wbvs58
Well-known member
I just though I'd share with you how I dealt with an umbilical hernia in a yearling bull. I was always aware that it was there but was hoping as the muscles tightened up as he got older that it would shrink back a bit. Unfortunately I was a bit slack and did not get before and during treatment so you will have to deal with one of my very poor sketches.
Basically what I did was with him standing in the crush and a bit of Ketstun sedative and plenty of local anaesthetic around the area I cut the skin up the front of his prepuce dividing off the bag of skin containing the hernia sac which had fat in it that could not be squeezed back into the abdomen. I then got one of those heavy duty Tribander elastrator gadgets that stretches a band that looks like a thick walled garden hose, I was only just able to work the hernia through the band and then pop it off getting it seated tight up against the abdominal wall. I then placed a couple of stainless steel K wires close to but below the ring and bend over their ends so the couldn't slide out nor could the band slip down. I did suture up the front of his prepuce but being so close to the strangulated sac the sutures broke down but he is healing well now.
The strangulated hernia took about 21/2 weeks to drop off. For you devotees of antibiotics he has had none throughout he process. He never went off his feed nor looked uncomfortable.
This next photo is not really the finished product as he is still healing and the prepuce is getting smaller everyday. He is feeling well and had his pencil out and sharpened the other day as he was trying to use it on one of his mates and was doing a pretty good job of it.
I think you can see from the photos how smooth his belly is now and that prepuce will continue to heal.
The technique is borrowed from a very good old horse vet that used to use it on very expensive thoroughbreds with umbilical hernias up to fitting 2 fingers through the hole but he would squeeze the contents through first and place large safety pins (diaper pins) through it and then just the small green bands around it.
I have been very happy with the results. Fortunately I got it done before the fly season but only just.
Ken
Basically what I did was with him standing in the crush and a bit of Ketstun sedative and plenty of local anaesthetic around the area I cut the skin up the front of his prepuce dividing off the bag of skin containing the hernia sac which had fat in it that could not be squeezed back into the abdomen. I then got one of those heavy duty Tribander elastrator gadgets that stretches a band that looks like a thick walled garden hose, I was only just able to work the hernia through the band and then pop it off getting it seated tight up against the abdominal wall. I then placed a couple of stainless steel K wires close to but below the ring and bend over their ends so the couldn't slide out nor could the band slip down. I did suture up the front of his prepuce but being so close to the strangulated sac the sutures broke down but he is healing well now.
The strangulated hernia took about 21/2 weeks to drop off. For you devotees of antibiotics he has had none throughout he process. He never went off his feed nor looked uncomfortable.
This next photo is not really the finished product as he is still healing and the prepuce is getting smaller everyday. He is feeling well and had his pencil out and sharpened the other day as he was trying to use it on one of his mates and was doing a pretty good job of it.
I think you can see from the photos how smooth his belly is now and that prepuce will continue to heal.
The technique is borrowed from a very good old horse vet that used to use it on very expensive thoroughbreds with umbilical hernias up to fitting 2 fingers through the hole but he would squeeze the contents through first and place large safety pins (diaper pins) through it and then just the small green bands around it.
I have been very happy with the results. Fortunately I got it done before the fly season but only just.
Ken
