What causes an older dog's head to become lumpy or cone-shaped?

It appears that Hunter is losing his temporal muscles, which is giving that caved-in head appearance. Considering he is also sensitive to the area, I am suscipicious of a condition known as masticatory myositis https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/masticatory-myositis-in-dogs However, this could be due to general muscle wasting. It's expected that some muscle wasting will occur as they age, but if he seems to be losing a lot of muscle, then this could indicate a chronic disease from an infection or cancer. I don't want you to worry about Hunter having a terrible disease, but it's best to have him evaluated by a veterinarian. They will be able to tell if there are any potential major problems and can help narrow-down the cause of this. I hope that helps and Hunter gets better soon.

There are a couple of things that come to mind when you mention Shrek's symptoms, and I have personal experience with it. Last year, my 12 year old Golden started having trouble opening her jaw, and the muscles around her head and skull atrophied (shrunken and wasted away). She had an inflammatory disorder called masticatory myositis (MM). This is when the immune system attacks the masticatory muscles, leading to pain with opening the mouth and wastage of the muscles of the head. It is a disease that mainly affects large breed dogs. It can be treated with a course of steroids, but prognosis depends on the severity of the disease. In my dog's case, the steroids helped, but it turned out she had cancer as well, and a large lump grew on the back of her head. Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do for her, so I had to let her go peacefully. When you mentioned the growth on Shrek's face, my immediate thought was that he may have a cancerous growth as well as MM. This is a hard decision to make, whether to let him go or not, but my advice would be to have the lump diagnosed first. If it is cancerous, that will help your decision. I would have an appointment made with your vet for Shrek first thing tomorrow so you can discuss the chances he has MM and have the lump diagnosed. The vet can perform a test called a fine needle aspirate on it. To do this, the vet sticks a small needle into the lump to get a sample of it's cells, and examines the cells on a slide under a microscope. It's usually painless to the animal, and relatively quick to perform. I would be glad to consult with you further on this issue. I work for a home euthanasia service, and face these types of decisions all the time. In addition, having had personal experience with similar symptoms in my dog, I may be able to help you further beyond this answer. If you'd like to consult with me, simply click on the "consult online" button under my answer. I'm sorry Shrek is so sick and you have such a tough decision in front of you :-(

Hello. This is definitely a tumor, but it is impossible to say if it is a relatively harmless benign one, or a dangerous potentially aggressive malignant tumor. My guess is that this is very benign & will cause no great harm to Poochi. It can continue to grow, but may not ever affect her overall life. The best thing to do is to have your veterinarian perform a fine needle aspirate where a few cells are removed from the lump & examined under the microscope. Hopefully, all that will be seen are benign fat cells ( lipoma ), but if highly differentiated cells are seen, this would indicate that removal is advised. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

That bump could be a skin mass, a wart, a skin tag or an infected hair follicle. Most skin masses are benign but there is always a chance its malignant. The best way to know would be to take Charlie into the vet to have the mass aspirated. This will tell you what it is. Otherwise you can monitor it closely at home. If it changes in size, then take him in to get it checked out. I hope this helps!

I would recommend that you have this lump checked out by a vet. There could be several different causes, but if this lump has been present for a while now it may indicate something very serious, like a defect in the skull. If it has only been there recently, it could be caused by swelling from trauma, insect bite, infection, among a few others. After thorough examination, the vet may recommend diagnostics such as x-rays or cytology to determine what is causing Pandora's lump.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Ludo. I am not sure about what you mean that your dog has lost 7 legs. As far as his head though, he appears to have significant muscle wasting. This can occur secondary to longterm steroid use, generalized muscle loss due to aging or an inflammatory muscle disorder known as myositis. When the last condition occurs, the dog can have difficulty opening it's jaw. Unfortunately, he will need testing to know for sure. I hope this information helps!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This could be a benign or malignant growth. There is no way of knowing what it is just based on its appearance. This is often differentiated by a test called a fine needle aspirate (FNA) which is a pain free, inexpensive and easy procedure which in most cases will help reach a diagnosis. Sometimes a biopsy is needed for a definitive diagnosis. I recommend that you have her evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. I am really hoping for something benign. Good luck and have a good night!