umbilical hernias in puppy's - Page 1

Hello everyone just have a question about umbilical hernias . I'm new to breeding dogs and have only had one litter of German shepherds there were only two but they both ended up with hernias the mother has a slight hernia herself and I'm wondering is it genetic or something i did wrong in whelping the first pup i let mom do the snipping and there was about one centimeter left on the pup witch eventually healed and fell off than the hernia appeared around three weeks old and got to about three centimeters . the second pup the pup came qwick and the sack broke right away and the mom nip off the pups umbilically with one snip and it was very close to belly it was bleeding I qwick clamped it off but it was close to the belly. it healed fine but also developed small ambilocal .pups were very heathy and active seem fine heath wise to date .i know they can be cosmetic eye sore but dogs can live normal lives with them and some can even correct them selves down the road as pup grows. ok any input on this topic would be appreciated and yes both parents have all there heath clearances and are from good pedigree lines that's why I'm trying to find out if its something that i can do different next breeding to prevent it if possible.

One of my dogs had one, and I believe it's genetic. When she was a pup, I kept an eye on it (and gently felt it regularly) to see if there was any intestinal extrusion but it remained small and was repaired when she was spayed. Follow your vet's guidance on how to monitor it and what to look for.

Hernias typically are genetic and rarely from snipping the cord either by dam or person assisting the whelp. If the dam has a hernia I would encourage breeding to a sire who does not have one, although hernias are very common and appear from further down the lines also depending on the mating outcome. You did nothing wrong though so rest assured this is very common. Typically at the first health check at 8 weeks the vet will let you know if it is small and closed, rarely are they 'open'. Common hernias are small and closed. I have whelped 6 litters so far and the puppies who did have a hernia had a small and closed one. The dam had a small hernia herself, which never caused a problem in pregnancy. The sire did not have a hernia. On average 2-3 puppies had a small closed hernia out of a litter of 10. They do develop around 3-4 weeks and if they are very small may self-resolve with maturity. They are easily fixed at approx., $50.00 during a spay or neuter. For a breeding prospect I would suggest to keep back a puppy without a hernia in the future as they are always a small concern in the back of the clients mind when purchasing a puppy. I have not dealt with a large hernia or open hernia. I would assume these are a bigger risk and of immediate veterinary assitance.

100% all of eg21horse's post. I had a male GSD who had a golf-ball sized umbilical hernia, my vet said it didn't need anything doing but to keep an eye on it in case of change. It never became a problem, and the dog had a long and healthy life.