Puppies with hernia - Page 2

Thanks, I appreciate everyone's input a information that has been given. I will be consultation my vet again today confirm with her for sure that type of hernia it is. She did say that her only worry in breeding her is that she will pass it on to the puppies. And from some of the information I've read a umbilical hernia isn't the worst thing in the world. I will reconfirm whether it is  Inguinal Hernias,  Perineal Hernias or something else. Again thanks for all the information and I will update for your continued professional advice. Thanks

Most vets know very little about breeding (sometimes as little as people on forums!)  and in their defense, how can they be expected to know all the "ins and outs" (no pun intended, lol) about every breed and what is likely genetic vs. congenital (I think a lot of people confuse those two and they should not be confused!) and what is just a case of "shit happens." A vet is like a GP. They cannot be expected to be also breed experts, unless, of course, you happen to find a precious vet who breeds GSDs.

The only claims of umbilical hernias being a hereditary defect are on the most obtuse of pet websites- they take the tactic of "better safe than sorry, so we'll tell everyone they shouldn't breed their pet and here's just another reason why." If you research umbilical hernias via veterinary journals, you'll get more practical answers. If you ask breeders their experiences, you'll also get more practical answers, usually from people who have noticed the correlation firsthand between the manner the cord is cut and how it heals.  

As I said previously, unless the parents are producing a large number of them and/or they are large enough to create a problem, and/or do not heal completely by maturity, then you are not likely to be dealing with a GENETIC issue, but either a congenital one, OR- a birth injury (ie, Mom did it.)

Since my post's information was called my "claim" I will disclose my sources so you can take it for what it is and make your own decisions as to its relevance, Stevenwperry. I don't "claim" (pun intended, lol) to be a vet. Hell, I don't want to be a vet. I do, however, have a love for research and have spent the better part of the last 15 years researching various canine health topics. I have done extensive research on umbilical hernias due to a female Pekingese I used to own who had a decent-sized one (big for a Peke, not a big deal on a GSD).

Additionally, I breed occasionally, on a very small scale, and I watch the birth of every pup. I make notes, mental or otherwise, on how the cord was handled, at what length the dam severed it, was it pulled (accidentally or otherwise) and I monitor until they leave me. I do this so I KNOW that if a hernia should pop up, I can say with a fair amount of certainty, whether this is a fault of non-closure that could be genetic or congenital, or if it was a birth injury (then I'll call those lawyers on TV who fight for birth injuries and sue the dam). I don't ever want a puppy to leave here and I get a call later from the owner, whose vet got them all upset, saying the pup has a hernia. I want to know beforehand so I can say, hey, this pup has a bit of a hernia, and here's why. Then, the owner can make the decision whether they want the pup or not. I've thankfully been blessed with people with enough practical knowledge to not turn down a pup for one, and the only ones I've had were gone by the time the pup was around 6-8mos. old, IIRC. 

Since I had my cute little notes to refer back to, I told the buyer that the one cord was cut too short (Capri's first litter- cut too short and she inadvertently pulled on it a bit trying to sever it, as she was too close. Ironically, she NEVER made that mistake again. The entire litters following had cords left about 1/2" or more- like she remembered, LOL. The other one was caught on a toenail when the pup was being licked clean- simple as a moved paw when she didn't realize the pup's cord was lying between her toes. These things happen, especially when there are 8-10 puppies lying around the box and the dam is doing a good bit of multitasking. Some bitches are rough and careless and they may have more than their share- this is why it's important to know what you're dealing with- did it "happen" or was it something destined before birth and you MAY be dealing with a heritable  defect. I had the peace of mind of knowing, though. I had no conscience issues in selling those pups because I knew what happened.

So, sorry to be so longwinded, but your question about having it fixed and still breeding her is just not that simple. I think if you have to have it fixed and she's the ONLY one in her close family that had that problem, you may be ok to breed her if all else turns out as you wish. If this is a common thing and many have to be repaired surgically, my personal feeling is that unless she were SO stellar that she simply HAD to be bred, no, I would not. 


 

Jenni,

Did you ever get the feeling that the voice of experience could be trumped by a vet with a paper and no experience?

Sure, even a 23 yr old vet who's only had one dog their entire life, and they left it home with their parents when they went off to college. Like all doctors, some are better than others. What do they call the guy who graduates last in his classs? Oh yeah........Doctor.   The best vets are the ones who do not think they know it all. 

My favorite vet likes to tease me about my research obsession and habit of over-analyzing and addresses me as "Doc" or "Dr. Mom"  but while I'm sure I've annoyed him on occasion, he appreciates that I actually think about what's going, not just smile and nod. The best vets enjoy a proactive client, ime.

On the flip side, there are great vets who must get so annoyed at irresponsible and clueless pet owners. 
 

Not all Geneticists are vets.

No, but the OP consulted a vet, not a geneticist.

The below can hardly be said to have come from a 'pet-oriented' site, nor a 23 yr old vet who is just out of school and has owned 1 dog.
 

Excerpted from

http://www.ivis.org/advances/bojrab/chap14/chapter.asp?LA=1




 
In: Mechanisms of Disease in Small Animal Surgery, 3rd Ed., Bojrab M.J. and Monnet E. (Eds.). Publisher: Teton NewMedia, Jackson, WY, USA (www.tetonnm.com/). Internet Publisher: International Veterinary Information Service, Ithaca NY (www.ivis.org), Last updated: 27-Apr-2012; A5614.0412
 

Abdominal Hernias

D.D. Smeak
Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.

An abdominal hernia is a defect or opening in the wall of the abdominal cavity (external abdominal hernia) or within a compartment of the peritoneal space (internal abdominal hernia). Under certain clinical conditions, the defect allows protrusion (herniation) of an abdominal structure. Organs or tissue located in the immediate vicinity are usually found within the defect. However, predicting the organ involved may be difficult because freely movable organs with long vascular pedicles may travel considerable distances to occupy the hernia. It is important to understand that the defect itself may not be the most important clinical problem presenting to the veterinarian for treatment. Instead, it is the cause and effect of vital structure entrapment within the confines of the defect (hernial ring) or concurrent organ damage from trauma, which often dictates whether prompt and aggressive medical or surgical treatment is needed. Frequency and types of complications, success of surgical repair, and ultimately, final outcome are often dependent on the initial condition of the patient and the organ involvement [1-3]. Whether an uncomplicated hernia defect requires surgery depends on the surgeon's estimate of the risk of future organ displacement. The causes of an abdominal hernia should also be determined so proper decisions can be made to help prevent perpetuation of the defect in offspring and to reduce the risk of incisional breakdown (dehiscence) or recurrence.

Hernia Classification and Terminology

Abdominal hernias are described in many ways depending on the nature of the herniation or defect, the location or anatomy of the hernia, the etiology, and most importantly, the condition of the structures protruding through the hernia and the functional alterations resulting from this protrusion.
The abdominal wall is composed of multilaminar arrangements of muscles, their aponeuroses, strong fascia, fat, and either skin or peritoneum. Generally speaking, the abdominal wall functions as a barrier to contain (limit movement) and offer protection for vital abdominal organs. Several normal anatomic openings lined with peritoneum penetrate the external abdominal wall, providing nourishment to the fetus (umbilical aperture), passageway and neurovascular supply for the testicles (inguinal canal), and neurovascular supply to the rear limbs (femoral canal) [4]. "True" hernias are generally formed from a congenital (present at birth) weakness or absence of tissues surrounding the normal abdominal apertures. More rarely, true hernias include midline abdominal wall fusion defects. This weakness or lack of a barrier leads to enlargement of the opening (hernial ring) and eventual organ protrusion. True hernias have a complete lining or sac of peritoneum (hernial sac) surrounding the contents. Congenital defects in the ventral midline of the abdominal wall, so called "ventral hernias or substernal hernias", often associated with internal hernias (diaphragmatic), are also considered true hernias because peritoneum usually covers the hernia contents. This slippery peritoneal lining helps reduce adhesion formation of herniated organs or tissue to periabdominal tissue so these hernias are frequently reducible (contents freely move from within the hernial sac to the abdomen) and often pose no immediate threat to the patient. "False" hernias allow protrusion of organs outside the normal apertures of the abdominal wall. False hernias initially do not contain a complete peritoneal sac. Generally, these hernias are acquired, caused either by accidental trauma to the abdomen (traumatic hernias) or following breakdown of a surgical approach to the abdomen (incisional hernia). One recent report described a dog with a traumatic abdominal hernia caused by a fractured 12th rib penetrating through the paracostal musculature, resulting in liver herniation; this was termed an "auto-penetrating hernia" [5]. Owing to the lack of a peritoneal covering, false hernias often lead to development of organ adhesion to surrounding periabdominal tissues causing complications such as incarceration (hernial contents become trapped or irreducible). In contrast to true hernias, contents of false hernias are exposed to local tissue inflammation and may sustain constriction of blood supply as the hernial rings contract during healing. When vascular supply to the contents within a true or false hernia is compromised it is said to be strangulated, and this is a surgical emergency.

Causes and Pathophysiology

The etiology of a hernia may be from a single obvious defect, such as trauma, or, more commonly, from multiple predisposing factors. Hernias may be the result of either congenital or acquired factors. Congenital defects result when injury or altered development of the fetus occurs as a result of various factors (developmental) or from genetic mechanisms that are transmissible from generation to generation (hereditary). Developmental hernias may be caused by lack or excess of some necessary substance (vitamin, protein) or by a toxin, resulting in abnormal fetal development. As investigation continues into causes of congenital hernias, more and more "developmental" hernias may be found, in some way to be caused by as yet unknown genetic influences. Therefore, until genetic causal factors have been eliminated for specific congenital abdominal hernias, it is prudent for the veterinarian to advise sterilization of affected patients.

Developmental Hernias

Congenital inguinal and umbilical hernias have well explained developmental causes. Male dogs develop congenital inguinal hernias more often than do females [1]. This is believed to be a result of delayed inguinal ring narrowing because of late testicular descent in dogs [1,6,7]. Congenital umbilical hernias result from failure or delayed fusion of the lateral folds (principally tissues forming the rectus abdominis muscle and fascia) at the umbilicus after normal return of the midgut (6th week of gestation) from the umbilical cord in the fetus [8]. Omphalocele congenitalis is a congenital defect formed when loops of intestine are delayed in their transit from the umbilical cord into the abdominal cavity. Gastroschisis is another congenital abnormality appearing similar to omphaloceles, except that the abdominal wall defect is paramedian [9]. Spontaneously occurring femoral and scrotal hernias seen in adult dogs are thought to be caused by an underlying congenital weakness of the musculofascial tissues surrounding the respective abdominal apertures. Factors such as trauma and increased intraabdominal pressure, from obesity or chronic straining from constipation for example, may then trigger hernia occurrence later in life [3].
Hernias are often found in patients with other congenital defects. Cranioventral abdominal hernias, incomplete caudal sternal fusion, and umbilical defects with concomitant diaphragmatic hernias of various types have been described in puppies [10]. Successive breedings of a Laborador retriever and American foxhound with these defects created ratios of affected offspring suggesting an autosomal recessive mechanism [11]. Another investigation describing diaphragmatic, cardiac, and abdominal wall defects in a litter of cocker spaniel dogs, similar to thoracoabdominal ectopic cordis syndrome, however, suggested a developmental cause [12]. Cardiac malposition in humans may cause a mesodermal defect resulting in partial or complete failure of septum transversum development and subsequent supraumbilical fusion failure [8,13]. Congenital heart defects and portosystemic shunts may be associated with supraumbilical defects [14]. Defects associated with caudal ventral midline (infraumbilical) hernias include exstrophy of the bladder, hypospadius, and imperforate anus [8,15]. In addition, dogs with umbilical hernias often have cryptorchidism as well as other congenital defects [16,17]. These findings confirm the need to examine patients with congenital hernias closely for other important developmental problems before attempting surgical repair [2].

Heritable Hernias

Many congenital umbilical and inguinal hernias are thought to be caused by hereditary influences. Heritable inguinal hernias have only been documented, however, in the golden retriever, cocker spaniel, and dachshund [18]. In man, persistence of the process vaginalis (opening into the evaginated peritoneum surrounding the testicle) and enlarged inguinal rings have a similar familial tendency. Although most umbilical hernias appear to be inherited, no definitive information has been presented regarding the mode or pattern of inheritance affecting the fibrosis and union of the abdominal aponeuroses. Results of one study indicated that this defect is probably the result of a polygenic threshold character, possibly involving a major gene whose expression is mediated by the breed background [19,20]. Umbilical hernias have also been associated with fucosidiosis, an inherited neurovisceral lysosomal storage disease. Of 31 English springer spaniels diagnosed with fucosidiosis, 10 had umbilical hernias and 1 had a scrotal hernia. This disease is believed to be inherited in an autosomal recessive manner [21]. Neutering should be recommended for all small animals with congenital inguinal or umbilical hernias until conclusive evidence is demonstrated regarding the heritable nature of this disease process [6]. Strangulated viscera within external abdominal hernias (when compared with intraabdominal strangulated viscera) are more isolated from the vascular system. Liberated vasoactive substances are not absorbed as quickly through the subcutanous tissue as the permeable peritoneal lining, and thus, external strangulated hernias may have a more delayed onset of clinical signs and shock. Initial management of patients with strangulated hernias include aggressive restoration of tissue perfusion, pain management, acid-base, and electrolyte balance, appropriate antimicrobial and shock therapy if infection and toxemia are present, and lastly, emergency surgical correction. Ventral midline celiotomy is the preferred approach to most strangulated hernias because it allows complete abdominal exploration, and the affected organ can be isolated with surgical towels to avoid further soilage of the peritoneum. Manual reduction of strangulated organs should not be attempted. Severely compromised patients often decompensate and die under anesthesia during attempts at surgical reduction and repair of strangulated hernias; this is thought to be caused by rapid release of vasoactive substances into the circulation from necrotic strangulated organs during surgical reduction. En bloc resection of the herniated devitalized tissue, releasing the constricting ring only after the vascular supply is occluded, may help reduce this fatal complication [2].
 
Click on the author's name to view a list of his/her publications: D.D. Smeak:
D.D. Smeak, DVM Dipl ACVS
Professor of Small Animal Surgery
Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences
The Ohio State University
Columbus, OH
USA
 
This book is reproduced in the IVIS website with the permission of Teton NewMedia.
The book can be purchased on-line at Teton NewMedia. Visit Teton NewMedia website
All rights reserved. This document is available on-line at www.ivis.org. Document No. A5614.0412
 

Uh..... Is this one of those cases where tone can't be read online?

I've read that article. Perhaps I'm just stupid, but I don't see where I contradict it (unless someone simply doesn't "get" what I'm saying, ie, tone not coming across in written words) or what it's got to do with anything until we know if the OP's dog has a true hernia or a "yanked by mom" spot that will go away as she matures. 

I could go and re-highlight the parts that coincide with what I said before, like the discussion about "True" vs. "False," hernias. 

Really have no idea what the problem was with what I said. 

Jenni, I don't see how there's any possibility of mistaking tone from the written word with regard to this statement:

"The only claims of umbilical hernias being a hereditary defect are on the most obtuse of pet websites- they take the tactic of "better safe than sorry, so we'll tell everyone they shouldn't breed their pet and here's just another reason why."  

You know I don't consider you to be stupid or unread, so I expected you'd have read this chapter of this textbook, especially since it is available on-line. Thus you can't deny that the field considers the evidence for hereditability of umbilical hernias is so strongly suggestive that the recommendation remains that affected animals NOT be used for breeding--regardless of whether 'Mama pulled too hard' or not, as the fact that the rupture presented still implies that the abdominal wall is defective and therefore was insufficient to resist the effect.

I have had Moms with hernias have multiple litters with no hernias so I tend to believe it is not hereditary. I have also had moms with no hernia have a litter with a couple hernias. I am not siding with anyone on this debate but instead telling you my experiences.

I am no vet nor am I schooled in genetics I can only speak for what I have personally witnessed.