Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Persistent soft spots on Chihuahua skulls and their health impact
By Kiviranta, Anna-Mariam et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2021·Department of Equine and Small Animal Medicine·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Persistent fontanelles in Chihuahuas. Part I. Distribution and clinical relevance.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 50 Chihuahuas was examined for persistent fontanelles, which are soft spots on the skull that can sometimes be mistaken for harmless traits. Surprisingly, 92% of these dogs had one or more of these fontanelles, with an average of nearly three per dog. The study found that Chihuahuas showing signs of Chiari-like malformation (CM) or syringomyelia (SM) had more and larger fontanelles compared to those without these issues. This suggests that if your Chihuahua has these soft spots, it might be worth discussing with your vet, especially if they show any signs of discomfort or neurological issues.
People also search for: Chihuahua persistent fontanelles · Chiari-like malformation in Chihuahuas · signs of syringomyelia in dogs
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The Chihuahua dog breed is known for frequent occurrence of a bregmatic fontanelle on the dorsal skull. A common conception is that this skull defect is a clinically irrelevant finding. No studies, however, describe its prevalence or whether it is accompanied by other persistent fontanelles (PFs). Although Chihuahuas are predisposed to Chiari-like malformation (CM) and syringomyelia (SM), it is unknown whether PFs occur more commonly in dogs with clinical signs that are caused by CM or SM. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: To describe the number and location of PFs at cranial sutures (CSs) and to compare the occurrence of these PFs in dogs with and without CM/SM-related clinical signs. We hypothesized that PFs also occur commonly at lateral and caudal cranial surfaces, affect a higher number of CSs, and are larger in dogs with CM/SM-related clinical signs. ANIMALS: Fifty client-owned Chihuahuas with or without CM/SM-related clinical signs. RESULTS: Of the 50 dogs evaluated, 46 (92%) had either 1 or several PFs. The mean ± SD number of PFs was 2.8 ± 3.0 (range, 0-13). A total of 138 PFs occupied 118 CSs with 57 (48%) located dorsally, 44 (37%) caudally, and 17 (14%) laterally. The number of CSs affected by PFs was significantly higher (P ≤ .001) and total PF area was significantly larger (P = .003) in dogs with CM/SM-related clinical signs. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Persistent fontanelles are very common in this group of Chihuahuas and appear at dorsal, lateral, and caudal cranial surfaces. They are more numerous and larger in Chihuahuas with CM/SM-related clinical signs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34028887/