My pug has a small hernia for 6 months. Is surgery required?

Hi Annie! From your pictures, it does look like Coco has an umblical hernia, but I can't say for certain without seeing her in person. Luckily these are easily fixed when a dog is spayed, so when you make the appointment to have that done, the vet can discuss fixing it at the same time. It's never recommended to breed a dog with an umblical hernia because they are hereditary. Give your vet a call to make an appointment to have her spayed. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

Hi and thanks for posting! Umbilical hernias are recommended to be repaired at or around the time of neutering to prevent the hernia from becoming larger and also prevent the intestines from becoming trapped or strangulated in the hernia. Umbilical hernias can be genetic, so it is recommended dogs with these are not bred. I hope this helps and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Coco. It is common for umbilical hernias to go from reducible to non-reducible as the dog grows. I typically surgically repair it at the time of the spay. If you are not planning on spaying her, it still should be corrected. However, it is not an emergency as long as it not red, painful and she is not acting ill. Most of the time, it is just a bit of abdominal fat that slip through the opening in the abdominal wall (the hernia). The risk is if an internal organ such as a loop of intestine slips through the defect. In this case, the hernia would be painful to the touch and Coco would likely be vomiting and showing signs of pain. This is very rare though. I hope this information helps!

Hernia’s generally never heal on their own. Depending on the size of the hernia (the larger the more urgent) and whether or not the bulge can be pushed back into the abdomen (if a loop of intestines can come through, Vs just abdominal fat …it is at risk of getting twisted and dying/strangulating) your vet may recommend an emergency hernia repair or repair it at the time of her spay (recommended to prevent pyometra). Getting the hernia palapated/examined by your vet at Minnie’s vaccine appointments is recommended. Congratulations on your new puppy!

This does look like an umbilical hernia, but I cannot say for sure without seeing Smokey in person. No, they do not go away on their own, they need to be repaired surgically. Have it checked out by a vet, and you can discuss having it fixed when you get him neutered. Dogs who have umbilical hernias should never be bred because it's a heritable condition. Best of luck.

If the hernia is not reducible, meaning when you push it it does NOT go back into the body, then it does not need to be fixed. It is only a cosmetic blemish. If the hernia IS reducible, where you can push it back into the body, then it should be repaired.

Milo’s a cutie! That does look like a hernia, which is a rift in the abdominal muscle wall where intestines protrude through. Some hernia’s are reducible meaning you can push the bowels back into the abdomen. Some are not, and you are correct, there is always a change that they can get bigger and more dangerous because if they are big enough for a loop of bowel to pass through and twist on itself/strangulate….that can be life threatening. It is best to have the hernia repaired (they’re not removed…rather they bowel is pushed back through and the opening in the abdominal wall is sutured closed) at the time at of the neuter to minimize the number of anesthetic events Milo undergoes. This can be done earlier than 6 months….e.g. at 5 months. You can discuss early neutering and hernia repair this with your vet or wait 2 months and have both done when he is 6 months. Good luck!