Questions about umbilical hernia

[JoZ]

I have a homebred horse who is at a trainer. The goal was for the trainer to help me advertise and sell this mare once she had had a refresher.

She was born with a hernia and at my vet’s recommendation I waited to see what would happen with it. By the time she was a yearling, my vet recommended against surgery. By the time she was two or three, my vet said it was of no consequence, that she could even be bred without worry. To add further credence to that – the mare was leased for a year and over the summer got a bug bite in that general area that swelled up. The person leasing her was afraid the hernia had gotten worse so she had her vet out – the vet said exactly what my vet had said, that the hernia was of no consequence even if breeding was in the picture. Note that breeding has never been in the picture but the vets chose to mention that.

I told the current trainer all of this but he claims he doesn’t remember. He had someone interested in her who had a vet check, and the vet pronounced it a “three finger hernia”. The buyer fled. The trainer says there’s no way he’ll be able to sell a horse with a three finger hernia.

Realizing I probably won’t be able to get any information from that vet, I’m wondering about having a vet check her out myself. First, to see if it has actually gotten bigger, since three fingers seems ridiculous to me. Second, and I don’t know if this is even worth it, to have a written statement that it is of no consequence, if in fact that’s what the vet concludes (I have moved, so it would be a different vet who has never seen her before). I know that pre-purchase vets are looking for worst-case scenarios so would anyone believe a previous statement? I seriously don’t know what I will do if this turns out to be a real block to selling her. She went through her initial training, and the lease, without it being an issue at all.

I suppose there’s a question in here somewhere, though your general comments and suggestions would be appreciated. Based on what I’ve told you of her history do you think it has actually opened up and what would cause that? And would you consider buying a horse with a hernia? If I go check it out and it is the way it has always been, do I have any recourse, or will I always be at the mercy of a prepurchase vet who might be overstating things?

[Bluey]

I would say, you need a second opinion on that as what is there now.

By the time they are yearlings, our vets like to close them surgically if they have not.
The hernia ring should not grow any more by then, it is what it is, but if you can see it it will impact the horse’s sale, definitely.

We had many foals but only two with hernias.
One a colt born with a scrotal hernia that needed to be repaired right away.
It was and he was also gelded, at two days old.
Then we had one TB filly with one that was not very large but noticeable, so it was repaired as an early yearling.

I don’t know how an older horse may fare.

[NancyM]

Buyers tend to be looking to buy something without a flaw. Of course, all horses have flaws because none are perfect, but buyers don’t want to ponder that fact. Obvious flaws are something to point a finger at, and back away from, even if they are not a health risk. To sell a horse with a noticeable flaw, the horse’s performance must be stellar enough that the flaw is overlooked. If you original plan was to sell the horse, the hernia probably would have been best fixed early, whether or not it was a health risk. If you really need to sell the horse and feel it could be quite a valuable horse, then it would be a good idea to look into the cost of getting it done now. If you can not fix it now, due to logistics or cost, the value of the horse will be reduced at sale, and it will be more difficult to find a buyer.

Go and stick your finger in it yourself, see how big it is. Anything over a two finger hernia is considered to be a health risk, strangulation of gut tissue coming through the hole becoming fatal. Anything under this size is considered to be not a health risk, only a visual flaw.

I’ve had a few over the years, in foals born here. I’ve had some operated on, successfully. I’ve also had some success with using a belly band as a foal, using a foam cat toy ball to put pressure on the lump and push the lump back inside the hole, and cause irritation and inflammation on the sides of the hole, which causes it to close and heal over. This can help heal a hernia which is small enough that surgery is not necessary, or is worth a try before going to surgery. But it must be done early.

No, you have no recourse with the vet who has nixed your sale. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, and this vet formed this opinion for his client, your potential buyer. Go and check it out yourself, see if the hole has opened wider since you last looked at it. Yes, hernias CAN rip open further, the one on MY belly did (and had to be fixed after years of being considered not needing surgery). Your original vet’s recommendation to do nothing about it may have been in error. There is really no recourse for this either, again, an opinion. Vets make mistakes too, and trying to pursue damages for veterinary mistakes is expensive and risky. Because no vet can predict the future.

[JoZ]

Thanks Nancy. Yes, I will be heading out to check the hernia as soon as I can. I shouldn’t have used the word recourse, I didn’t mean anything legal. I just meant would a note from my vet be of any value as “proof” that the hernia was not a concern. But you are correct, it’s all opinion, and a hernia is not a concern until it is.

[DoubleDown]

I bought my mare at 4 with a three finger hernia. I bought her VERY cheaply. I got the surgery done about 4 months after I got her. I"m so very glad I did. I had it at our vet school and I think it was around $1500.

[jennycash]

I bought a yearling who had a hernia (2 finger). The seller didn’t tell me and unfortunately I didn’t find it until months down the road. When I called the vet out they recommended not doing surgery and to just keep an eye on it. As an average priced yearling I didn’t mind the discovery, of course I wish I was told but it is what it is. If I were purchasing a show or high priced horse, then that would be a different story. Owners deal with enough health issues, purchasing one that ultimately needs surgery to fix is not one that I would spend a lot of money on.

To add…the colt I bought is now 12 and my top money earner and open competitor. Has never had a single issue and the hernia is still the same size as it was 11 years ago.