Advice needed on hernia

[ruffruff]

I have a 7 week old female, Sophie. At six weeks when I picked her up from the breeder, the breeder's vet pointed out to me that she had a small umbilical hernia, he said probably caused by the mother chewing the cord down too far. He said it was nothing to worry about and that it could be fixed later if I wanted. Over the course of the week that I have had her, the hernia has more than doubled in size. Concerned, I took her to another vet who has told me that Sophie does indeed have an umbilical hernia. However, he said it was a hereditary genetic flaw and not caused by the mother. He said that I should plan to never breed Sophie as it would be "unethical" to continue to breed this flaw into the breed. I was devastated because I had hopes of breeding her in a couple of years. I am stunned that his diagnosis was so different than the breeder's vet. Had I know that this was indeed an inheirited genetic flaw, I might possibly have not gotten a puppy from this breeder. My question is, is this truly a hereditary flaw and should I really not breed her at all? Is a hernia considered one of those factors that you should not breed because of? I know one should not breed because of traits such as hip dysplasia, behavior problems, etc. but have never heard of such regarding a hernia. I would greatly appreciate any advice, opinions, etc!!

Thanks!!

 

[ruffruff]

Jeanne, thanks for your reply. The couple of "dog" people I have already talked with about this seem to echo your thoughts. They seem doubtful that a hernia is a condition that is necessarily hereditary and have encouraged me to not have Sophie spade if indeed we want pups.

I was concerned that it has gotten bigger over a week. What was once a very tiny lump under her bellybutton is now about the size of a small english pea. Thats why we went ahead and had the vet take a look. The vet suggested having it fixed when she is about 4 mos old.

Thanks again. And, any other opinions would be appreciated!!

 

[Chewy's Mom]

I've certainly never heard anyone say that an umbilical hernia is hereditary. I really wouldn't think so. I have read that they very frequently go away on their own. I'm not sure if a high activity level will make this type of hernia worse, but it might. Maybe that's why it has increased in size. I would think that if it doesn't go away on it's own, and if it's severe enough, get it fixed at 4-6 months old. As for breeding, the hernia would not concern me. The other health issues such as heart, hips, thyroid, etc., should be of much greater concern.

 

[Matt S]

Just to play devils advocate for 1 second.....

from the link below
As a note, umbilical hernias in puppies are a genetic or congenital defect in over 90% of the cases. The disorder is passed from generation to generation just like the color of the coat or the animal’s overall size. Very, very rarely are they caused by trauma or excessive pressures during whelping. Animals that have a hernia or had a surgical repair of a hernia should never be used for breeding. Additionally, those adults that produce puppies with this condition should not be bred again.

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1571&articleid=442

 

[Chewy's Mom]

Very interesting, Matt. I learn something new every day!

 

[JulieM]

Genetic and congenital are two different things, of course - genetic is an inherited trait, congenital is something that is present at birth - which may be inherited, but may be the result of something that happened during pregnancy or whelping.

There does seem to be an increased incidence of umbilical hernia in some breeds, which would tend to suggest a genetic component - but some sites claim the trait is dominant, other that it is recessive, and still others that it is polygenic.

It is not listed as a genetic defect in Boxers either by the ABC or the AVAR (which lists 47 other genetic conditions for Boxers).
http://www.avar.org/avar_dog_genetic_diseases.pdf

So, I think the best thing to do would be to follow the advice of George Padgett, and prioritize:
http://www.newfdogclub.org/health_longevity/hl_docs/hhl_6_padgett1.htm

 

[ruffruff]

Thanks Julie and Matt for the great links! Am I wrong here or do I get the feeling that the jury is still out on this one? Most of the info I have gotten is that the umbilical hernia is inheirited and the dog should never be bred. Then there are those that feel that umbilical hernia is not necessarily a trait that should discourage breeding. Also, is not a trait specifically noted to be common in boxers.

I guess the most important thing is the health and happiness of the dog. I am very disappointed about the probability of not breeding Sophie. But I still love her. We have had Sophie for two weeks now. We paid premium $$$ for her, the mother being a show dog with high marks, and I had planned to breed her. I was hopeful of show quality pups. However, Sophie won over our hearts the day we brought her home. We are madly in love with her. She is like a new baby at our house. There is no way I could just "dump" her because of this condition. I will admit I am a bit peeved at the breeder (owns sire and dam) and I have informed her of what has transpired. I don't really expect anything from her though. Do I have any recourse short of returning the dog (which I do not plan to do)?

Thanks to you all for the links, your opinions, etc!