Lena (Penny Forever)
Posted : 7/17/2006 7:11:38 PM
Hi Patti, we just went through the same thing with our girl Shanti but she had 2 inguinal hernia's, one in each groin. She is a JRT/Spits mix. Last Thursday she has both hernia's fixed plus was spay and had 8 teeth pulled. She is 8 yrs old.
My vet said that it is quite common is small dogs and it is easily repaired. The incision is only about 1 inch long and from what I can see, heals pretty quickly.
I would opt to get it fixed when she gets a bit older. Has your vet said when he wants to do it??? Shanti had quite a large hole in the left groin, enough for the inguinal sack to pop out of. I'm not sure if this is happening to your baby but if you do feel something sticking through the hole( feels like a small ball full of jelly) you should push it back into the hole. It doesn't hurt them to do this and it is more of a safety precaution because if it is left out, it can cause what is called strangulation. This is when the sac or possible intestine gets stuck outside of the body and cuts off circulation or in the case of intestine, bowel movements.(not a good thing)
I know that it can be repaired with a spay and doesn't cost alot more because the dog is already under a general A.
Is the breeder going to cover the cost of the hernia repair? They should because they knew of it when you purchased it.
If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. You can PM me if you like.