My Yorkie has a hole in her head
 

Hopefully someone here can let me know how much I should worry. I took Sheila in for her 12 week vacinations and exam this morning. It all went well exept when the vet examened her he found a small hole at the top of her skull. He seemed concerned but not overly so saying that she is still so young that there is a chance it may fill in? Has anyone here had any experience with this? I can feel it now, it's like a tiny indent in her skull. I've had her for a month now and I've grown too attached to give her back to the breeder :( . Any advice is most welcome.

Hole in head
 

Hi :( We hope sheila is going to be ok :confused: I will make some phone calls and get back to you.

Are you refering to Molera, the soft spot on top of the skull? It usually disappears by 6 months of age. Sometimes it may remain for life.

Normally while they have the soft spot you just need to make sure nothing hits the top of their head, kinda like with a human baby. Furniture, corners, etc. Yorkie's can live hardy lives normally w/ moleras.

Well the paper from the vet says "open skull" so I'm not sure if it's the same thing. He did say some medical term when he found it and it could easily have been "molera" so you may be right. The advice he gave was the same as yours, make sure she doesn't hit her head. Thank you for the replies.

I think it has someting to do with what schatzie said. When I took Tinker to the vet for the first time I remember the vet looking at the top of the head and said," Oh good it is closed." At the time I had no idea what in the world she was talking about, but now it makes sense. Tinker has a little brown circle on the top of the head, so I don't think it is anything to worry about. If the vet didn't seem to worry about it too much then I think you are good. Don't worry if I was you I be paranoid too. But like Schatzie suggested I would just watch her head, and make sure she doesn't hit it too hard. Good Luck!!!

How much does Sheila weigh????? I think this is more common in the little bitty yorkies.

My Lil Bit has the same thing....it is called a Molera and, like Schatzie said, it is common in puppies. Just like a soft spot on the skull of an infant, it should close by a certain age. When I took Lil Bit to the vet he too was concerned because her molera was a bit larger than normal and may not close completely.

The molera is a normal finding in chihuahuas and is actually desirable by some chihuahua owners.

Sometimes a really large molera can indicate hydocephalus...(excess fluid on the brain)...but the vet said if this was the case the puppy would have had SIGNIFICANT symptoms before now...(Lil Bit is nearly 4 months old). Symptoms of hydrocephalus are very poor growth, very poor feeding, little energy, protruding eyes, and almost always seizures....frequent seizures!

I remain concerned about her, but every day, as I watch her eat and play..play...play...I feel much better. I feel like this molera may never close completely and I will have to be very careful about her head and any falls or injuries!!!

Just watch her and see what else the vet says.

Sheila is 12 weeks and 1.9 pounds. She's a happy healthy puppy in all other aspects. Hopefully it closes, but like you said I'll just have to be carefull with her head and falls.

Lil Bit will be 4 months on 3-2-05....she weighed 1 pound 11 oz 3 days ago...
like I said, I think this is more common is the little ones!!!

Hole is ok
 

Hi, I made a call to the breeder and it can happen. Yes, in about six month it should close. And be careful that Sheila dose not get bumped on the head. It is like a baby with a soft spot. She should be ok ;)

Dont mess with it! That is her soft spot just like a babie has it will fill up pretty soon but make sure you leave it alone and that she does not play to hard.This is because the Breeder let her go to soon. I say that the Breeder had a small litter and all of her litter mates was like that but just give it time it will grow up in know time just be Careful.This is what happens when Breeder doesnt check this kind of stuff!

yea hershey has that too.. but I had this accident in which i was moving the metal fence that forms hershey's playpen to my room, and i left it against the wall for a sec, and next thing i know hershey comes running up and the fence falls on him! of course fence is much bigger and heavier so he was yelping but i calmed him down by petting him.. i never felt that worried and scared in my life. Is there any chance that he might be less smart? he seems fine and is back to normal right now but that thing was sure heavy...

I dont think but I would take him to the vet and let them check him out before you just try to calm him down because he could be hurt.And I hate to imagine what would happen if something happened to that soft spot and you didnt know about it.It is just like a babies on their heads do you know what happens if something hits it to hard?

Strange because she does come from a good breeder and was checked out by their vet. My vet noticed t though. I'm sure she'll be ok and I am very carefull with her.

Oh ya she will be fine just be very careful and watch her and as far as the Breeder thing goes.I am very picky about my Puppies and they will not go until I know that everything is fine it just scares me because if I know I had a puppy that has a soft spot I would not let it go until it harden up that is just me my Puppies are like my babies it is very hard for me to let them go:)

yea i took him to the vet the next day because i was suppose to give him his irst shot anyways.. and he says he "seems" ok but i made a thread on the health forum asking about vets in general since mine seemed really vague about everything... and at times when he has accidents and pees on the carpet instead of pee pad, my bf jokes around about how he may be stupid cuz of that accident and that scares me. my bf keeps on saying there is probably nothing we cna do to find out if that accident in any way affected hershey unless we do a full MRI testing .. i dont know. i just hope HOPE that hershey is ok and will be ok in the future. im just grateful right now that he seems normal.

How long has it been since this has happened and how old his he? I am no means a vet but keep your eye on him and if you notice anything abnormal then take him on.Lilli had a concusion when she was about 6 months and that was the most terrible time of my life!!!!!!! My Yorkies are my world I feel the same why with them that a I do my son I would do anything for them I dont care how much money it would take My Son and my Yorkies are my world.And I will tell you the truth I was a cat lover until I met the bred Yorkshire Terrier! And I rescue anything if I see it on the side of the road its mine! I have always been a animal lover of all kinds I dont care what it is If it needs a home i have got it one:)

it happened on feb 11th so it's been almost a month.. and no signs of abnormal behavior. thank god. and what happneed to lilli when she had a concussion? what did you do to save her? im sorry to hear that but im glad everything turned out ok.

When it first happened she stiffend up I thought I lost her! I was terrified and then she started to drool and went into shock! I rushed her to the ER vet and they gave her some med inflaming to her brain I had to watch her for a week to make sure she would be ok poor thing she was so upset she jump off the couch and hit her head just right and then I picked her up as soon as it happened ans she was stiff I freaked OUT! I thought I lost her! But she is fine know wouldnt even be able to tell anything happened to her!

I'm so glad she's fine now. If anything happened to my yorkie I don't know what I'd do.... To be safe though the emergency clinic and my vets phone # are right on the fridge just in case.....

Sibelle was born with it , she is now 6 years old and weight 14 ounces . The hole is smaller and it never stop her . She loves her owner and her owner loves her .

This is not a question of good or bad breeders . Some are born with and some not . It is nature .

Emma has this exact same thing, she is 18 weeks now and I can feel it on her hard, it is like a small indent. I think it has shrunk a bit, at least relative to her size, and I was VERY protective at first when I heard about it, but she plays with other dogs, has hit her hard (sometimes hard) on tables, chairs, walls, nothing seems to phase her so I'm not too worried about it. The vet said the only way it would ever hurt her is if something pierced the skull at that exact point, and it would have to be a long sharp object, so realistically it's not a big worry, because if something like that was hitting her head anyway its bad no matter what!

Pixie has a soft spot too. The breeder put us through a pretty brutal screening before letting her go home with us. I wouldn't let the kids (the youngest is 7) even hold her for her first month home. I drive 40 minutes to the breeder's vet just because he knows her and her "special needs" During our last regular visit I asked if there were any surgical procedures, like a metal plate to protect her brain. He actually told my I was being overly cautious and it would take a freak accident for any brain damage to occur even if the hole never closes up. Something like a pencil being stabbed in just the right spot. Wouldn't you know, a week later she fell off the bed and knocked her head on the edge of her crate and it swelled all up. Crazy drive to his office and several buckets of worried tears later he gave her a Cortizone shot to bring down the swelling and antibiotics, and now she is right as rain. The accident had nothing to do with her soft spot, it was just a bruise really, but the vet said it is important with any head injuries for her to have antibiotics so any fluids do not travel into the brain area through the open soft spot, since an infection inside this area could be fatal. So now we don't overprotect her, but I have the vet's home number and permission to call just in case! ;) It does sound like a problem with just the little bitty pups though. Pixie is 4 months now an just finally made it to 1.5 pounds.