My dog's umbilical hernia is growing, purple, and hard. Is it serious?

I am concerned that Goldie's umbilical hernia seems larger. If the hernia has opened up more, then the abdominal organs such as the omentum and intestines can slip through the hole, leading to strangulation of them. That would make her quite uncomfortable to sit and lie down, and pain would cause her to shake. Based on this, yes I would have Goldie see an emergency vet now.

Hello. The problem with a possible hernia is if it is large enough, intestines can become trapped in the sac. The itching concerns me as, but I can not say how it may be related to a hernia. What does concern me is having a large lump of any kind in an older pet. I think this is something that should be investigated further. If your current vet does not seem to be overly concerned about this, then a second opinion at another practice would be a good idea. See what their diagnosis is & then go from there, but I do not think I would just ignore this. Thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

If you dog was born with an umbilical hernia, it will often "shrink" in size as the puppy continues to grow - the hernia doesn't actually get smaller but it is smaller in relation to the rest of the body getting bigger. If there is fat or tissue that you can easily push back up into the abdomen, then there is always a risk that a loop of intestine (and yes, even a pregnant uterus!) can fall through and become entrapped. The pregnancy itself will not increase the size of the hernia, and the hernia will not get smaller after pregnancy. However, a heavily pregnant uterus can put a lot more pressure on small intestines which could be pushed out the hernia. I would recommend that you have your dog checked out by a vet before she becomes pregnant to evaluate the hernia and decide if it would be better to be fixed before she gets pregnant. If she is already pregnant, you will have to monitor is a couple times every day to make sure it isn't suddenly larger; if it does appear suddenly larger and you cannot gently push the contents back into the body, she should be evaluated by a vet immediately.

When internal organs slip through an umbilical hernia, the swelling tends to become larger very quickly and is very painful. That does not seem to be the case with Charlie which is good. Umbilical hernias are normally present at birth and should not develop later in life. This swelling also looks like it is a little higher than his umbilicus, so it may not be an umbilical hernia. Depending on what your vet thinks, they may perform a fine needle aspirate to collect a few cells and decide what it is and if anything needs to be done about it. If it is a benign mass, they may not recommend any treatment. If they think it may be a hernia or if they see any concerning cells, they may recommend surgery. Hopefully your vet appointment will put your mind at ease. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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!

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!

It appears packer is having some bruising of his umbilical area. I would recommend taking him to a veterinarian for a good physical exam. Some dogs have small umbilical hernias that occur at birth. Fat or even intestines can get stuck in the hernia and cause problems. Also he could be having a local skin reaction but it is really hard to tell by a picture. Hope that helps and he feels better soon.