3 weeks puppy head injury

[lolo]

Sorry this is not Rottweiler related to but its really concerning me, I'm fostering a Doberman female nursing 5 pups, 2 of the puppies have head injuries, their heads are like a bubble it seems that its filled of some kind of liquid, the vets says that this is caused by the mother, and they cant give them any medication at this age, they told me to put a cold wet towel on their heads 6 times a day, its really concerning, I don’t know what to do.
Please help!

[targonrotts]

have you considered a second opinion?
were they with this bubble head since birth or did they actually get injured?
it almost sounds to me like encephallitis-swelling of the brain. pups that are born with very domed heads...and many times have an open fontanelle.
hm...

[lolo]

Thanks for your reply, they were not born with it, it all started 4 days ago, the pups are eating ok, 2 days ago they were screaming from pain but now it seems that the pain is going but the its still there,
What second option?

[observer]

Originally Posted by lolo

What second option?

The suggestion was to go to another vet for a second opinion. I agree with that advice. Good luck, and keep us posted.

[fostermom]

This link offers some information...I am sure it is very difficult to not be able to help these babies...thank you for caring for them.
Hydrocephalus in Puppies & Dogs

[lolo]

Observer, I have seen 3 vets but the vets here in Amman are not the good they all said we cant give medication at this age.
Foster mom, thank you for the link, the there are bite marks on the puppies heads, can this be related.

[fostermom]

First, I guess I'd assume bite marks would only come from the mother or are there other dogs near the pups that could have bitten them?? Were the bite marks there BEFORE the pups' heads became swollen? I had a pup that was nipped by my old dog and it became infected...if the pups got bitten (maybe mom was trying to move them or was overzealous in cleaning them), the bites might have become infected, thus looking swollen. If this is actually infected bite marks, then they might not be hydrocephalic.

[lolo]

There are no other dogs near her and the pups, but the mom is not that good with them, I’ve seen here growl at them a couple of times but I always correct her, when that happens I was actually out of town on a business trip for 2 days and I had a friend to check on her and the pups, i came back to find the pups this way, but their was no bite marks before.
Thanks

[targonrotts]

actually, at 3 weeks, there are antibiotics you can give pups. all the vets you saw said no? clavamox,amoxicillin are 2 that are safe at this age if it is an abcesed infection from a bite. they need something if it is a bite. if there is a scab, you need to warm soak it, help peel it and warm compress to the heads every 6 hours for 10 minutes each time. this would help drain if it is an abcess from bite.
if mother is being rough, separate her. in a few more days you can start weaning the pups. she might be also growling because of the incoming teeth and sharp nails.
i hope you get an anser to help these pups.

[fostermom]

Bites can abscess very quickly...as I mentioned the nip my old lab did to the 7 week old pup abscessed badly overnight...the vet put the pup on antibiotics, drained the puss and cleaned the wound...improvement was almost immediate. One thing I've found is that sometimes vets focus on one thing and overlook the obvious. If I don't feel satisfied with how one vet is treating my dogs, I have NO problems in taking them to a different vet. It might still be that the pups have hydrocephalus and then there is not a whole lot that can be done, but I'd definitely have the wounds checked by a vet. Again, best of luck with the babies.

[lolo]

Thanks all for your advice, today I’m going to consult another vet, hopefully he will give me an answer if not I’m going to ask him to drain the wound and give antibiotics that targonrotts suggested.
I'll keep you guys posted.

[Sharon Marples]

If these puppies are 3 weeeks old, they are old enough to start feeding them to get them weaned off their mom. If she is growling and biting at them now, I suggest you get them eating on their own and take them away from her before she kills one of them.

[Sam's Mom]

Just a thought...would hydrogen peroxide help to clean the wounds after you get them opened. I have used that stuff for my kids and dogs for years to clean out wounds.

[BostonRott]

No, do not use peroxide. It's very damaging to tissues. If you want to clean wounds, use betadine.

[lolo]

Hey guys, the vet said yesterday that its, in not sure if the spelling is ok, (Himatoma) he gave them antibiotics, and said that he will give them 48 hours, and then he will decide if he is going to use more medication.

Thank you all for your advice and I’ll keep you posted.