# Puppy has a lump on his head!



## Helo421 (Dec 9, 2015)

Oh.. well that was easy haha. Well here you guys go. It's a soft lump. It's much more obvious when he tilts his head down so I made him follow my hand, but can't really tell when he's out and about doing his usual puppy business.


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## Karen519 (Aug 21, 2006)

*Helo*



Helo421 said:


> Oh.. well that was easy haha. Well here you guys go. It's a soft lump. It's much more obvious when he tilts his head down so I made him follow my hand, but can't really tell when he's out and about doing his usual puppy business.


Helo: I would make a vet appt. right away to have it checked out, especially because he's a puppy!!!


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

I agree, I would have your Vet check it.


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## ssacres (Sep 29, 2012)

That looks like a good size lump. I would want to see a vet to be sure everything is ok.


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## Coopsmom (Jan 13, 2015)

Agree with getting that checked out. The camera angle might make it look bigger than it actually is, BUT that's a big lump and really needs to be evaluated to be sure it's not anything serious. please let us know what the vet says and good luck!


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## AngelCoopersMom (Oct 15, 2015)

Poor guy! That is a big lump. Let us know what the vet says. Hope he's okay!


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## BeehiveGolden (Oct 4, 2015)

Poor pup. Possibly an abscess. Needs proper care right away. Time for a vet visit.


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## Our3dogs (Apr 3, 2008)

We had the same thing happen with one of our pups in the past. Also there is another thread here about the same thing. In both instances, it did need Vet attention. Sometimes they go away on their own, other times not. Let us know what the Vet says. The good thing is, they do not cause them any pain, but they are a nuisance. Good luck!


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## BeehiveGolden (Oct 4, 2015)

Our3dogs said:


> We had the same thing happen with one of our pups in the past. Also there is another thread here about the same thing. In both instances, it did need Vet attention. Sometimes they go away on their own, other times not. Let us know what the Vet says. The good thing is, they do not cause them any pain, but they are a nuisance. Good luck!


That's so interesting. What did it end up being caused by?


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## Our3dogs (Apr 3, 2008)

Beehive - the lump was caused by running into something. The Vet says they sometimes then take of a life of their own. It changes from just being a lump which goes away into a mass which needs to be removed. This is what happened to our girl.


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## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

Oh, just seeing this and wondering what the vet said? I once drove through a major winter event storm that shut down my state looking for an open ER vet (power was out throughout the state, finally found an open ER Vet after dodging downed wires/trees, no traffic lights, closed roads, slippery conditions etc after 2 hours) when my girlie had something like that on her neck. 

The lump came out of nowhere - good news is I was the only one on the roads or at the vet so she was seen & treated (abscess) immediately.

Good luck!


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## Kirsten (Jun 18, 2013)

My Murphy had a similar bump on his head last year, except it was on the front of his head. I took him to the vet and it turned out he had a cyst on his head that had ruptured when he hit it on something. It was horrible- he needed drain tubes in his head and was in a lot of pain. I would definitely get him to the vet, just in case. Most cysts generally are not harmful but you never know. I started a thread on his bump called Reason to worry? ( sorry I don't know how to attach threads here) Good luck! Hopefully it is nothing


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## Kirsten (Jun 18, 2013)

I just looked back on my old thread and realized I never finished the whole story. The vet had assumed it was an infection at first but saved a sample of tissue in case of future problems. Well after the first bump healed, a second one came up. She took a sample of the second bump and sent both off to the lab. It turns out he has congenital cysts and they were able to tell that the first one had ruptured and the reason that one was so bad and required drain tubes.


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## Helo421 (Dec 9, 2015)

So update. I just got back from the vet. She stuck a needle in the lump and drew out blood. She wanted to make sure it wasn't pus. Basically he has a huge bruise and looks like an egghead. Hah. The lump is smaller than it was yesterday so that's good. The blood should reabsorb eventually, but in the meantime they're going to give him antibiotics and just observe. I did get a weight update though: 56.6 pounds! I was surprised he looks so much bigger than the rest of the big dogs there. He looks small to me. Maybe because my parents' Golden (Joey) is over 80 pounds and has a stocky build. I'll post up a picture for fun. Helo was 4 months here, Joey was 4 years. Anyways. I'll keep you guys updated on Helo's lump.


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## Our3dogs (Apr 3, 2008)

Glad to hear the lump is getting smaller. Love the picture of him trying to get his entire mouth around the head.


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## Helo421 (Dec 9, 2015)

The fluid lump is gone, but now he has another thing going on. He's got a pointy head! I poked at it thinking it might be another fluid filled lump (don't remember him bumping his head anywhere though), but this one doesn't move and isn't squishy. Felt like it was just part of his skull. Anybody else have a pointy head golden? Pictures below.


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## Alaska7133 (May 26, 2011)

It's normal. It's called the knowledge bump. It shows how smart golden retrievers are. With time as he grows up, his skull will adjust and the bump may not be so prominent. Some dogs you see the bump their whole life, others not so much.


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## MyMaggieGirl (Nov 12, 2008)

He's adorable. Love how he happened to find the piece of bush. These puppies find everything!


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## Helo421 (Dec 9, 2015)

Alaska7133 said:


> It's normal. It's called the knowledge bump. It shows how smart golden retrievers are. With time as he grows up, his skull will adjust and the bump may not be so prominent. Some dogs you see the bump their whole life, others not so much.


He is a smarty pants! Thanks for the information.




MyMaggieGirl said:


> He's adorable. Love how he happened to find the piece of bush. These puppies find everything!


He thought about switching to a pine cone (his favorite) when we walked by a pile of them, but there were too many to pick from so he decided to keep the bush haha.


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## Shane A (Jun 18, 2020)

Helo421 said:


> Oh.. well that was easy haha. Well here you guys go. It's a soft lump. It's much more obvious when he tilts his head down so I made him follow my hand, but can't really tell when he's out and about doing his usual puppy business.


Hi. I would like to know what happened to your puppy. Mine has almost exactly the same lump on the same part of the head. Hope you can reply. The vet merely said it’s a growth and gave us anti inflammatories after reading the xrays. Unfortunately there are no MRIs for dogs in our country.


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## Shane A (Jun 18, 2020)

Helo421 said:


> The fluid lump is gone, but now he has another thing going on. He's got a pointy head! I poked at it thinking it might be another fluid filled lump (don't remember him bumping his head anywhere though), but this one doesn't move and isn't squishy. Felt like it was just part of his skull. Anybody else have a pointy head golden? Pictures below.


Hi, what happened to the lump on your pup’s head? How is he doing now? I’m worried because my 7 month old Golden looks the same as yours.


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## pawsnpaca (Nov 11, 2014)

This is the original poster's update:



Helo421 said:


> So update. I just got back from the vet. She stuck a needle in the lump and drew out blood. She wanted to make sure it wasn't pus. Basically he has a huge bruise and looks like an egghead. Hah. The lump is smaller than it was yesterday so that's good. The blood should reabsorb eventually, but in the meantime they're going to give him antibiotics and just observe.


However, just because this was the cause of this pup's lump, you can't assume the same thing is going on with your dog. If you don't trust your vet's assessment or treatment protocol, I would recommend getting a second opinion!


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