm guessing they adapt fairly easily.  I know everyone raves about using the raw bones to keep their teeth clean.  Is that an option for you?  If not, have you ever tried scrubbing them or brushing them?  I don't do it with the dogs I have now (should, but I don't) but I taught my previous dog early on and she wouldn't settle into bed until her teeth were brushed.  I'm using that Fragaria Vesca and hoping that'll clean up my older labs teeth, but it's too soon to tell.  If it works, I'll be shouting it from the rooftops.
    • Gold Top Dog
    I am not sure what type of raw bones to give the kids. Beef soup bones I'm guessing but if you can tell me which others to buy that would be great.
    • Gold Top Dog
    Your kids are pretty small right?  You could use the marrow (also called soup) bones and they're pretty cheap.  There are others that you could use too, but you need to use more caution with the smaller ones.  I'd think you could get away with giving some raw chicken wings or thighs or beef rib bones.  I've only used the marrow bones and pork necks, so I'm really not a good person to ask.  Why don't you start a thread in the Nutrition section asking about raw bones for teeth cleaning?  You'll probably get a bunch of replies.