Hi guys don't know if anyone else has encountered this. One of my keepers looks like a little alien at the moment! Took her to the vet last night who said she had a Hematoma on her head just between her ears prob as a result of banging her head. She drew some fluid from the lump and it was bloody like. I was quite surprised that she didn't drain it but she said it should go on its own. She also didn't offer my pup medication as she is eating and drinking fine. Is this normal or should I get a second opinion?
Clare

Hiya, haematomas are basically blood blisters. Over a little time, the blood and serum fluid is reabsorbed and the blister goes down. On the head, like yours, it should be ok - just keep an eye that it doesn't get bigger - the stretching of the skin can be a little painful or uncomfortable. Problems can occur when it involves the ear, especially 'prick' or upright ears. The blood/serum fluid forces the skin away from the cartilige leaving a space that keeps refilling with fluid - so the skin needs to be stitched back to the cartilige closing the gap. With 'normal' dog ears, haematomas are often left to heal themselves - with prick ears, depending on the site and size of haematoma - healing on it's on can cause a bit of scarring resulting in ' cauliflower ear' or a drooped ear. Frenchies with drooped ears have often had haematomas.

My little Eve has had 2 haematomas since October - 1 on each ear. Both had to be drained and stitched. The 1st has healed very well and is still standing, the second was a much larger one involving both sides of her ear - this one has drooped and she now looks a little like a pug! :-D

One of my dogs had an aural haematoma - it appeared mid January and was still present, but much smaller in mid March.  If I try really hard I can still feel where it was but no one else would know...

He had no medication but we were advised just to keep an eye on it.  After about a week we could see it was shrinking, albeit very slowly. 

Thanks guys for the feedback much appreciated. I was just a little shocked that she needed nothing done to it as she looks like a little cone head! But i will keep my eye on it xx

I had the same thing on my pups occiput Clare.  She banged it and it came up abit, then she did it again and she ended up looking like a Mecon!

I nipped her in the vets when I had to take one of the others for something and he wasn't unduly worried.  It was quite a mobile swelling and he said they can take weeks to go down and leave alone unless it keeps getting larger.  I think worst case scenario would be damaging the bone and it forming a callous, then it would have had to have been investigated further.

She did it about 2 months ago and it was very slow to go down but now (she is 7 mths now) and her head shape is altering, its finally gone back to down normal :)

I would worry too much either.  :)

We too  have had this a couple of times. It will go down but just takes time to reabsorb. My Vet says sometimes if you aspirate the fluid off it can refill even more so is best left  to settle on its own. Can take a couple of months but will go.

Thanks Justine and Star. I thought after a few days it would of started to go down a bit but its still there like half a boiled egg on top of her head! It also seems firmer than it was a few days ago as well is this normal??

>It also seems firmer than it was a few days ago as well is this normal??

From my limited experience of one (!) it sounds similar.  My boys haematoma was relatively soft whilst it was new and still filling, but after that it seemed to harden off till the swelling subsided and fluid drained away. It didn't start to reduce in size til after a week at the earliest, and even then it was very slow

I would agree with that exactly :-)

I would too :)  You could try massaging it abit to see if that helps Clare.  I reckon it took 4 - 5 weeks for my baby to stop looking like she'd got a new head growing :)

lol thanks guys again for the reasurance she sure does like like a wee alien!! Cheers Justine x

We had a "funny" experience with this about 10 years ago on my golden retriever (then a 6 month old roughly). Had a "lump" on top of his head, went off to vets who thought they'd better have a look (turned out to just be a haematoma), but then had a reaction to the internal stitches which caused more swelling. Went back in to be restitched but ended up with a "balloon" on the top of his head as it kept filling up with serous fluid. Had a longish scar on his head and the stitches would keep bursting open at the bottom and loads of fluid would come pouring out.  He was a very sorry sight for a few weeks which it just gradually went down and we had to keep him in the kitchen in case it burst.  It was quite dramatic, and I must find the photos and scan them on to give my facebook friends a laugh (it was the size of a small melon).

Not really funny in that it was all quite unnecessary and should probably have had a drain put in, but all turned out OK in the end.

Hi Guys,
just an update, her  lump has went down a good bit but she now has a smaller hard lump on her head whereas before it was big and  soft. I am still worried and am taking her back to see our vet later today as before the lump could move around but now it seems as if its attached to her skull!  Will keep,you posted x

sorry to hear this Claire...hope you get it sorted and its nothing worrying.

That is the pattern our girls haematoma took and it is fine now. Within 12 months she was a Show Champ :-)

Thanks Roni and Star..always bloody something to keep you going!!!! lol Hopefully it is just me overreacting x

Sounds like the fluid has all been absorbed and just the clotted blood is left. It should break down and disappear too :)