Newborn open fontanel?
 

Okay, my dad had a litter of puppies today (well, HE didn't, but one of his Yorkies did). 5 pups, 4 boys and a girl. The girl has an 'off' look to her face and she has a 'bubble' on the top of her head right in the center... I wondered what it was, and I lightly touched it to see if it was hard, soft, etc. When I touched it, it went away and I could feel that her skull was 'open'. I feel like an idiot not knowing what it is, but what is it? The same parents have had 2 litters previously with no health issues what so ever... I have never seen anything like this before and neither has my dad... Can't go to the vet until Monday, I just wondered if anyone knew.

It could be a open fontenal...but, the strange off look you're describing, could very well be hydrocephalic......I'm not a vet and am only going by what you are describing. Is she latching on ok?

Yes, she is latching on great, nursing well, mommy treating her like everyone else.


The 'off' look is hard to describe - maybe her eyes aren't exactly symmetrical or something, she just doesn't look right... I can take a picture tomorrow to post.


I will look up more info about hydrocephalic puppies - isn't that extra cerebral fluid or something similar?

Yes, do take a picture....but, have the vet check her, she maybe perfectly fine with just the open font that may close......

Will do. Thank you so much. :)

Is she the runt?
Could it be that she is malformed?
It sounds like hydrocephalus, but it can be so many different things .

Sometimes puppies can overcome so much, i hope that is the case for you.
I am wondering what the vet will reccomend.

Good Luck !
xoxo

Checking in to see how the puppy is... Hope all is well

Hi everyone! We just got home from the vet about 30 minutes ago. Our little gal is doing well. The vet said it's definately open fontanel (she showed me how to feel for it, and oh yes, that's what it is). I had never seen it before, so I didn't even know to feel for it. Anyway, the vet said otherwise she is very healthy, and it shoudl close on it's own. She said the bubble is not because of extra fluid, just that there is really nothing to hold the fluid in, so it goes out the hole. But, the "bubble" is going down. It has gotten smaller over the alst 2 days. Vet expects her to grow and develop normally, but we will obviously be watching her very carefully and taking extra precautions.

Here are some pictures for everyone. :) Her face is starting to look more normal as well. :) I am soooo happy!

Aww...I'm glad to hear the good news

That is good news Sarah. How much does this special little girl weigh when she was born??

I don't know what she weighed when she was born, but right now she is 4 1/2 ounces (no tiny gal). :)

Great news.

It seems those open fonts plague those wee ones.....Although, I did have a 2 oz boy in August that didn't have one....lil guy latched on to his mom within 2 minutes of being whelped and he never let go......at 5 months of age he's 4 pounds 8 oz........

That's how this little one is - very hungry! :) But she is doing really well. :) I was just so shocked to see something so odd when she was born. I am not used to seeing abnormailties of any sort (beyond the occasional under bite). I have heard of all sorts of malformations but have never seen anything abnormal myself.

If care is taken in selecting breeding partners and health is a top priority, how often can a breeder expect to see abnormalities? I mean, certainly a person with no regard for health or selection of the mating pair would see more abnormalities, but even with the best preparation, there must be a certain percentage of puppies with problems that are present at birth. Is there a round-about number to expect, like 1 in 10?

I don't think there is any average number.....although it does happen....There is no DNA Markers to help us identify our dogs that are clear......Abnormalities can happen in the best of situations, with all the testing being performed.....It's a crap shoot and it happens to the best of breeders.

I hear you Sarah,

I also have not seen many "weird" abnormalities or diseases. I think it is for the same reason you explained, if you care to have health breeders your chances of seen and experiencing those abnormalities are very diminished.
Sometimes i sound naive on some of these forums because i am not familiar with some things discussed here. I am thankful though.
I have seen however some things with my own eyes, and i have friends who breed other small breeds also and i have the opportunity to learn from them as well as in my own family !
But hopefully as long as you keep doing what you can to avoid the things that are possible to be avoided, if anything happens will be an exception.
It is better to learn about these things through reading and witnessing than "hands on" , i believe.
When you described the "odd" look, it sounded something really unusual. However i am learning that whatever we do not see, we are able to imagine much worse than it really it is.
In the pictures i can sure see the "bubble" , but she does not look malformed at all.
again, i am glad to hear that the fontanel is closing and hopefully in a few days you will not even notice it ! See... these little ones ... she will outgrow this !
Glad to hear the news and thanks for posting the pictures.
Good Day !
XOXO

I have never seen a bubble like that either...how large would you say the opening is...photo's are hard to determine, but it looks like the entire top is open...or is a shadow? Anything the size and smaller then a yellow school pencil (8 wks)usually does no harm..most close or become very tiny...but one larger then that can mean a bigger problem brewing and unlikely to close...good luck

The 'bubble' is bigger than the actual hole.The hole itself is maybe 1/2 the size of a number 2 pencil... The front fontanels are maybe open a millimeter wide. But, the vet felt it and said she's seen bigger ones, so I am hopeful. :)

aww its so nice to hear that the baby is going to be okay. im happy for you and the baby :)

I have a tiny yorkie who has this. She is now 11 and doing great. I had a maltese years ago with it and she lived to a very old age too. Just be careful with her.

I have heard that too... that depending on the situation some dogs live well with the open fontanels.
A girl friend of mine had a teacup male yorkie who lived to be 14, but i met her after he passed so i only saw pictures of him. he was very small and she treated him like a baby ... she only got other dogs after he passed to make sure he was safe... i guess she was afraid he would be hurt while playing ...

XOXO

Update on Rose
 

At just over a month old, our little Rose is doing very well. :) She is full of energy and sweet as can be - she is a teeny little tater tot and cute as a button. Though, she has an obvious "apple head" look to her, like a chihuahua. Nothing like I have even seen in a Yorkie before.

We had another vet check-up today. She is doing well, her fontanels are still open and her eyes are obviously begin affected by the displacement of her skull. But, vet says everything should correct itself as her fontanels close. We are just taking it a day at a time.

I am attaching a picture. :)

Not meaning to scare you, but I have a puppy that looks exactly like this and she was just diagnosed with hydrocephalus. I wonder if I should take her and get a second opinion? If your vet seems to think your baby is fine and she looks exactly like mine, that does give me some hope. She doesn't seem to act like she has hydrocephalus and she never even had the bubble like yours did. That really makes me think she may just have the weird eye look because of the open fontanel. I have attached a pic of her as well. She is 5 weeks old.

I do hope your vet is correct, but I do not think so.. Your pups looks hydrocephalic to me also. I have had two in 36 yrs and seen at least a dozen among breeder friends..the eyes are a dead give away...of course there is a chance we are wrong..and I hope so..but I would not think of selling this pup for quite sometime...
Look at pic's on web sites for pups with this condition.

PS..didn't someone recently post a pic of a pup with died with this condition?

Selling her is not even a consideration.

I am going to look into making an appointment at the University of Missouri Neurology department.

There is no way to know without imaging, so I guess that's what we are going to do.

You are playing it safe...I wish your puppy all the best. Mine lived 3 yrs..the second died at 4 mos.

Our appointment with the neurologist is Friday morning.

Hoping for good news..best wishes

Crossing our fingers for you and hoping for very good news !!!
XOXO

another week
 

Our appointment had to be rescheduled for the 15th, so we have to wait again. The neurologists are only there monday and wednesday mornings. I'll post another update after we go.

But, she is doing very well. :) Just having a hard time seeing since her eyes don't point directly foreward. But, she is very playful and energetic!

I am glad your baby is doing well! :) I went and got another opinion on my little girl today. The vet said she sees no reason to put her on medication yet. She did some tests on her and watched her for a while. Her motor skills are excellent for a dog with her condition. It's amazing to see what these little ones will pull through :woof: