Daisy May Puddles came in to visit us for her first puppy health check and vaccinations. During her examination we found that she had a swelling under her tummy which was an inguinal hernia.

Dogs normally have a small inguinal canal that allows blood vessels and other structures to go through from the abdomen. However, in Daisy’s case, the opening was quite large, and had actually allowed some of her intestine to come out of her abdomen. The image below shows what an inguinal hernia looks from the outside of the pet’s body.

Image source: Small animal surgical emergencies by Aronson

This condition can be quite dangerous because the intestine can become trapped or twisted and lose its blood supply. So, Daisy was booked in for surgery.

Because Daisy was so young, she was allowed a small breakfast at 6am on the morning of her surgery. She came in and had pre-anaesthetic blood testing to ensure her vital organs were functioning well  prior to her surgery and then had a general anaesthetic. She was very closely monitored during her anaesthetic, she had IV fluids, and was kept warm throughout the procedure. During surgery we repaired the hole in her muscle with suture material. Daisy recovered well, and a few hours after surgery she was eating and ready to head home that afternoon. This is a picture of little Daisy after her surgery.

The most important part of her recovery was that she needed to be kept quiet for the next two to three weeks. Always a challenge when you are have a young 12 week old puppy!

Now a few weeks on, Daisy’s owner has reported a significant increase in activity and playfulness from Daisy now that she is fully recovered.