Pinpoint Umbillical Hernia in Puppy

Have any of you had a puppy with a "pinpoint umbillical hernia?" Charlotte has this and the vet told us that it can be taken care of when she gets spayed. I had planned on taking Charlotte to the SPCA to get spayed since that's where Stanley went when he got neutered. It's $35 there vs. $300 at the vet. But with this added issue, I'm not sure if the SPCA is the best route now. How do they fix a hernia like that anyways?

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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on November 27, 2010 at 1:22pm

Livvy had a hernia...can't tell you what kind but it had closed and the only time the vet said it could be a problem would be during birthing. Since I don't know what the pinpoint hernia is compared to Livvy's I can't say but I would ask questions to make sure she even needs the surgery! We have a conversation about this everytime she's pregnant but it has been fine thus far:)

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Permalink Reply by Robyn - Halo's Mom on November 27, 2010 at 11:32pm

Not sure about the word 'pinpoint', but an umbilical hernia is when there is a small hole near the umbilicus (belly button) that never closed over. Basically, they make a small incision there, push what is usually a little bit of fat back through the hole, and close it up. So when she is spayed, she would end up with 2 incisions instead of 1. Sometimes they can close up if they are small enough, but if they are large, more than fat can push out through the hole. Usually in the long run it is less expensive to get it repaired at the time of the spay, because if it becomes a problem later, you end up paying for the anesthetic twice, not to mention the dog ends up having surgery twice. I would just ask the SPCA if it is something they can do or not.

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Permalink Reply by Stanley & Charlotte on November 29, 2010 at 12:11am

I'm guessing pinpoint is just an adjective to describe the size of her umbillical hernia. I think I'll ask the vet again about it when we bring her in for her next set of shots. I need to find out if there's an extra cost to repair that. I'll also check with the SPCA about their services.