You’re rubbing your puppy’s belly, enjoying that soft, velvet-like skin, when your thumb hits a bump. It’s right where their belly button should be. Your heart drops a bit. Is it a tumor? Is it an abscess? Honestly, it’s probably an umbilical hernia. If you start looking up pictures of umbilical hernia in dogs, you’ll see everything from tiny, pea-sized buttons to scary-looking pendulous growths that look like they’re about to pop. It's a common sight in vet clinics.
Basically, an umbilical hernia happens when the abdominal wall doesn't close up perfectly after birth. The umbilical cord used to pass through there, providing nutrients from the mother. Once the cord is gone, those muscles are supposed to knit together tight. When they don't? You get a hole. And through that hole, fat or even organs can peek out.
It's weirdly common. You'll see it in Goldens, Airedales, and especially Basenjis. But really, any mutt can have one.
What those pictures of umbilical hernia in dogs are actually showing you
When you scroll through images of these hernias, you aren't just looking at "a bump." You're looking at different stages of a physiological gap. Some look like a little outie belly button. That's usually just "omental fat" pushing through. It's soft. You can often push it back in with your finger—vets call this a "reducible" hernia.
But then there are the other pictures. The ones that look angry.
If a hernia is "non-reducible," it means the stuff sticking out is stuck. It's trapped by the muscle wall. This is where things get dicey. If you see a photo where the bulge is purple, red, or looks swollen, that’s a medical emergency. That’s often a strangulated hernia. The blood supply is being cut off. It's painful. Your dog will let you know it hurts.
The "Squishy" vs. The "Firm"
Most owners describe the feeling as a soft squish. Like a little grape under the skin. If you’re looking at pictures of umbilical hernia in dogs and your dog’s bump looks exactly like the "complicated" ones—meaning it's large and firm—you shouldn't wait for a scheduled checkup.
Why did this happen to my puppy?
It’s almost always genetic.
Don't blame yourself. You didn't pull the umbilical cord too hard when they were born. Their mom didn't chew it too close to the body. While those are old wives' tales you'll find on some sketchy forums, the American Kennel Club and most veterinary surgeons agree: it's an inherited trait. The "rings" of the abdominal wall just failed to constrict.
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Interestingly, some breeders will tell you it's fine and "they'll grow out of it."
Kinda.
Sometimes, if the hole is tiny (under a centimeter), the muscles might eventually close up as the puppy grows and the abdominal wall strengthens. This usually happens by the time they are six months old. If it’s still there after the six-month mark, it’s likely staying there for life unless a vet intervenes.
Understanding the risks: Is it just an aesthetic thing?
For a lot of dogs, it’s just a cosmetic quirk. They live 15 years with a little belly button nub and never know the difference. But for others, it's a ticking time bomb.
Here is the nightmare scenario: a loop of the small intestine slips through that tiny hole.
Once the intestine is through, it can get pinched. This leads to strangulation. When the blood stops flowing to that section of the gut, the tissue starts to die. This releases toxins into the dog's bloodstream. They’ll start vomiting. They’ll stop eating. They’ll act like they’re in extreme pain because, well, they are.
According to Dr. Jerry Klein, the AKC’s Chief Veterinary Officer, the severity depends entirely on what is poking through. Fat? Usually fine. Intestine? Big trouble. This is why looking at pictures of umbilical hernia in dogs can be confusing—you can't always tell from the outside what's hiding on the inside.
Repairing the gap: When and how
Most vets recommend fixing the hernia during the spay or neuter procedure. It makes sense. The dog is already under anesthesia. The vet is already making an incision in the abdomen. It takes a surgeon maybe an extra ten or fifteen minutes to freshen the edges of that hernia hole and stitch it shut properly.
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It’s efficient.
If you have a male dog you aren't planning to neuter, or a female you're keeping intact, you have to weigh the risks. A small, stable hernia might be left alone. A large one should be repaired regardless of other surgeries.
The surgery itself is pretty straightforward:
- The vet makes an incision over the site.
- They push the contents (fat or organs) back into the abdomen where they belong.
- They "debride" or trim the edges of the muscle ring so the edges are raw and ready to heal.
- They stitch the muscle layers together with strong, often dissolvable sutures.
- They close the skin.
Recovery is usually quick. Most pups are back to being terrors within 48 hours, though you have to keep them from jumping or running so the stitches don't pop.
The cost of ignoring the bulge
Let's talk money, because surgery isn't cheap.
Doing a hernia repair alongside a spay might add $100 to $300 to your bill. It’s an "add-on" service. However, if you ignore a large hernia and it becomes strangulated on a Sunday night? You’re looking at emergency surgery. That can easily run you $2,000 to $5,000 depending on your city and whether they have to remove a portion of the dead intestine.
It’s a massive gamble.
If you’re looking at your dog and then back at pictures of umbilical hernia in dogs trying to decide if you can skip the surgery, look at the size of the hole. If you can fit the tip of your pinky finger into the abdominal gap, it's generally considered large enough to be a risk for intestinal entrapment.
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Managing a dog with a hernia at home
If your vet has cleared your dog for "monitoring" rather than immediate surgery, you have a job to do. You need to check that bump every single day.
Every. Single. Day.
Make it part of your petting routine. Is it still soft? Is it still the same size? Does the dog flinch when you touch it? If the bump suddenly gets bigger, harder, or changes color, get to a vet. Don't wait for morning.
Also, watch for digestive changes. Chronic "belly aches" or random bouts of vomiting in a dog with a known hernia should always be taken seriously. Sometimes a tiny bit of gut gets "nipped" without fully strangulating, causing intermittent discomfort.
What about the "Coin Trick"?
You might read online that you should tape a coin over the hernia to "push it back in" and help it heal.
Don't do this.
Honestly, it doesn't work. All it does is irritate the skin and potentially cause an infection. The issue is a hole in the muscle, not a lack of pressure from the outside. Taping a quarter to your dog's stomach isn't going to make those muscles knit together. It’s an old myth that needs to die.
Real talk on breeding and hernias
If you’re a breeder or thinking about breeding your dog who has a hernia, you need to be careful. Because it is hereditary, passing this on to a whole litter of puppies is a real possibility. Many kennel clubs discourage breeding dogs with significant umbilical hernias. It’s not "life-threatening" in most cases, but it is a defect that requires surgical correction, which isn't fair to put on future puppy buyers.
Your Action Plan
If you've just discovered a bump and are scouring the web for pictures of umbilical hernia in dogs, here is exactly what you should do next:
- Perform a gentle check: Feel the bump. Is it soft? Can you gently push it back into the belly? Note the color of the skin over it.
- Measure it: Use a ruler or just compare it to a coin. Keep a note of this so you can see if it grows over the next few weeks.
- Schedule a non-emergency vet visit: Even if it seems fine, a professional needs to palpate the area to see how wide the muscle opening actually is.
- Review your spay/neuter timeline: If your pup is young, talk to your vet about bundling the repair with their "big" surgery to save on anesthesia costs.
- Watch for the red flags: If your dog starts vomiting, becomes lethargic, or the bump turns purple/hard, go to the emergency vet immediately.
Getting a diagnosis isn't the end of the world. Most dogs with hernias live completely normal, high-energy lives. It’s just one of those things you have to keep an eye on to make sure a small "outie" doesn't turn into a big problem.