An 8-week-old French bulldog puppy presented with seizure activity.

The dog was delivered via a cesarian section at a general practice. Several puppies in the litter had cleft palates and this one was a third of the size of the litter-mates. He was mentally 'dull' but was able to eat, drink, and walk around reasonably normally. He also had a cleft palate.

The puppy had an approximately 4cm diameter fontanelle- essentially the entire alopecic area in the photo- which was soft to the touch.

An animal born with a large soft swelling outside of the calvaria, often on the midline, has a meningocele or meningoencephalocele, the latter having brain tissue within the swelling along with the meninges. The skull defect is often called cranium bifidum.

For more information on cranial meningoceles and meningoencephalocele in dogs, click on the link below.