# question about bump on head



## IowaGold

Sometimes a dog will bump their head hard on something and get a fluid pocket in that area. It's not terribly common, but more common in a dog with a pointy head anyway. Over time the fluid should absorb.


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## LOVEisGOLDEN

Blush's was MUCH larger than that (nearly double) at one point (it started at about 4 months old). it was so huge that we had discussed surgery options. it was just as Sarah (above) said, a fluid pocket from bumping her head on things. once it was already raised, she bumped it on everything-making it worse. 

she is 2 now & you have to look for it to see it, although she is still known as "the knot headed one" by my dad when he visits!


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## tippykayak

If it moves with the skin it's not just the normal bony ridge at the top of the skull. Occasionally they get bruises, hematomas, or other fluid filled lumps on that spot. My sister's dog gave himself a hematoma right there by repeatedly hitting his head on the coffee table. They eventually bought a different coffee table with no overhanging ledges, and it has started to shrink and be reabsorbed.

Your picture looks just like what he had. Is there any chance he's bumped his head?


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## T Man

tippykayak said:


> If it moves with the skin it's not just the normal bony ridge at the top of the skull. Occasionally they get bruises, hematomas, or other fluid filled lumps on that spot. My sister's dog gave himself a hematoma right there by repeatedly hitting his head on the coffee table. They eventually bought a different coffee table with no overhanging ledges, and it has started to shrink and be reabsorbed.
> 
> Your picture looks just like what he had. Is there any chance he's bumped his head?


It's possible, he and the other dog play and wrestle, sometimes under our kitchen table and chairs. The thing is, it doesn't feel like fluid, it feels fleshy and it moves if you touch it. This doesn't seem to bother the dog at all so it isn't sensitive.


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## tippykayak

T Man said:


> It's possible, he and the other dog play and wrestle, sometimes under our kitchen table and chairs. The thing is, it doesn't feel like fluid, it feels fleshy and it moves if you touch it. This doesn't seem to bother the dog at all so it isn't sensitive.


If it's a hematoma, it'll feel like a hard knot of tissue, since the blood is mostly clotted.


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## IowaGold

T Man said:


> It's possible, he and the other dog play and wrestle, sometimes under our kitchen table and chairs. The thing is, it doesn't feel like fluid, it feels fleshy and it moves if you touch it. This doesn't seem to bother the dog at all so it isn't sensitive.


It won't feel "fluidy" because there's enough fluid trapped between layers of tissue to make it firmer than one would expect. Plus if there is any blood in that fluid at all, it has probably clotted into more of a jelly-like substance. It will probably get even firmer as it starts dissolving.


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## T Man

Ok thanks, I will keep an eye out for him bumping his head. On a related note, the two dogs wrestle quite roughly sometimes, maybe I should be intervening. When they play bite one another I wonder if my other dog bit Spencer on the head. I don't hear them yelping or anything when they wrestle so I thought it was ok.


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## jlp359

My pup also bumped his head and now has a huge cone head appearance, just like T Man's dog. It is really hard though and almost feels like a bone and can't be moved at all. We took him to the vet who said it was a most likely just a hematoma and should go away with time. He actually recommended putting an ice pack on it. Does anybody know if this eventually goes away, or will it form scar tissue and form a permanent bump?


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## jlp359

It's been there for over 3 weeks now..


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## mylissyk

It should eventually be reabsorbed and not leave a bump.


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## tippykayak

FYI - my sister's dog's lump turned out to be a cyst, not a hematoma. It didn't start to go away until the junk that was in it was expelled. If a hematoma persists for a very long time without reinjury, ask your vet to consider whether a cyst may have formed.


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## jlp359

Thanks for the responses! It doesn't seem to bother him at all..so we'll just stick with the ice packs and see what happens. We are trying to make sure he doesn't hit his head again, but it's tough with him being a puppy and chasing after EVERYTHING..


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## jlp359

tippykayak said:


> FYI - my sister's dog's lump turned out to be a cyst, not a hematoma. It didn't start to go away until the junk that was in it was expelled. If a hematoma persists for a very long time without reinjury, ask your vet to consider whether a cyst may have formed.


What would a cyst feel like? One of your previous posts stated that "if it's a hematoma, it'll feel like a hard knot of tissue, since the blood is mostly clotted." and it definitely feels hard, almost like bone..


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## tippykayak

jlp359 said:


> What would a cyst feel like? One of your previous posts stated that "if it's a hematoma, it'll feel like a hard knot of tissue, since the blood is mostly clotted." and it definitely feels hard, almost like bone..


Cysts can feel like a lot of things. They're essentially a pocket full of something. If it's fluid, they might feel mushier. If it's solids, like Ojo's was, it feels really firm, and the skin is stretched tight across the top.

After the first 48 hours after the injury, try warm compresses. Those will soften it if it's a cyst and help with reabsorption if it's a hematoma.


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## jlp359

ok I'll give that a try. I've just been using ice packs because the vet had recommended it. It's been close to 3 weeks now though...would you still recommend a warm compress?


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## tippykayak

jlp359 said:


> ok I'll give that a try. I've just been using ice packs because the vet had recommended it. It's been close to 3 weeks now though...would you still recommend a warm compress?


Yup. Did the vet tell you to ice it regularly? If so, I wouldn't take the advice of an internet stranger over the advice of your vet. If not, then yes, I'd do a daily compress for as long as it's there.


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## jlp359

He really didn't say how often.... I'll give him a call and see what he thinks about the warm compress. Thanks again for your help!


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## GoldenMum

How did the hematoma ever turn out? Cooper came in from his nightly romp through the woods with Calvin and Hobbes. Later I noticed he had a knot on his head about the size of a golf ball. It is soft and squishy like jello, and doesn't bother him a bit!


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## jlp359

*Bump on head*

It has gone down - still there though. It is hard like bone now - not squishy at all. I would just give it some time and it should start subsiding, but definitely bring him to a vet if you are concerned.


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## jlp359

At this point though, since it has been over a month, I am starting to think it is just his occipital protuberance and he just has a big one.


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## jlp359

Does anyone know if it is possible for a puppy to hit his head and then have the actual occipital bone grow larger because of that? We decided to get his head x-rayed just to be safe, and it just looks like bone. 

Just wondering, because it seemed to appear overnight, and since it is still there, I just wanted to know if bumping his head was the cause of it, or if it is just how he is developing. It is still a pretty big bump..


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## mylissyk

I have no idea, hopefully the vet board member will chime in.


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## IowaGold

Bone should not grow because it got bumped. The only reason I can think of where it would appear that the bone was growing would be if there was actually a fracture and a callous developed (a callous in this sense is the expanding of bone around a fracture site that stabilizes the fracture). Even a callous will remodel back to pretty much normal after the fracture heals, though.

Don't know what to make of your dog's bump. Maybe it just is the way he was meant to develop?


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## jlp359

So we took our pup to the vet for his last round of shots a couple weeks ago...and during the vet appointment she did mention that what could have happened to his head is that a callous did form around the bone after it was bumped, and then that callous could have just become permanent bone. 

At this point I think I am giving up on guessing or wondering about it... it looks like it is there for good though.. who knows.


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## Shane A

T Man said:


> I've read some of the threads regarding the "cone-head" look and that it is normal, but I've just noticed on our 16 week old that you can actually move it around (kind of like what a knee cap feels like on a person). Is that normal? It doesn't seem to bother him at all. The vet just checked him out a few days ago and said that the bump is a bit larger than normal but should even out more as he grows. I just thought it was part of the skull structure, but it feels kind of more fleshy now and you can move it around. Any thoughts?


Hi, I know your post was a long time ago. My pup has the same lump and I was wondering what happened to your dog’s lump? Thank you.


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## Misch3000

Bump. Exact same issue here.
The bump on the head appeared out of nowhere, it was large and fluid filled to start. Like the shape of an egg. The vet drew mostly clear liquid out of it and said the pup likely bumped her head somewhere. Said to give it a week to see if it subsides. Well, 24hrs later the swelling has decreased by 50%, all that remains is a really hard bone like mass. Anybody else experience this?


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## medved

Misch3000 said:


> Bump. Exact same issue here.
> The bump on the head appeared out of nowhere, it was large and fluid filled to start. Like the shape of an egg. The vet drew mostly clear liquid out of it and said the pup likely bumped her head somewhere. Said to give it a week to see if it subsides. Well, 24hrs later the swelling has decreased by 50%, all that remains is a really hard bone like mass. Anybody else experience this?


Sounds exactly what we are observing on our 3.5 months old. How did it turn out? Any advice?


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## jaymurphy0930

jlp359 said:


> My pup also bumped his head and now has a huge cone head appearance, just like T Man's dog. It is really hard though and almost feels like a bone and can't be moved at all. We took him to the vet who said it was a most likely just a hematoma and should go away with time. He actually recommended putting an ice pack on it. Does anybody know if this eventually goes away, or will it form scar tissue and form a permanent bump?


 My dog has the same thing let me know if it goes away


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