Chris B Posted January 17, 2005 Report Share Posted January 17, 2005 Bella is 11 months old. Over the last couple of weeks a lump has appeared on the back of Bella's skull. It's right in the middle looking from the front and it's just where the back of her head starts to go down to her neck looking from the side. It sticks out about 1/3 inch, and you can see it as well as feel it. It feels hard to the touch, but bella is not bothered in any way when we touch it. We thought she had just banged her head, but after reading an old post on here about a lump being cancer we have booked her into the vets office tomorrow. Does anyone have any insight into a raised bump on the head. Worried Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted January 17, 2005 Report Share Posted January 17, 2005 I'm no expert but, if I remember correctly, the sagittal crest (or ridge) along the top rear of the skull proceeds down the back of the skull. Some dogs have very smooth skulls and others have very obvious sagittal crests at the back of the skull. This is where muscles attach (facial or jaw muscles, I think). If you have access to a field guide to the mammals, there will be skull pictures that show the crest in wild canids (wolves, coyotes, foxes) and you can see what I am talking about. However, I would think that this crest would have been present prior to your dog's current age. It would, as you note, be hard and not appear to cause any discomfort when touched. Perhaps you are only noticing this crest but a vet visit will (hopefully) put your mind at rest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris B Posted January 17, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2005 Thanks Sue, your calming me down a bit..... I'll reply to this to let you know what the vet comes back with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northof49 Posted January 17, 2005 Report Share Posted January 17, 2005 Are you sure your puppy just doesn't have a well pronounced occiput like Irish Setters etc have? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urge to herd Posted January 17, 2005 Report Share Posted January 17, 2005 Buzz has a very pronounced 'nucal crest', at least, I think that's what the vet called it. We fondly refer to him as our pointy headed border collie. Ruth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris B Posted January 17, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2005 I do hope you are all right. I wouldn't be bothered but the fact it came up from no where over the last 2 weeks scares me. I know she is a young dog, and I hope it's just her growing up.... I'll keep you informed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aronomy Posted January 17, 2005 Report Share Posted January 17, 2005 Yep, our dog has a minor bump, still noticeable. We call it his "crazy bump". He goes crazy with certain activities, such as swimming in our pool. He paces and barks at us while we're swimming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris B Posted January 18, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2005 Well we went to the vet, and he says everything is fine. He said is part of the structure of her head, and nothing to worry about. Thanks for your comments. I felt a bit silly, but it was worth the trip to get the all clear! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urge to herd Posted January 18, 2005 Report Share Posted January 18, 2005 Chris, thanks for posting this. I'm sure you're more relieved than embarassed. Now you get to join the Pointy Headed Border Collie Club! Ruth n the BC3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tassie Posted January 19, 2005 Report Share Posted January 19, 2005 That's good news, Chris. Fergus has one of these too - we call it his 'smart bump' - who are we kidding? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoloRiver Posted January 19, 2005 Report Share Posted January 19, 2005 The sagittal crest provides an attachment for the temporalis muscles, which are some of the muscles that close the jaw. You can feel yours if you clench your teeth with your fingers on your temples. The muscle that you feel contracting originates in a fan shape on the side of your skull, runs under your cheekbone, and attaches to a process on the mandible. Since our brains are so large, there is plenty of area on the sides of the skull for temporalis to attach, and the right and left temporal muscles don't meet at the top of the skull. However, we have some smaller-brained relatives, such as gorillas, who not only have a smaller braincase (thus less attachment area) but also require much larger temporalis muscles than we do because their diets consist of fibrous plant material and they need to chew a lot. This engineering problem is solved by the sagittal crest, an extra ridge of bone that grows up along the midline of the skull and provides more attachment area for the muscles. If you ever get a chance to look at a bully breed skull, like a pit bull or something that was bred for a powerful bite and hold, you'll see a very large sagittal crest, lots of muscle attachment marks and big, round, flaring cheekbones with lots of room under them for a massive temporalis muscle to run. There some talk about dogs and sagittal crests here: http://www.nmbe.ch/deutsch/531_6_2.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris B Posted January 19, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2005 Wow, i've learnt something new today! Thanks very much for the information. The only thing it doesn't account for is the much larger (sometimes smaller!) BC brain Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Betsy Posted January 19, 2005 Report Share Posted January 19, 2005 Melanie: I found your explanation of the saggital crest facinating! You see, my daughter had a fused saggital suture when she was born (called "saggital synostosis") and had to have surgery when she was 7 weeks old to cut out 8 square inches of bone from her head! Thanks for the info! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoloRiver Posted January 20, 2005 Report Share Posted January 20, 2005 Wow, Betsy. Hope she is doing well now! I've seen photos of skulls with the condition you describe, from back when there were no surgical solutions for sagittal synostosis. They were very long and narrow and I think caused deficiencies in brain development. It's great that an understanding of development and some surgical skill, along with great recovery support, can allow us to treat these problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca, Irena Farm Posted January 20, 2005 Report Share Posted January 20, 2005 My trainer calls the point the "Craig bump" though obviously it dates before Thomas' Craig influenced the breed. My dog that has chronic lyme, loses muscle tone during his flares. A warning sign that we're entering a flareup cycle is when the saggital bump becomes obvious as the facial muscles atrophy quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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