Hernia

[Julieharrison1]

Hi. I’m hoping for some advice as I just don’t know what to do. I have a 10 year old female American bulldog. She has a large hernia just under her rear leg. After a recent visit to the vets it was decided that it would be more dangerous to operate than to leave it. The vet said I would know when she deteriorates and the time had come but the lump has nearly doubled in size in a week, she is no different in herself and I just don’t know what to do for the best??

 

[Finsky]

Hi. I’m hoping for some advice as I just don’t know what to do. I have a 10 year old female American bulldog. She has a large hernia just under her rear leg. After a recent visit to the vets it was decided that it would be more dangerous to operate than to leave it. The vet said I would know when she deteriorates and the time had come but the lump has nearly doubled in size in a week, she is no different in herself and I just don’t know what to do for the best??

Maybe you could ask second opinion from different vet before deciding anything? Different vets have different experiences, skill levels & confidence to deal with these things.

 

[JudyN]

Unless you really trust your vet, I agree that it would be worth getting a second opinion. Assuming your vet is correct, then the decision should be all about her enjoyment of life and nothing to do with the size of the lump. You should know her well enough to be able to tell when she's in discomfort or pain and just not happy any more... though it's never an easy decision.