[thenovice]

Hi all, we have been looking at puppies today and noticed 1 had a small umbilical hernia. Didnt know if anyone had any experience of these? I have been told that they dont seem to affect the dog if the hernia is small, and usually get smaller as they grow up. Others say should be sewn up. Any thoughts??? Breed is patterdale terrier/russel. Thanks 

[Mammyshaz]

It is a hereditary condition passed on as a fault in genetics. It can be easily repaired at neutering as long as it does not get worse. The midline where one half of the abdomen join the other half has failed to seal resulting in a gap in the muscle layer where fat and,if large enough, some of the intestines can start slipping through which can lead to strangulation of these tissues and this can be life threatening.

It will cost you to have it repaired and the cost varies greatly depending on how big it becomes or any other complications, a bitch can have a small hernia repaired at neutering  with little extra cost. Some stay very small but some get bigger quite quickly as the pup grows.

If you are considering the dog as a pet then the above are the only main concerns.
If you are likely to consider breeding then avoid this line totally as some offspring can be born with all their inners on the outside due to the fault.

Hope this helps, they are a lovely breed to have 

[thenovice]

Thanks for the advice, we have a Patt already, and they are fantastic terriers. We were hoping to breed him with our bitch, so some hard thinking is in order. Shame, he is a smashing looking chap