My dog has a sliding hiatus hernia. Could this be causing her pain?

It is ok for Lily to remain on those antacids long term. I suspect there are reasons your vet considers the surgery to be risky (brachycephalic breed, senior age, complicated nature of the surgery, possible bloodwork issues). It is great that they have stopped the vomiting. Putting her on an intestinal diet that is easy of the GI tract such as Hills i/d dry and canned or Royal Canin GI dry and canned may help as well. Good luck!

You could talk to your vet about a GI specific diet, as this may help reduce inflammation in the GI tract. It also won’t hurt anything to deworm him, and may help if he has Physeloptera (a stomach worm). If he is well controlled on his medications (omeprazole) and a GI diet, it’s probably fine to leave it at that. Regurgitating once every few weeks is not a huge deal... if it becomes more frequent or other symptoms (including weight loss) develop, talk to your vet about further diagnostics and treatment. Thanks for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

If Lily has a new hiatal hernia at 8 years old, it's nearly impossible that it was a birth defect (but never say never). It would take serious trauma, like getting hit by a car to cause this type of hernia. There are different types, but not different degrees: A sliding hiatal hernia is the most common of these uncommon hernias in small animals. Type 1 - A sliding hiatal hernia happens when parts of the esophagus and stomach are pushed through the thoracic cavity Type 2 - A paraesophageal hiatal hernia happens when the esophagus and the esophagus sphincter remain in place but parts of the stomach are pushed out Type 3 - This is a (rare) combination of both 1 and 2 Type 4 - This is described as Type 3 with further complications of the stomach being pushed into the paraesophageal sac Read more at: https://wagwalking.com/condition/hiatal-hernia

I agree with your veterinarian. It’s one thing if a pet has a condition that does not affect the quality of life. It is a completely different story when a pet has a condition that can be corrected and it makes their quality of life worse. You are already seeing the effects of this condition in her inability to eat normally and her weight loss. I gently remind you that veterinarians are not after money. We are entrusted to look out for the best interests of pets because they do not have a voice. Veterinarians have brutally honest conversations with clients every day. If your veterinarian had any misgivings about going to surgery, they would voice them. I do recommend to discuss potential complications however so that everyone is on the same page. Best of luck.

onHi, I will try and cover all the questions about Hiatal Hernia (HH) you have: In most veterinary patients, hiatal herniA (HH) appears to be a congenital or birth defect. Brachycephalic dogs (those with a shortened nose such as English Bulldogs, French Bulldogs and Pugs) are at an increased risk. Trauma can also cause a HH but much less likely. Diagnosis of HH is most commonly done via fluoroscopy (a moving x-ray study) using radiographic dye. Esophagoscopy and gastroscopy may also be performed. In general treatment options include conservative medical treatment and surgical repair. Medical treatment aims to control clinical signs with with medication, diet changes, and supplements. This will probably reduce the frequency of the clinical signs but may not alleviate the condition. In many cases medical management is attempted initially (around 30 days), but if non-responsive then surgical repair will be done. Bear in mind the information given is general without knowing the specifics of your individual case. Hope that's help.

Some pain medications can cause stomach upset. If Olive continues to vomit, I would recommend stopping the pain medication and contacting your veterinarian. Other potential causes for vomiting include eating something irritating to the intestinal tract, infections or metabolic problems such as kidney or liver disease.

It could be that, hernias can cause intestinal blockage, i would recommend taking her to the vet in order to get it checked ASAP. even if this isn't the hernia, it will need to be repaired surgically sooner rather than later.