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My dog has a large head bump and is shaking his ears. What's wrong?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Golden Retriever | Male | 2 years and 4 months old | 72 lbs

This morning my 2y6m golden retriever had a very large bump on his head (2/3 pic) has never been this pronounced (1/3 pic) doesn't seem to bother him, he does seem annoyed when I touch it. Has been shaking ears this week- cleaned them twice. Wiped awayBrown not a lot. Appetite is great, normal activity, nrml urination and BM maybe panting more than usual Has not changed shape all day. Not warm I would say moderate soft to hard

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on December 29th, 2019

Poor Charlie. That bump does look big. You need to have it checked out by a vet, and I'd take him into one in the morning. While there, the vet can check out his ears, as it sounds like he may have an ear infection.

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    Answered By Emily, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on July 6th, 2017

    Charlie likely has an aural hematoma. This is where essentially blood fills a pocket under the skin. This is likely to grow in size and could become infected and causing pain. Sometimes we have to do surgery to drain this other times we can treat it with an injection. This can cause scarring of his ear. I recommend Charlie get examined by his veterinarian today to prevent complications. He may also have an your infection that needs to be treated to prevent him from continuing to shake his head.

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