hernia... and vets....

[joanne1920]

ive had my gypsy cob for 3 months now and after battling with mud fever and the fact he's hardly been handled im up agianst something else... I had Mickey vetted a 2* one to check there was nothing major wrong with him... vet found he had scabs in feather and would have tushes and wolf teeth when he was older, i asked what the lump was on his belly near his belly button and directly in front of his willy... oh its just part of his sheath because he's a bit over weight he's carrying extra fat there?! ok i though hmmm... well havent heard of that but a vets a vet... 2 weeks after buying him and i have a pony with a swollen leg from mud fever and cracked heels... vet came out didnt say alot gave me antibiotics , got better ok, 1 month later cracked heels back... another vet came out this time and said he had got lots of scar tissue in his heels and he will always be prone to mud fever etc etc... surely vet should have picked this up in vetting???
any way mudfever still present but much better and last week i kept him in for 4 days... lump under belly gets bigger, it doesnt hurt him and its all squidgey... yet another vet came to look at another horse on the yard and i asked him to look at mickey, it is a hernis, it a 1 finger one and he said its just got fat in it and no intestines... he said it shouldnt need treatment and it shouldnt get bigger or smaller, just vary on how fat he is, apparently its quite small compared to some and apparently very common???? ive never know a horse or pony to have one in 15 years??? so does any one have a pony or horse with one ??? and did it need treatment??
need less to say once the bill comes i will be writing a letter of complaint as it should have been picked up in the vetting especially when i speciafically asked about whether it was or not....

 

[cazza]

I have two with hernia's one that was banded and that sorted it out and the other needs to go in for an operation to sort it.

 

[joanne1920]

how big are the hernias? my boys is probably bout 50p size round and sticks out bout 3/4 of an inch...

 

[cazza]

the small one was about an inch in diameter and stuck out about 1 1/2 inches and that was banded. The other is the size of a fist and may cause intestinal problems if we don't get it sorted out. Some horses have them as foals and as they grow they grow out of the hernia although others if the hernia is quite big (this is where the umbilical cord was) it won't necessarily heal over properly.

 

[joanne1920]

mickeys is just behind his belly button, so i spose that an umbilical one, ill just have to make sure he doesnt get too fat or keep him in too long, now he's back out most of the time its gone back to how it was. im surprised they didnt band mickeys then or advise getting it done.... as my boys just 2 maybe his will go, he's had such a bad start, he was tethered on side of road, i bought him from gypsys... thanks for your help

 

[annaellie]

one of my mares had a strangulated hernia, she had an op and was very ill, unfortantly she had to be pts 12 months later she was only 8 when pts, but that was a very bad one The yard I used to teach on had a livery with one and the pony was fine and carrying on as usual, my advice was to just keep an eye on it and any changes, get your vet out but am very cautious about them now.

 

[vicijp]

I have a filly who had an umbilical hernia. She came back from stud at 3 months old with it about tangerine size and it was ringed. She is now 2 and cant see anything to the eye, but you can feel a squiahy bit there.
I wouldnt worry unduly unless there is a sudden change in size or feel.