My senior dog's inguinal hernia is getting bigger. What should I do?

First of all inguinal hernia and umbilical hernia are two different things, completely unrelated. it's absolutely safe to have another surgery done 6 months after the first surgery, this surgery is really a must do.

You cannot give him any human pain killers, only pain killers that have been prescribed by your vet. he can be operated, there is probably no other option as his intestines are likely getting blocked due to the hernia, special caution will need to be taken because of his epilepsy, his age and his general health condition.

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!

This does sound concerning - occasionally an umbilical hernia is large enough that abdominal organs can slip through the hernia and become trapped outside of the body - most commonly intestines or spleen. This is pretty rare however. I would recommend checking in with your vet to see if they want to examine Maggie sooner and determine if surgery should be moved up. If she seems painful, if the area continues to get larger, or if she vomits or has a decrease in appetite you should see an emergency veterinarian.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Nidjie! If Nidjie is healthy and his blood work looks good then I think it is fine to have another surgery. Inguinal hernias can be a trickier hernia to repair and the surgery could fail. The odds are more in favor of it succeeding. I would ask your Veterinarian, performing the surgery, what their success rates are for this particular hernia. I hope this helps and I wish Nidjie the best!

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.

It could be that Lady has a cyst causing this lump. In a senior dog, it could also be a malignant tumor or a benign tumor. Without seeing her in person, I can't say for certain. If your vet sent her to a surgeon, then I would suspect that your vet believes it needs to be removed. I'm sorry you felt this surgeon was only worried about money, so I'd suggest speaking to your vet about a referral to another surgeon to get this lump diagnosed and possibly removed. It sounds like it's quite large if it's grapefruit size, and if it continues to grow, it could affect her ability to walk. In addition, if it is malignant, it needs to be removed as soon as possible. Best of luck, I hope this helps!