My dog fell and his head is swollen. What should I do right away?

I am so sorry this happened! It is so easy to do with such a little puppy and unfortunately I have seen it many times. I would recommend taking her to a veterinarian immediately. This type of trauma can result in skull fractures, swelling or bleeding inside the brain, seizures, coma or death. Head trauma needs to be treated aggressively to try and prevent irreversible damage to the brain.

Ice the swelling area for 5 minutes three times per day for the next 2 days. You can apply a topical antibiotic ointment to the wound. If the dog is off balance, had a head tilt, won't eat, etc. then he needs to see a vet. The swelling could be a blood clot or an abscess that the vet needs to drain.

I'm sorry but there is nothing we can tell you to do about this. My goodness, he got shot in the head! If you were shot in the head you would be at the hospital. I can appreciate you may be in a remote area or may not have the funds for a vet but we cannot tell you what to do via the internet. If you can't take him to a vet, he will either pull through this or not. He needs a neurological exam, x-rays, blood testing and only then would we be able to make a treatment plan. The drugs he would need to reduce any intracranial swelling you cannot get on the street or in the pharmacy; you can only get them from a vet and these drugs are not benign. The animals have to be monitored closely on these medications. It is not just as easy as giving him an injection or a tablet. Hopefully the swelling you are seeing is just swelling under the skin. You can ice any swollen areas for 5 minutes 3-4 times per day for the next couple days. Hopefully that will help to reduce swelling. If you want to post again and tell us what over the counter medications you have available to you for inflammation/pain (human drugs) then we can tell you if you can give him one of those. Please put the name of the drug, the milligram strength and the dog's weight or we won't be able to give you any dosing information.

Oh no, poor Sasha! I'm sorry she was bitten and is now very swollen on top of the head and under the neck. I would be concerned that she has suffered from internal injuries from the bite, and she should see a vet immediately for medical treatment. Please take her into an ER vet clinic; if there isn't one in your area, there will be a vet on call for emergencies. The information to reach that vet is found on a clinic's answering machine or website.

I am so sorry but the description of your pet means that she either has cerebral edema (fluid around the brain) or hydrocephalus (also fluid around the brain/skull). She needs to be seen by an ER vet right away! She needs medical treatment (i.e. Mannitol) to help drain the fluid and hopefully stabilize her before any permanent damage is done. Here is a website link to help you locate an ER vet in your area based on your zip code entry. http://www.vetlocator.com/search_results.php I do hope that your poor Moo moo is able to make a full recovery from her traumatic injuries. Best wishes and take care.

How awful for you that Buds ran off but I'm glad he came back! There are a couple of things this bump could be on his head. He could have injured himself, he could have an abscess, an insect bite, or he could have a cyst. Given that the bump has down with the ice pack and he is acting his normal self, I would continue to ice the bump for five minutes at a time a couple of times a day for the next two to three days. Should the bump go away completely, you can stop icing it. If the bump doesn't go away, gets larger, he has behavior changes such as lethargy and anorexia, and/or he shows other symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea, then I would take him into a vet to have him examined. Good luck, I hope this helps!

Head trauma is always a cause for concern. Since this happened yesterday, there should have been some improvement with your pup if he suffered an injury such as a mild concussion. Sleeping a lot is not so much of a concern since young puppies normally sleep most of the day, but if you also see signs such as unresponsiveness, a head tilt, circling while walking, unequal pupil size, twitching of the eyes, ataxia (wobbly gait) or [vomiting](https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/vomiting-1/) then he should be [seen by a veterinarian immediately](https://www.petcoach.co/article/how-to-handle-a-pet-emergency/). If there is a bump, it may be a seroma (blood filled sac). This can treated by your veterinarian by either draining the area or trying a veterinary anti-inflammatory medication. Do not medicate him with anything OTC without the advice of your veterinarian as [many OTC drugs can be toxic](https://www.petcoach.co/article/7-human-medications-that-are-dangerous-for-your-pet) to dogs.