My Chihuahua has a tummy pouch after hernia surgery. Is it serious?

If the spots are near where the incision was, it could be that the scar tissue formed in a different color than her normal skin. If the spots are in a different location, then it could be something else. You can repost your question with some pictures and we may be able to help you further, or you can request a consult where we can chat back and forth and try to figure out what is going on with Chica.

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!

This looks like a mammary tumor, which could be benign or malignant. At the age of your dog I would not opt for removal. If it is not growing or ulcerating then I would not worry about it too much. However, you may want to take her to your vet to have it assessed just in case it is a cyst or an abscess, either of which would need to be evacuated (emptied)

A lump in this location could be a mammary tumor. These are growths in the breast tissue. They can be benign or malignant. I always recommend surgical removal because they continue to grow, even if they are not cancerous. Another possibility would be a hernia. If this is a hernia, surgery would be recommended to repair it because organs such as intestines, bladder or uterus can become entrapped. I would recommend an evaluation by a veterinarian to determine what it is and make recommendations on how to treat it.

Yes, it is important to have surgery done on this because if left untreated, it can be serious. A loop of intestine can become entrapped in this hernia, which will make the dog very sick. Puchku should have this fixed, and I would have it done when you have him neutered (if he isn't already neutered). Because umbilical hernias are hereditary, dogs with them should never be bred. Best of luck.

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!

I agree with your vet. Small hernias may present no problem, but it can become a problem if it becomes enlarged. I recommend having continual monitoring of the hernia to make sure it doesn't become enlarged. If it does, then it will need to be fixed.