We have devoted several weeks to providing guidance on the rearing of young puppies that have been orphaned, or whose mothers have died or are not producing milk. We can now discuss situations which you may have to address with older pups which have not only survived, but which – with good care – will make it to adulthood.
Q: When should I take the pup(s) to the vet?
A: The eyes of the new-born pups should open by 12 to 16 days after birth. Do not ever try to prise open those closed eyelids. The pups would need a thorough examination and a deworming at 3 weeks of age, especially if the mother dog had not been dewormed during pregnancy. Actually, if the mother dog had a worm burden throughout her pregnancy, one can be quite sure that the unborn pups would be infected with roundworms even while they were in the womb. The vet would deworm the 3-week-old pups.
Q: What else will the vet be looking for?
A: The vet will be seeing the pup(s) for the first time. He/she would be carefully examining each pup, and then preparing individual clinic cards/electronic records for each animal. Body functions (defecation, urination, food intake and general behaviour) would be ascertained and noted, and recorded for each pup. The vet would engage you in a discussion on all aspects of the pup’s diet, and provide you with feeding regimen options for the different growth phases.
More specifically, the vet would look for existing hernias (see below), skin ailments, the “Swimmer” syndrome, and undescended testicles (if it is a male pup), etc.
Q: What is a hernia?
A: There are several types of hernias. As an all-encompassing and easily understood definition, I would say that a hernia is simply a rupture. A protrusion of tissue from the abdomen in the navel area is called an Umbilical Hernia. If the protrusion of the tissue is in the groin area, it is termed an Inguinal Hernia. Those are the two types that the vet would primarily be looking for, not only during the examination of the pup at 3 weeks of age, but also later in the animal’s young life.
Generally, hernias in dogs (pups) are often associated with an incestuous relationship between the mother and father of the pups. Perhaps this is the reason that the pups of roaming stray parents (themselves abandoned) seem to exhibit hernias and other deficiencies to a larger degree than pups from parents that are unrelated and are far removed from each other.
Q: Will these hernias affect the animal’s well-being later in its life? And what can be done to repair this condition?
A: Yes, both the Umbilical Hernia and Inguinal Hernia are serious and life-threatening conditions. In the case of the Umbilical Hernia, if the orifice is so large that abdominal content is protruding, then surgery is required as soon as possible. As early as six weeks of age (or even before), your vet will assess the situation and advise accordingly.
I should add that, quite frequently, the orifice, through which the abdominal content is bulging, closes on its own. If there is no incarceration of the abdominal tissue outside of the animal’s body, then surgery may not be necessary. Again, your vet would give professional advice.
Q: Can the caregiver strap/bind the abdominal wall and inguinal area to prevent the protrusion of tissue?
A: This intervention does not help. Please do not pursue the argument that any intervention other than surgery may remove the problem. I can assure you that it is not a difficult surgery, and the success rate is excellent.
If the caregiver has the intention of spaying the pup later on, and if the vet, after taking all other factors into consideration, advises that the two surgeries (spaying and closing of the ring) can be conducted simultaneously, then both can be done at about 3-4 months of age.
Of course, we shall be constantly monitoring the size of the ring and the quantity of abdominal tissue accumulating in the bulge in the interim period.
I would also like to suggest that, even if the Umbilical/Inguinal Hernia subsides and is reduced considerably, allow your vet to spay/neuter the animal. I mentioned above that these hernias might have a genetic (incestuous) origin. Neither the caregiver nor the vet wants the condition to continue congenitally from generation to generation.
Q: Are there any breeds that are especially prone to Umbilical and Inguinal Hernias?
A: During practice in Europe, at my university’s small animal clinic, there seemed to be a preponderance of these hernias in Weimaraners, Airedales and Pointers. I have not noted any distinct preponderance of these types of hernias in the more familiar breeds of dogs that are present in Guyana. Very rarely do we see cats/kittens with Umbilical/Inguinal Hernias.
