In general, don't panic if you are considereing a puppy with a small bubble hernia on his/her tummy. There is quite a difference in these "late closure bubbles" and true life threatening hernias. Unfortunately not all vets or breeders bother to distinquish between them. There are 2 areas of closure, the umbilical cord and the heart. The heart can be heard to murmur at 4-5 weeks but is no longer audible by 6-8 weeks. The umbilical cord closure is often prevented from a small amount of Omentum. This is a kind of slippery thin sheet of tissue which is present in the abdomen. The danger occurs when the opening is so large an actual loop of the small intestine escapes.
Our recommendation is these bubbles be closed with a stitch or two during the spay or neutering operation. The two are unrelated but it is a simple procedure if done while the puppy is already anesthesized.
For a complete understanding please visit http://www.showdogsupersite.com/kenlclub/breedvet/umbilical.html
The summation however is contained in the following:
UMBILICAL HERNIAS
Conventional wisdom says that umbilical hernias are inheritable, and a dog with a hernia should not be bred. Conventional wisdom, however, does not differentiate between "true hernias" where there is a defect in the body wall, and "delayed closures", where a small bit of omentum slips out of the area before the umbilicus closes. In 26 years of dealing with breeders and reproduction, I do not have any evidence that "delayed closures" are inheritable.
"True hernias" are indeed highly inheritable. They generally have a thick cartilage edge with an irregular, more or less circular shape. They may extend up into the diaphragm, causing a communication between the thoracic (chest) cavity and the abdominal cavity. These are very difficult to repair surgically because there is a great deal of tissue missing and the tissue is hard and inflexible. They often require the use of a mesh implant to close the defect. These hernias can be related to other midline defects such as heart abnormalities and cleft palates.
It is worthwhile to read the entire article but as you can see there is quite a difference and the difference is usually obvious.
1. How large is the opening.
2. Is the circumference hard, thick and irregular or soft tissue.
3. What material is in the bubble.
True hernias are quite rare and late closures are quite common.
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