Is it advisable to breed from a bitch with a belly button hernia?

As I intended breeding from her in 6 months time, I took her to the vet to get her checked over and mentioned the hernia! Well, she said that it was an inherited problem and frowned when I mentioned breeding from her.

So my question is, has any body every bred from a girl with hernia and do you think it advisable to breed from her??

I look forward to your replies
Jenny

Hi Jenny, this is a easy one, a belly button hernia is not a inherrited problem it is just when the mother of helper has cut the cord either too short or the mother was a little rough with bitting it off, and it has just gone up inside a little, why your vet said that to you i havent the faintest but inherited diseases are what they are diseases not hernias, i cant see if everything else got the thumbs up why you cant breed from her, be prepare for hard yacka, when you have puppies a word of advise stock up on newspapers youll need them!!!!
Good luck!!

Actually that is a fallacy. I've had bitches cut the cord very very short yet no hernia occured and I've had bitches be very gentle leave a good amount of cord and a hernia occurs. As far as I'm concerned i(and my vet) t is more than likely hereditary. As with any dog you should breed from the best possible and using a dog with a fault (whether you believe it to be hereditary or not) should be considered fully and properly. How would you feel if you ended up with a whole litter with hernia's of varying severity?
My best advice would be not to breed from this bitch. Research your breed thoroughly and then find a well bred puppy from tested parents and start afresh with more knowledge to hand and the best bitch you could afford.
Jesse

A very large proportion of umbilical hernias are inherited and only a few are caused in some other way! DONT BREED!

John

Well how would you exsplain this then in my whole 28 years of breeding i have never heard of it being inheritted!! i have had puppies that have had hernias and my bitch and her mother and grandmother never had hernias, and i can strace by bitches lines way back, i looked into it before i responded to this letter, i am also a vet nurse, and have never heard of this before, how would you explain that? in 28 years it has suddenly popped out of the blue!!!!

If you are a vet nurse then you should know!!! What I quoted came straight from the veterinary collage.

John

Oh dear, I'm more confused now than I was to start with! For a start I'm not happy about having a dog with a hernia, so I certainly don't want to pass it on, but now I'm none the wiser if it is inherited or not :-(

The advice I gave came from a discussion with Professor Peter Bedford.

John

Talara: I've seen 2 different vets this week, and they have all said that they are inherited, one of them being a young vet, just qualified she also said inherited, I'm completely confused over this issue

Talara, maybe you just don't mix in circles where it is discussed? You say that you can trace your bitch line back, but what about the stud dogs that you use? Not forgetting that many owners are not honest, or to give them the benefit of the doubt, ignorant, when you ask them about what's behind their dogs.
For many years there have been regular discussions in the dog papers about whether umbilical hernias are hereditary or not. There was a period of time when the UK Kennel Club wouldn't allow a dog who had a hernia repaired to be shown, although that has now been dropped, as just because they are shown doesn't mean that they will be bred.
Many years ago I used to believe that it was the bitch tugging at the cord, but I have now traced hernias back in a friend's breed that makes me think that most are hereditary.
I certainly wouldn't recommend that anyone should mate any dog that was anything less than an exemplary specimen of its breed - there are too many unknown factors involved.

JReynolds and Talara
I have copied this paragraph from the much talked about Book of the Bitch

"In the case of an umbilical hernia, a pad of fat or part of an abdominal organ protrudes through an incompletely-closed umbilical ring. The tendency for the umbilical ring not to close properly is familial and hereditary in some breeds. The explanation, given by some people, that umbilical hernias are caused by the bitch or breeder pulling too enthusiastically on the umbilical cord is now largely discredited."

Hope this helps
Alison:)

Yes i agree i am a veterinary nurse and have been for last 7years hernias are heridetory and i advise u that u do not breed from your bitch as i agree all dogs that are breed should be too the best possible standards.

Sorry bout this

Hayley

Thank you all for your replies, sorry if I opened a hornets nest, it's just one of those topics every body seems to agree to disagree on!

Thanks

Hi JReynolds. Sorry it's not what you want to hear. It's disappointing as that was your plan all along, but I think that we do all agree, except for one poster. Most Vets err on the side of caution and they have been saying for years that hernias are hereditary, so it seems strange that the original Vet said your girl would be OK.
Apart from the hereditary factor, with a weakness in the umbilical ring, there is also a risk to your bitch as she grows bigger with pregnancy and her tummy stretches.

Hi Val, actually this is what I have been thinking all along, I was just hoping I had got it wrong :-( still at least I sorted all this out BEFORE attempting to breed from her, as she may of had more problems herself. I was 95% certain this would be the outcome, so it's not really a surprise just a bit upsetting that a friend could sell me a dog knowing full well what I wanted her for, knowing she had a problem! She did cost me an arm and a leg too, but it's not the cost that's upset me, I just feel a bit deceived!

Still no harm done, my girl will be spayed, I do have another appointment at the vets on Tuesday, so I'll have a good indepth chat with her then.

Thanks for all your help

So sorry!

HI JReynolds. I've just checked your profile and find that we're nearly neighbours!! If you're ever in the market for another Cavalier, you have a very good kennel in Banwell - Amantra. Do you show your girl?

I think you may be being a little hard on your breeder ;-) She may honestly have believed that a small umbilical hernia would not be a problem & it is also perfectly possible that her own vet concurred with this view. Not all vets are up to date with current thinking - remember some still recommend to bitch owners that they have a litter as it will be good for the bitch!! It may not be the case now, but it was a common belief that hernias were not inherited & I do know of breeders who in the past have bred from bitches with tiny hernias without problems & with the full agreement of their vet. I'm not getting into whether it was right or wrong to do this, but just pointing out that there may have been no intention to deceive in this case, just to be fair :-)

99% of the answers here have confirmed what my vet said, so I feel I have made the right decision.

Thanks for all your help :-)

Yes I wasn't disagreeing with what you have been advised, just your comments on your breeder - to deceive someone, you have to know you're telling lies when your breeder may genuinely have believed what she told you was the truth. Hope that clarifies what I meant :-)

I have a 7 year old Tibetan spaniel that I have never bred from although her father is a champion and her mother when show a couple of time took 2 reserve cc. she has a hernia her mother did not, but her grandmother had ,it can skip, and produce litters that a percenage have a hernia or the ablity to pass on to future generations it seems