My bullterrier has a Hernia

Diego2114

My bull terrier is a month old and has a Umbilical hernia should I be concern or what should I do to get rid of it?

bad

I sure hope a "breeder" didn't sell you a month old pup....

 

As far as I know about umbilical hernias they are usually caused by momma dog ripping the cords too roughly at birth. Many can be left alone and do just fine but larger hernias may need vet care/surgical repair.

BONC_Jacksonville

I also agree I hope this is not a puppy sold at a month old.   An Umbilical Hernia is derived from cord not being properly tied off at birth and the momma pulling/messing with it too much.  These most of the time will go away on thier own or if the puppy is young enough and hole into belly is small enough you can actually puch it back up in.  If this keeps popping back out you may also place a small piece of sports tape over it when you push it back up and in.  Check the area everyday.  Your vet can even fix this by a simple medical proceedure. 

BulliesofNC

Umbilical Hernia's are fairly common within the Bull Terrier breed. Craig's correct in stating they usually develop with the umbilical cord isn't properly tied off at birth. However, I've also seen umbilical hernia's existent when the cord was tied off. There are a few different types of hernias a puppy can be born with but the umbilical hernia is the most common and least worrisome. It actually looks just like an "outie bellybutton" and when you press it in it will appear normal and sometimes stay like that for a few minutes and pop back out later looking like like a small soft bubble again. Often the vet will make note of it at a puppies 6 week checkup and during the time of his 1st set of vaccinations. Most (small) hernias will go away on their own and all vets will tell you to wait until the puppy is about 6 months old. If the umbilical hernia is still visible the your vet can do a simple procedure of making a small incision and suturing the area. Many times people often choose to just leave it alone since it isn't bothering the dog. Personally if it were me I'd just have the Vet correct it because it's a very minor procedure that can be done in a few minutes.

The photo below shows a dog with a fairly large one. A hernia this big should have been corrected.

Diego2114

I'm going to leave it alone until she's a little bit older then and if it doesn't go away ill just take her to the vet.

philsergeant

I think the main thing that everyone is asking is whether the breeder gave you her at 4 weeks?? ( because we could advise you on what to do with a pup that is away from her mom far too early).. We try to help here. :-SS

Diego2114

Yeah they ship it to me that was the only way I was able to get her..
I'm feeding her formula milk right now until she's a little bit older
And thanks everyone for the help.

BulliesofNC

@Diego2114 - There isn't an airline in America that will ship any dog that is under 8 weeks of age and doesn't have a Health statement from a Veterinarian. With this said I'm a little confused by the "shipping" method. Even ground transporters won't ship any earlier than 8 weeks of age. All transporters require up to date vaccinations. Your puppy isn't even old enough to have had her first set of shots.
Wow, a puppy that hasn't even been weened from the mother yet and still on formula. Chances are the litter was bottle fed from day one.
You're going to be in need of taking your puppy to the Vet in 2 weeks to have her 7 way shots conducted and hopefully health tested. Right now I would concentrate on her health and well being since she's dealing with a lot more stress than you could imagine. I would try getting her on some puppy mush with a very good puppy food mixed in with some quality puppy formula. I would also begin deworming her with Strongid-T because I'm confident the breeder never wormed the litter.
As Phil mentioned, we're here to help but please realize it's stories like these that make me cringe in disgust with the mentality of other breeders that shouldn't even be raising dogs. Unfortunitely your puppies health, temperament, and future development has been really compromised and devoting to her right now is paramount.

yoshirican

Oh no that bothers me that they sent you a puppy that early. The sweet puppy needs its mami! I wouldn't want to do business with that breeder, thats irresponsible!

bigbear

Omg this is terrible why do people do this she needs her mummy to help her pee as well even tho u can do it for her hope she is well x

Leslie

(

Soapskid

You can make it work but this will take a lot of effort on your end. My buddy had to adopt a German Shepard at two weeks because he got the puppy from a friend who had no knowledge of their GS being pregnant, which they couldn't care for. He got the last one surviving from the litter and had to take a week off from work to ensure its health was moving forward.

To this day he's been able to manage his GS at 8 months at 80 lbs and quite healthy. He's at the park daily and does lots of training with him including puppy obedience and seeing a GS specified trainer. Feel free to let us know if there is anything you may need and we will try our best to help.

Mike

Diego2114

Well the damage is already done so now can anyone give me TIPS on how to make this a strong & happy girl in every aspect? Greatly appreciated

yoshirican

The best thing to do is take it to the vet. They will tell you if it's a concern or not. Also they can tell you what you can do to raise it better than we can. Plus they can kinda tell you how well the puppy is. I hope that puppy turns out ok. So little and without its mami.... I hope you know what you are doing, it's precious life is in your hands... I'm sad... Porbrecito I think you prob should have researched b4 getting the puppy, but then again how long did you know you were getting him or her? I'm not trying to be judgemental, but I think this is kinda bizarre. Why would they take it early from its mami, it would've cost the same to send it later after 8wks. Did the mom die or the breeder is a moron? Ok Im sorry Im just bothered about the situation... Not at you...

Stoeger

She is beautiful.

It sounds like you want to give her a good life, she certainly looks like she's worth the hard work!

Keep us posted on her progress please.

Daisy

Congratulations on your new puppy, Diego.  May you have many years with your new companion.

This is Daisy's tummy.  Our vet said to not worry about it.

BulliesofNC

@Diego2114 - I'm more than willing to help and will provide as much guidance as you want. Your puppy's life isn't in danger but his health and temperament are. One of the most important part of developing a dog's temperament begins from 6-8 weeks when they are socializing, playing, and wrestling with their siblings. Your little guy won't have this opportunity so it's going to be very important that you start socializing her with other dogs often as a a young puppy. Many Bully breeds that are taken from a litter before the age of 8 weeks old end up to be very defensive and aggressive with other dogs as they mature into adult age.
Before I start providing you with proper nutrition, health, vaccinations, supplements, training, etc maybe you could entertain me with how you came across this puppy, where she came from, etc. It would be good for the Bull Terrier community to learn a little more about the breeder of this puppy. I'd sure like to provide them with a little knowledge on proper breeding techniques as well as the importance of whelping a litter to the age of 8 weeks old. I'd also like to know how this puppy was "shipped" to you. I know it wasn't via Air Flight or Canine Ground transportation. What formula are you providing her? What information did the "breeder" provide you in regard to the nursing - Was she bottle fed since birth or did the mother nurse the litter? I'm worried that your puppy may have been bottle fed the entire time and may not have been provided the colostrum from the mother during the first 3 days of birth. That colostrum is very important for dogs. Most breeders consider it a puppies first set of vaccinations that comes from the momma.

DianeWright

Danielle wanted our female puppy at 4 weeks.  She also claimed to be a breeder.  We wouldn't let her have the puppy until 6 weeks.  She got really mad! 

BulliesofNC

Even at 6 weeks old it's still too early. The time frame from 6-8 weeks old is a very important time frame for the siblings to develop their character and temperament. A young puppy may seem perfectly healthy while in the environment they are used to and the comfort in being with their siblings. However, a young puppy can undergo a lot of stress once taken away from their comfort zone. They may even stop eating and become depressed or very nervous. This in itself can have a negative impact health and welfare as well as the character development and temperament as the puppy gets older.
 

BulliesofNC

@Diego2114 - How is your puppy doing? Is he eating puppy food? We never heard back from you and I just wanted to ensure he was healthy and doing well.

Stoeger

Yeah, we need an update on that cutie!