Hernia repair

Question
Hi, thanks for reading my question in the 1st place. I have a 8 weeks old toy poodle puppy that has a hernia the size of a grape.  I was told by his vet to have the Op done 2 weeks later instead of waiting till when I neuter him.
Please advise if it is a risk to put him under GA at such young age and should we wait till he is older?? It does seem to be growing and he does lick it.
Am so worried and disturbed, Thanks for reply in advance.
Jac

Answer
Hello Jacque,
The type of hernia that your dog has will determine when you will need to get it repaired.  If its just a fatty deposit hernia, then it can wait a bit to be fixed.  These types of hernias are just fatty tissue that gets into the torn area around the navel, and the fat deposits can easily be pushed back through the tear.  If however, the hernia is an intestinal hernia, where part of the intestine is poking through the tear, then it is best to get this fixed sooner than later.  The risk is the hernia healing with part of the intestine still poking out of it.  This can cause a blockage in the intestine and that can be very dangerous.  
If your Vet said that your puppy has a fatty deposit hernia, you could wait a bit longer to get it fixed.  You can even tape a quarter over the hernia and wrap it with an Ace bandage and if you do it right, the fatty deposits won't be able to come through and the hernia will heal over by itself.  

I would have your puppy neutered at around 4 months rather than doing it so soon.  I don't like using GA on such a young puppy.  Some people will get them neutered early, but I don't like taking the risk.  I would also have the neuter and the hernia surgery done at the same time so that your puppy doesn't have to go through 2 courses of GA rather than just the one.  

That is my personal opinion though.  If your Vet thinks it would be best for your puppy to have the surgery sooner, then feel free to go with his suggestion.  

Thanks for using AllExperts.com,
Kim