Umbilical hernia?

[isabella]

Ive got the chance of swaping my little pony for a lovely welsh sec D hes a lovely horse and im really interested in him however he has got an umbilical hernia.
Her vet has said that its not a problem and shouldn't cause him any problems
its soft and hes not bothered if you poke it and it is easily pushed in.

i was just wondering if anyone had any experience of this and what issues it could cause

many thanks

 

[lauraandjack]

The risk from umbilical hernias depends on the size of the hole. How big is it (fingers?), and how old is he. Sometimes in a youngster they will become a bit smaller with time.

Worst case scenario is a loop of gut becoming trapped in the hole and strangulating, which will cause colic that will require surgery.

I would say that a hernia less than 2 fingers is unlikely to cause a problem as it is probably too small for a loop of gut to pass through, what you can feel and push back will be abdominal fat.

I'm assuming he is gelded, but if he isn't you shouldn't breed from him, as umbilical hernias can be inherited.

 

[destiny11]

My foal had one, vet decided that it would be best to 'ring' it. He sedated her, made sure nothing was pushing out of the hole and then fitted a ring over the excess skin. It healed fine with no probs

 

[isabella]

hes 3 years old, yes hes been gelded. Its about 2 3 fingers if i remember rightly. I know they expected it to get smaller but it didn't and obviousl hes alot older now they have had him since he was 11months old.

Would it effect him when ridden? i know it would effect him in showing as it is a blemish

 

[lauraandjack]

It wouldn't be any more risk to ride him than he would risk himself bombing around the field.

It would be seen as a blemish in the show ring I imagine. It would be possible to surgically repair it if you wish (expensive though).

It's a gamble. Chances are it won't cause him a problem, but you just need to be aware of it (and remember insurance won't cover it as it is a pre existing condition)

 

[Passtheshampoo]

I had a homebred foal who had a 3 finger hernia. We had her operated on and despite box rest she did cause a new "lump" to appear after razzing around the field once she went back out. This turned out to just be fat deposits and the vet ringed it. She's never had a problem since and you wouldn't know she'd had a hernia unless you knew. As mentioned previously there is a small risk of the gut being strangulated and you would have to disclose the problem to your insurers. If the price is right and he's perfect in every other way I wouldn't discount him.