Will my dog's umbilical hernia grow or shrink during/after pregnancy?

Question

My dog has an umbilical hernia but it it just fat in there right now. Will pregnancy increase the size of the hernia? And will the hernia decrease back to its normal size after the pregnancy is over?

Jenna Beyer, DVM, MBA, cVMA · Accepted Answer

If you dog was born with an umbilical hernia, it will often "shrink" in size as the puppy continues to grow - the hernia doesn't actually get smaller but it is smaller in relation to the rest of the body getting bigger. If there is fat or tissue that you can easily push back up into the abdomen, then there is always a risk that a loop of intestine (and yes, even a pregnant uterus!) can fall through and become entrapped. The pregnancy itself will not increase the size of the hernia, and the hernia will not get smaller after pregnancy. However, a heavily pregnant uterus can put a lot more pressure on small intestines which could be pushed out the hernia. I would recommend that you have your dog checked out by a vet before she becomes pregnant to evaluate the hernia and decide if it would be better to be fixed before she gets pregnant. If she is already pregnant, you will have to monitor is a couple times every day to make sure it isn't suddenly larger; if it does appear suddenly larger and you cannot gently push the contents back into the body, she should be evaluated by a vet immediately.

Will my dog's umbilical hernia grow or shrink during/after pregnancy?

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