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Ask the Veterinarian/a bump on my dog's head

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Expert: - 1/23/2010


Question

bump on head
When I bought my dog, when she was 6 wks old,  she had a small bump on her head. I asked the breeder about it and they said it was probably from her wrestling with her siblings. Well She is now one, and the bump has gotten a little bigger, and it seems to be getting a little bigger over a short periodeof time. It feels like just a hard round ball in her head above her right eye but further up. she doesn't care if U touch it, squeeze it or anything. My fear is that its cancer or something serious. I love my dog, but cant afford to take her to the vet,please tell me its not serious. She has had all her shots..and everything.

Answer
Well you love her enough to have her vaccinated, and hopefully on heartworm prevention also as well as spayed, and that is a good thing!  But why didn't you have the vet look at it when she was in the office? You could have had it removed when she was spayed.

It looks like a cyst from the photo. It won't go away by itself, and may even open up and drain. The only way to get rid if it is to have it excised by the vet.
Cysts have bladders in them so even if you squeezed out the stuff in them, they just refill right back up over a matter of weeks.

Some of these things form from a hair in a follicle at birth, some from a bump. Normally they are a defect of a hair follicle.

No way around it. The vet needs to remove it as it will just keep growing.

Jana Connell RVT, CVT

Expertise

PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING TO ME: I am NOT a vet and do NOT diagnose diseases. That is only for a licensed Veterinarian to do. I will give you suggestions and steer you toward calling your vet for help. You can call the vet's office and talk to the technician there or the vet at times. Don't be afraid to call them! If you have a serious issue with your pet please post it to one of the veterinarians in here- I will tell you the same thing in my answer. IF your pet is injured or in an emergency situation, CALL YOUR VET- Do not wait and post in here. Just call the vet's office and get them in to see the vet right away. Critical treatment time is lost if you seek answers here when you should have your precious pet at the vets!! Don't sit at home waiting for an answer when your pet is critically ill or injured!! I can answer most questions about small animal and wildlife care as well as small animal nutrition. I can also answer questions about all phases of dental care for small animals. I DO NOT answer questions about birds (unless it is wildlife or songbirds) or HAMSTERS/GERBILS/CHINS/GUINEA PIGS/REPTILES/FROGS/RABBITS/PET BIRDS OF ANY KIND so please submit these questions to the appropriate sections. I, as well as other experts in here, do NOT do homework questions- that is for YOU to do! Please respect these rules for all of us. Thanks!

Experience

I have over 35 years experience in the field of veterinary medicine. I specialized in small animals and did wildlife rehab for over 25 years, mostly raptors, squirrels and opossums. I am a Small Animal Nutritional Consultant with 6 certificates from Hills Pet Foods, CNM and Purina. I also specialized in Small Animal Dentistry which is a field I truly love.

Organizations
Audubon,World Wildlife Federation, American Society of Veterinary Dental Technicians.

Education/Credentials
Licensed with California and Oregon, RVT and CVT. Certified Veterinary Dental Technician Have over 500 logged hours of Continuing Education Credits(that means I keep up to date!).

Awards and Honors
Nominated for Expert of the Month for the last 5 years.

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