I agree.. it would not be a good solution at all. I wonder about pain and infections too.

Well, I will pray that the surgery corrects the problem and he doesn't have any problems.. little guy needs a break!! I am glad he has you:thumbup:

Poor little Sammy....the other VERY positive note in this is....he is in YOUR hands and your are at A&M...2 positive notes....Do they do lap. hernia repairs or do they open? Did they use mesh before, to fix the hernia? Prayers going out for little Sammy....soooooo much illness for such a little fella, trying so hard to just be a good boy.....breaks my heart....

It is open surgery. They have done the flap (forget the muscle) and the mesh...the place that did the previous repair said the next one would be taking a muscle from his leg and placing it? I don't know.
I do know it is common for them to fail. Hopefully A&M will have a good solution.

Praying for little Sammy...

Sending prayers for Sammy.

Thank you everyone. I am very depressed about all of this. I hate taking Sammy there tomorrow. :( This one has really knocked the wind out of my sails.

Sending prayers for Sammy.

Poor Sammy; sounds like he has a lot going on. I do hope there is something they can do to help.

I wonder if there is a way you could express his bladder - like they do with a paralyzed dog? Reckon you will get some answers soon enough.

Good luck.

oh poor sammy, I am thinking you must be at the vet's office now, just hoping they can give you some options that will help. the little guy has endured so much, praying you get good news, but one thing for sure I know he is with the best person to take care of his needs.

Prayers for Sammy.

When it is trapped in the hernia, the only way to get the urine out is with a syringe. This can be a life threatening condition.

He is having surgery tomorrow ...I am exhausted right now, but will post the surgery details later one.

Linda are you back yet, I can't stop thinking about Sammy, what did they tell you?

Oh no, poor Sammy...I am praying for you ladyjane, and I live here in College Station if you ever needed someone to help you with anything, a bed to sleep in so you can be close to him, a coffee, anything. I know the vet students at A&M and they are great...I hope all goes well tomorrow and will be checking in for an update.

Better post this now. Once I fall asleep, I may stay in bed...:p It is a 2 hour drive each way, but always seems so far to me.

The surgeon at A&M told me that once these things fail, they become more problematic to repair because of the scar tissue; and the fact that he had the mesh the second time, makes it even more of a mess to deal with. Couple that with the fact that it is a very sensitive area with a lot of nerves, it is not something they like to do. With Sammy, added to all of that is the fact that he is very high risk due to all of his neurological issues. So far, we have been fortunate in that he has not had his colon move into the hernia....I have always given him pumpkin to keep him regular. The surgeon said that is great...but if he ever has issues with straining, he suggests that we start Sammy on Lactulose.

Because his bladder is slipping in there, something must be done because it is life threatening. He is going to do a cytopexy on Sammy tomorrow. They will be attaching his bladder to the abdominal wall. It will form scar tissue that will help to keep it attached...that way it cannot move back into the hernia again. He feels that this is Sammy's best option. It should prevent any further issues like this and they won't have to have him under anesthesia for a lengthy time. He is very concerned about the anesthesia. Thank God I went there...because if I had taken him to the other place, they probably would have done the other repair that I mentioned in a previous post....and it more than likely would not have worked....and he even could have ended up incontinent if they severed one of those nerves. While A&M is not as close, I just love the place for cases like this....and am so grateful they are here.