I, too, would have the umbilical hernia fixed when she is spayed. In fact, that's exactly what we did when Blaze was neutered last month at 6 months of age (we are not going to do any sports activities with him such as lure coursing, so waiting until his growth plates were closed wasn't a concern).
Umbilical hernia
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My 8 month old basenji has suddenly developed a big red and angry looking lump where his outie belly button was….the vet was entirely flabbergasted because she said this usually only crops up when they are much younger and they can fix the hernia during the neutering....but since it appeared later, we would have to find a different way to cover the cost of the anesthesia to get it fixed.....I don't know much about all of his and I can't tell if my vet is just trying to get extra $ from me or if this is a legitimate problem we need to fix. He doesn't act like it hurts or bothers him one bit. It is about the size of a small grape, red, and hard. She put him on antibiotics to see if that would clear it up first if there is just some kind of infection. If it is an umbilical hernia, will something bad happen if left unattended?
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If it is an umbilical hernia, will something bad happen if left unattended?
They can get strangulated, which would be a problem. It does seem unusual that one would suddenly appear at his age.
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My little girl has one also. It's also the size of a grape but it's soft and I can push it back in. No issues with her since there is no constriction of the soft tissue but sounds like that is what is happening with your little guy. If that ever changes she will need surgery. Good luck!
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Since it appeared later on, and is hard, and red, I would suggest getting it fixed. Most of the umbilical hernias I have come across are pink and soft-no matter the size. I find it highly unusual, and I don't mean to scare you, that it is hard and red. I would get it fixed asap. Just my opinion.
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Typically they do not cause problems but once in a while they will. I had a bitch that at 1 1/2yrs had her hernia strangulate. It did need to be fixed surgically and as I was told it is not something that you should wait, but should be done soon as possible.
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There is no question that Umbilical hernias can become strangulated but in my opinion it's rare for one to suddenly appear at 8 months which I read you as meaning in your post. However if it is an existing hernia which has become strangulated I don't understand why your vet should give antibiotics.
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My female used to cry out in bed when she stretched because of her hernia. The vet agreed to spay her at 4 months, instead of waiting until 6 months. she hasn't had an issue since. She started crying out at about 3 months so she was much younger than yours. And I don't recall that her outy was any specific color other than belly flesh colored.
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Since it appeared later on, and is hard, and red, I would suggest getting it fixed. Most of the umbilical hernias I have come across are pink and soft-no matter the size. I find it highly unusual, and I don't mean to scare you, that it is hard and red. I would get it fixed asap. Just my opinion.
I agree that the presentation is more likely indicative of strangulation, and the appearance beyond infancy is additional evidence of a problem. I too would get it fixed asap and forget about acking on another procedure to save costs. A dog with strangulated bowel doesn't need additional stress.
