Bumpy head and red eyes.

[clancy's mom]

I am new to posting, but I have a couple of questions and would like to get others' thoughts. Our Clancy, a 2 year old goldendoodle, has a large bump on top of his head. Several people have made remarks like, "oh, that's a sign that he is really smart," and I am wondering if others have doods with bumps?

Also, around his eyes is really red some days. We have had some issues with ear infections and he has been on medicine for that a couple of times. I thought he was rubbing his ears on the couch, but now I think he may actually be rubbing his eyes? I have seen products advertised for dog's eyes, but don't know if anyone has any experience with putting drops in their dog's eyes? I had enough trouble getting him to let me put drops in his ears, I can only imagine what it would be like to try to put something in his eyes. Any suggestions?

By the way, the vet suggested changing his food because of the ear infections. We were feeding him Eukanube large dog and she suggested the Hill's Prescription Diet (which is REALLY expensive). After reading up on dog allergies and that it rarely is caused by food, we have switched him to Blue and that hasn't seemed to affect him one way or another.

[Adina P]

good job on your first posting!
both of my doodles have the retriever bump on their head :-)
I've also heard it called the knowledge bump :-) I don't think there's anything to worry about there.
Unfortunately, I have no advice regarding his possible allergy or eye irritation.

[Janie]

The bumps are natural...it is a retriever thing.

[clancy's mom]

Thanks for the advice. Sounds like that will work. We just had him groomed a couple of weeks ago (at a new groomer) and, unfortunately, they trimmed his eyelashes pretty short. I wondered if this might be why his eyes are red now -- irritants that couldn't get in before when they were longer can get in now? If it's not one thing, it's another (just like with kids, I think?)

[Serena Keating]

My Scooby has often been referred to as having a dino head - almost like a big ridge on the top. Can't see it with all that hair, but definitely feel it. But we still love Dino head!

Haven't had the eye problem, but went through a year of chronic ear infections. Most important is to remove any hair in the ears. Shave the hair down very short below the ears for air circulation. Drops should go into your pet's ears regularly to keep the canals clean. And something we do with Scooby that I feel has really helped is to flip his ear flaps up whenever possible. If he is laying with me, I always flipped his ear flap up and the air can circulate.

The ingredients in dog food are a definite source of allergies for dogs, so don't discount it...

[Serena Keating]

One more thought, if he is having the red eyes since the groomer, the culprit could also be the shampoo used by the groomer cause an allergic reaction or to much shampoo got in his eyes and caused an iritation.

[clancy's mom]

Good thought, but he had them before also. They went away while he was on the medicine for his latest ear infection but now are coming back. We live in a very woody area and when he walks, he loves poking his head around in the leaves and woods -- maybe it is a reaction to some kind of weed or grass?

[Janie]

Does anyone know if you can put visine for humans in their eyes?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Red eyes can definitely be a symptom of allergies...I am glad that you know that allergies are rarely caused by food. I would not bother with the Hill's. Ask the vet about using antihistamines, which one she recommends and what dosage, and see if that helps. Antihistamines can be stopped & started without adverse effects, although if Clancy has inhalant allergies, continuous use will help more. There are drops for dog's eyes, but you need to get a vet recommendation on that as well.
See if you can find a pattern regarding the days that his eyes are red & he is rubbing them a lot...is the weather damper or more humid during those periods? Does it happen the day after Clancy has been out in the woods or has spent more time outdoors? Does it happen more right after you clean house, or maybe when the house could use a cleaning? The day the lawn has been mowed? Those kinds of things.
Really hoping that it's not an allergy, maybe just a temporary irritation to something. If it continues, see the vet again, armed with more info based on your observations. And if she continues to push the Hill's ask her to tell you specifically what it contains or doesn't contain that would help Clancy, and why it would help more than a commercial food with similar ingredients. Good luck with this.

[Debbie and Thomas]

I just wanted to comment on the ears-my dood is only 4 mths, but he was already experiencing pronlems with his ears-no infections yet but an expensive ear cleaner was prescribed and it was not doing the tricj, He had a dark brown waxy buildup that came back every day after I cleaned the ears thoroughly. Our dog trainer told me about a prodyct called "Gentian" Blue ear cleaner drops. She told me it has cured dogs she has known with chronic ear infections(their owners has paid thousands of dollars on different treatments but the infection just kept coming back. I tracked it down and have used it-no more waxy buildup and he stopped the ear scratching altogether. Just a few drops a week. Just thought I'd share this with you.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Debbie, gentian violet is a plant extract that used to be used to treat human females' yeast infections. It fell out of favor because it stains unbelievably bad...the dog's fur, your clothing, carpets, floors, walls, etc., can all be stained deep dark purplish-blue when the dog shakes his head. Obviously, this has not been a problem for you, but people should be made aware of that part of it. I myself can still remember having to throw away stained bed sheets, lol.
More importantly, you need to first determine whether the ear infection is a yeast or bacterial infection. Gentian violet is only effective on yeasts. It has no effect whatsoever on bacteria. Keeping the dogs' ears clean and wax-free is important, but I think it's a good idea, if someone suspects an infection, to first find out what kind it is before using any remedies. :-)

[Linda and Murphy]

Murphy definitely has the huge bump. I like the "dino bump".

dark brown stuff sounds more like ear mites, not yeast.

[Tamara & Giada]

I have also wondered about this bump. To me it feels like a pointy bone. My friends Irish Setter also has it, but no other dog I've ever had has had this. Weird!