Umbilican Hernia?

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mcnaughty

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Hi guys - I have attached a couple of ahhh pictures of Poppy just so you can see how she looks at 3 weeks and also a picture of her rear end showing her umbilical chord area.

Does this look normal to you?

Oh and yes they are living in a dust bowl at the moment! We have absolutely no grass and I am having to feed haylage out in the field! Crazy...

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she looks lovely. If you feel the lump, if it just a thin skin flap as in you can't really feel anything between your fingers if you gently squeeze it, or can you feel 'stuff' in there? If it is the former then it is just an 'outy' tummy button and will sort itself out, Curly has a massive one which has now gone. If you can feel stuff in there then it is a hernia and needs to be banded by a vet. If you vet says surgery, tell them to get lost, banding (like they do for lambs testicles) is the modern, more humane and FAR cheaper solution.

If it is an 'outy' and doesn't go away it is only a cosmetic issue and nothing to worry about, though you can have surgery for it (but really not necessary for several years, if at all!).

bye!
 
TangoCurly said:
If you feel the lump, if it just a thin skin flap as in you can't really feel anything between your fingers if you gently squeeze it, or can you feel 'stuff' in there? If it is the former then it is just an 'outy' tummy button and will sort itself out, Curly has a massive one which has now gone. If you can feel stuff in there then it is a hernia and needs to be banded by a vet. If you vet says surgery, tell them to get lost, banding (like they do for lambs testicles) is the modern, more humane and FAR cheaper solution.
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Sorry - you may think you're helping but that is dangerous advice!!

The umbilical cord should have all but shrivelled up by 3-4 weeks - that one looks 'plump'! A hernia is one possible cause - infection is another!!

If there is 'stuff' in there, the 'stuff' might be an abcess - or it could be part of the bowel protruding! In NEITHER case is it banded!! It is the 'empty' swelling - under which you can feel a hole which may be two fingers wide or more - which is a simple hernia and CAN be banded safely!!

If - on the other hand - it is a hernia that is big enough to allow part of the bowel to have protruded and become strangulated - then your vet WOULD want to operate (and telling him to get lost would effectively be a death sentence for the foal!!)

And even if it is just an 'outy tummy button' it may not sort itself out and the foal will be left with a cosmetic blemish.

I would ask your vet. He can look properly - and feel the swelling - and assess other symptoms which would indicate exactly what the problem is and how to best deal with it.
 
Did the vet not comment when he did the 12 hour old foal check?

Henna had a small umbilical hernia but it was picked up by the vet who told me to leave well alone and it's virtually gone now .

I have grass but am feeding haylage anyway and mine are doing great so please don't beat yourself up. It's been barmey weather but lets hope for a bit of the wet stuff to get the green stuff going :)
 
JanetGeorge said:
Sorry - you may think you're helping but that is dangerous advice!!

The umbilical cord should have all but shrivelled up by 3-4 weeks - that one looks 'plump'! A hernia is one possible cause - infection is another!!

If there is 'stuff' in there, the 'stuff' might be an abcess - or it could be part of the bowel protruding! In NEITHER case is it banded!! It is the 'empty' swelling - under which you can feel a hole which may be two fingers wide or more - which is a simple hernia and CAN be banded safely!!

If - on the other hand - it is a hernia that is big enough to allow part of the bowel to have protruded and become strangulated - then your vet WOULD want to operate (and telling him to get lost would effectively be a death sentence for the foal!!)

And even if it is just an 'outy tummy button' it may not sort itself out and the foal will be left with a cosmetic blemish.

I would ask your vet. He can look properly - and feel the swelling - and assess other symptoms which would indicate exactly what the problem is and how to best deal with it.
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I agree completely !!

I nearly lost my foal at 6 weeks as she had a very similar lump and I just got the vet on the off chance ( foal wasnt ill at all she was bouncing around healthy as could be) she had to have a mojor op to remove what was left of the cord , it was still attached to the bladder and a vein was still attached to the liver which they both had to be removed and when I saw what had come out of my baby I was shocked that she wasnt ill as it was a huge mass of infection it was disgusting. I was extremely lucky as if not treated could have progressed to joint ill! So if at all in doubt get the vet !!My foal has recovered now completely ! Better to be safe than sorry Im sure its ok but put your mind at rest and get some professional advice !!
 
Bump
does anyone know the procedure for removal? etc
My vet said they do it novmber time when foal is weaned and strong enough for anesthetic. they remove it and has foaly to be kept in for 6 weeks?
Have many of you had experience of this? And what was you charged?
 
I have to say that looks like a small hernia to me!

the stump that was the cord... is that dry -or is it a bit moist? if its moist.. a naval dip twice a day would be a good thing!! - also, check ur foals temp - and that it is on suck etc... umbilical infections are a pain in the arse to treat... usually coz the foal gets pissed off with you treating it twice a day if not more!!!

- get ur vet to check the hernia... they can usually be ringed if they're small.. otherwise they have to go for surgery if they get too big!!!

we have a few foals a year with them... and never had to really worry about them.. but there is always the chance they could become a strangulated hernia.... hence gettin a vet to check ur foaly out is a good idea!!!

hope all goes well....
 
danielle23 said:
Bump
does anyone know the procedure for removal? etc
My vet said they do it novmber time when foal is weaned and strong enough for anesthetic. they remove it and has foaly to be kept in for 6 weeks?
Have many of you had experience of this? And what was you charged?
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It depends entirely on the TYPE of hernia. For a normal small hernia (opening no more than 2 fingers) my vet likes to ring them at about 5 months, using several rings one above the other to ensure a secure 'mend'! Foals are still on the mare and don't need to be kept in - the 'pouch' drops off in 5-8weeks. The cost is trivial as it's a minor procedure - the cost of sedation is probably more than the cost of the vet's time to do it. (You need sedation to keep the little poppets very still while the rings are being applied - but not anaesthetic.)

But if it's larger and a bit of bowel is poking through, it needs to be dealt with more urgently in case it becomes strangulated. Then anaesthetic is required and cost will depend on exactly what is involved.
 
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