My puppy has a head lump after dog interaction. Should I be concerned?

First, great pictures and highlighting of the lump! This appears to be a fluid-filled lump. Usually puppies get these when they bang their head on something and then fluid accumulated under the skin. However, I do worry about congenital defects that could cause accumulation of CNS fluid under the skin. If Thor is otherwise acting and looking normal, then either way, it's not an emergency. If he is acting weird, then best to have a veterinarian check him out. If it was just a bump, then the swelling will start going down within a couple of days. If it continues to grow, then it would be concerning enough to make an appointment with a vet. An easy way to detect growth or shrinking is to draw around the edge to the swelling with a magic marker. It will look silly, but it's really easy to tell if the border of the swelling has moved. 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.

There can be several causes of a lump like this, including a seroma or hematoma from hitting her head on something, an abscess or infection, an enlarged lymph node or salivary gland (if the lump is lower toward the jaw), a tumor or cyst, among a few others. Since some of these issues need veterinary care to resolve, I would recommend that Fifi get checked out by a vet. After physical examination, the vet may recommend a needle aspirate and microscopic exam or x-rays to see what the cause of the lump could be.

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.

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.

It is usually cause by hitting the head on something hard or bu an insect bite. monitor it for 3-4 days to make sure the swelling is going down, if it doesn't please take him to your vet in order to get it checked.

Your puppy is plenty old enough to get started on her vaccinations, so taking her to the vet shouldn't be a problem. If she's acting fine and the bump is improving, then I wouldn't worry about it too much. She may have just banged herself hard enough to get a swelling. If she isn't acting like herself, then I recommend getting her to see the vet right away.