Although not his primary owner, I am involved with the care of a magnificent rescued GSD with some medical issues that may or may not contribute to the dynamic in the title of the post.

Initially upon rescuing this dog (wolfie), his head was heavy and triangular, shaped like a pie wedge. So much so that we wondered if he might have some Rottweiler in him (his coat pattern is black/brown similar to a Rottie). Particularly, on his skull between his ears there was a mass of tissue that certainly FELT like a muscle as opposed to bone or swelling/fluid. Wolfie is heartworm positive and was prescribed heartworm shots in two doses a month apart. Additionally, he has a condition known as small intestine bacterial overgrowth, that has caused him to resist gaining weight, despite our best efforts.

He's currently 6-7 weeks into his heartworm treatment and about 2 weeks ago his head lost the substantial size between his ears, narrowing his skull/muzzle complex into a much more "breed standard" silouette(sic?). It really looks dramatically different! Has anyone seen/heard of this? Perhaps relevant is that this dog seems OBSESSED with being scratched/petted/squished on his head. He rams his head on anything remotely soft like couch cushions, carpeting etc.

I have asked his vet what this might be and am waiting to hear back, but he's away for a few days.

Thanks in advance,
Brock

My sisters St. Bernard has had the tissue on her head but it doesnt hurt her and her head certainly isnt shrinking, but they are worried about her. If you hear anything please contact me.

What are you using to treat the bacterial overgrowth? Our shepherd had the same condition, we noticed her head and face were smaller and that she had lost a lot of weight, 30 lbs to be exact. The reason the head is smaller is the condition causes the dog to lose fat because the bad bacteria over runs the good bacteria and the dog cannot digest their food and absorb nutrients and fat. Our vet recommended Tylan powder to treat the condition and it appears to be working well.

Basically what is happening is since the food cannot be absorbed the dog is starving to death. The body is using any resource available to stay alive and that resource is the fatty deposits in the body. It is important to use an antibiotic to treat the condition as soon as possible.