Do large dog brains grow too big, causing fatal skull pressure?

I'm glad to help you! No, not from head injuries. For reasons still unknown, almost half of all gliomas occur in brachycephalic or "squash-nosed" breeds such as Boston terriers, bulldogs and boxers, so there may be a genetic component that has not been discovered yet. I hope this helps!

Hi there! No, as a breed, Dobermans don't get "mad and crazy" when they get older, any more than any other breed. Dogs of any breed can develop aggression issues for a variety of reasons. It's not true that a Doberman's brain gets smaller as they get older - this is a myth.

I can appreciate an increase in size/swelling above the right eye in your photos here. A brain tumor itself normally wouldn't cause a visible swelling, as the brain is encased in the bony skull and a tumor would just cause increased pressure on the brain but not cause changes in the shape of the skull. That being said, we can have bony tumors of the skull that can change the skull shape. We can also have tumors of the soft tissue (skin, muscle, connective tissue) that could be seen on the head, and also tumors of the eye/muscles behind the eye. Your dog should definitely have an examination done by the vet. They may recommend an aspirate of the swelling to help tell what is causing it, an x-ray of the skull, and possibly more advanced imaging like a CT scan. This problem may be something easily fixed or may be more involved, but we won't know without further testing.

This is not a documented issue that we see in dogs, so I would deduce that if it is possible, then it is extremely rare and may be the first case that we will document in a pet dog. This also means that even if a pet has microcephaly, it is not clinically significant. I hope this helps! If you have any further questions please feel free to ask us again in the forum. Take care.

Some types of brain tumors can be hereditary, while others are not - just like in humans, the causes of cancer are very complex. I'm afraid we would need more specific information about what type of tumor she has, in order to give a better answer.

This could just be a normal formation of your dog skull. If it is not getting bigger, does not feel like it has fluid in it and there is no discharge I would recommend just measuring it once a day for about a week and seeing if it truly is getting bigger or not. If it is not it's likely a normal skull developing. If it is getting bigger then have your veterinarian take a look.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. It certainly is possible that head trauma lead to the hearing loss and stunted growth or it is coincidental. If there was enough trauma to the part of the pituitary gland that is responsible for releasing growth hormone (GH), hypopituitarism could develop. Unfortunately, this is impossible to tell for certain though.