Hi my friend's sister has mated her bitch with a umbilical hernria so how dangerouse is it to the pergnancy & whelping thank you for your replies.

Depends on the size of the hernia.  Why did she breed it when she knew it had this problem.??  This can be hereditary so is she prepared to pay for the pups to have them repaired as she should as she'll know that there's a good chance of them having it too!

It can be very dangerous if the hernia ruptures as the bitch's tummy stretches in whelp!

My friend's been breeding for 25 years and has never had a problem with a bitch with a hernia, but I suppose it depends on the bitch, the breed, and the type of hernia.

Hi, is your friend routinely breeding from bitches with hernias? 

Sorry but the predisposition to umbilical hernias is hereditary and should never be done routinely. :(

In Cavaliers it can be more or less impossible to find one WITHOUT an umbilical hernia. I know Moonmaiden said she's seen cavs without them, personally I have never come across a single one. In a breed with so many other major health problems, it would be impossible to rule out breeding from bitches with hernias, sadly.

My Weaverley bitch didn't have a hernia, nor did any other of Sheila Somerscales' Cavaliers! :)  The last time I was round the Cavalier ring (last year) it was the talk of the day about the way that some breeders had a serious problem in their line, but many didn't! ;)
Just another thing to consider.

My JD & KC don't have hernia's they are line bred on one side but open on the dog side & I wouldn't breed from a dog that had one that needed repairing but there are some lines that have problems & some of the hernia's are huge !

My Henry hasn't got a hernia. Ellie has, but I don't think it's unusually big, and it will pop back in if I rub it.

No One can ever say for sure, it may cause no ill effects or it may be extremely dangerous for her. I guess it is not something that most of us would take a chance on as we love our dogs too much to risk them.

As this bitch is already with pup and I guess the pregnancy is going ahead?  All she can do is watch and hope, if there is a problem I hope she would terminate the pregnancy at whatever stage as her bitch should be more important.

Also as already advised this may be hereditary too, so the asking price for affected pups would need to be reduced.