My 6 month old German Shorthaired Pointer knocked his head pretty hard while playing and developed a large hematoma right at the back of his skull where it connects to his cervical spine. It's been a week now and the lump is the size of an extra large chicken egg. It seems to get bigger when he plays or exercises vigorously, which for our sanity is multiple times a day. I was wondering if anyone else had any experience with hematomas like this and could advise on about how long it might take to go away, or some things I might do to speed the process. My only personal experience is with aural hematomas that have needed to be drained, and my vet hasn't seen a hematoma in this area before either and suggests a watch and wait plan. It's rather unsightly, though it doesn't seem to bother him in the least. It isn't hot and he doesn't have a fever, it's more or less just painful to look at! I've started giving him turmeric every day with his food to help with inflammation, though I don't know if it will help at all. Any suggestions on how to put and keep a compression bandage on the head/neck of a dog would be greatly appreciated as well since I think a little compression would go a long way in this case, but I can't seem to get anything to stay! Thanks in advance!

So far, I haven't found much onhealing.

I did find this explanation, which seems clear and straightforward:

http://bobski606.hubpages.com/hub/What-is-a-Scalp-Hematoma (There's much more online about scalp hematomas in humans than in dogs.)


I'll paw through what manuals I have when I finish work, and (much better) will hope that Dr. Betty sees the thread.

It is possible that he fractured the sharp protruding bone on the scalp at the top of his head, the occiput.

The good thing is that head wounds heal well.

I wouldn't do anything about it at all, except to plop a bag of frozen pees on it at night in the evening when he is sleeping and "watching TV". I would not drain it or poke at it in any way. It will resolve.

It is unusual, though. So, I'd think a bit about bleeding disorders, not stew about it, but think if it's possible he's eaten any mouse bait or anything else that might thin the blood. Lepto, perhaps Google bleeding disorders in German Shorthairs. But I'd be thinking that way because I'm a veterinarian. It is very unlikely that there is anything ominous, it's just a bad bump on a bony prominence, akin to a black eye.

bump

 Quote: Betty Landercasp

It is possible that he fractured the sharp protruding bone on the scalp at the top of his head, the occiput.

The good thing is that head wounds heal well.

I wouldn't do anything about it at all, except to plop a bag of frozen pees on it at night in the evening when he is sleeping and "watching TV". I would not drain it or poke at it in any way. It will resolve.

It is unusual, though. So, I'd think a bit about bleeding disorders, not stew about it, but think if it's possible he's eaten any mouse bait or anything else that might thin the blood. Lepto, perhaps Google bleeding disorders in German Shorthairs. But I'd be thinking that way because I'm a veterinarian. It is very unlikely that there is anything ominous, it's just a bad bump on a bony prominence, akin to a black eye.

bump

Sorry I haven't thanked you both sooner! I truly appreciate the advice and reassurance. The lump got as large as a goose egg and was very soft and squishy before it finally turned the corner and is now about the size of a quail egg. It's also hard which makes me feel better, and it's getting smaller every day! I will be getting him tested for clotting disorders to give us peace of mind just in case he needs surgery in the future. Today we went out for our first play session in the field since it happened as he was getting a bit of cabin fever for having been cooped up for so long while we tried to get the swelling to stop, and it hasn't swelled again thank goodness. Thanks again for the help!

Lumps are worrying - my Boerboel male had couple of lumps come up out of nowhere and got scarily big, but over time they just slowly disappeared, one on his ear, and one near the site of an umbilical hernia he had as a pup, all that's left now are a couple of faint freckles.

Pointers have heads like bricks, and because of the prominent bone on the top, and swelling is really noticeable.

Glad your boy is improving nicely, nothing worse than a cooped up Pointer!

JFYI I'm a veterinarian. How do you know this is a hematoma?

 Quote: Bob Stoll

JFYI I'm a veterinarian. How do you know this is a hematoma?

Hmm. Good question. I guess I don't really. I'm just going based on what the vet said. She didn't aspirate anything from the lump so I suppose she didn't know for sure either. After taking a thorough history, she did what looked to me like a focused physical exam where she checked his eyes, ears, and mouth, and palpated his head, neck, and the lump. She also seemed to check his nerves or at least she touched his back and moved his legs around. She told me it looked like a hematoma and suggested a conservative approach which included arnica montana if I wanted to use it as well as avoiding grains or other foods that could cause inflammation and avoiding vigorous exercise until the swelling was under control. She gave me a list of things to look out for e.g. fever, swollen nodes in the neck, pain, heat, etc. and said to bring him back if anything changed or didn't seem right and of course if it didn't seem to be getting better. Honestly, I think it may have gotten worse initially because I didn't really limit his running around and playing like I probably should have and I gave him turmeric intitially (DUH if you can't take it because it increases bleeding when you're on blood thinners it's obviously a bad idea for a possible hematoma! :-( BAD OWNER ). Keeping him calm for a few days, as hard as it was (he can't tolerate a crate but that's a whoooooole nother issue!), and making an improvised pressure dressing out of an old sock with holes cut out for the ears that I put on him after he had any exercise and at bedtime seemed to turn things around pretty quickly.
I'm a week overdue to have a baby, but as soon as I can get him in to have his bloodwork done, I'm guessing she'll probably check it again and let me know if she still thinks it is/was a hematoma. That's if it's still there. It seems to be going almost as quickly as it came thank goodness.

 Quote: Alex Gray

I'm a week overdue to have a baby...

"I'M A WEEK OVERDUE TO HAVE A BABY" Congratulations, Alex !!!