Does Your Dog Have A Fever

How to tell if your dog has a fever, and what to do if he does

Does my dog have a fever? The other day after a long hike I noticed my big and boisterous dog Boomer was not quite himself. After watching him for a few minutes, I wondered if he might be running a fever? I noticed his lethargy, his sad drooping eyes, and even his tail seemed to be dragging. This was not the Boomer I know and love.

I walked over to Boomer with his water bowl thinking he may just be dehydrated. He weakly wagged his tail as he looked away from the water. I then offered him a small treat but he was indifferent to that too. I decided to take his temperature to see if he could be running a fever.

Signs of a fever

• Droopy eyes
• Lethargy
• Weakness
• Warm nose
• vomiting
• diarrhea

Taking a dogs temperature is very easy to do and only takes a few minutes. First you should have a regular thermometer that is never used for family members. Coat the silver tip with Vaseline or any petroleum jelly and gently insert the thermometer into the dog's anus. Just an inch is far enough. It is a good idea to hold onto the thermometer and the dog's tail, this way the thermometer won't get lost.

After a few minutes gently take out the thermometer, clean with a tissue and check the reading. A dog's normal temp. is between 100 and 102. Boomers temp. was just under 103 degrees.

Because Boomer was fine and energetic during the hike I figured he was suffering from heat stroke. To make him more comfortable I draped his body in cold wet towels and put ice chips on the pads of his feet. To reduce his fever I gave him a buffered aspirin. Please consult your Vet before you do this and NEVER GIVE your dog aceteminophen(Tylenol) or ibuprofen(Advil) these medicines are toxic to dogs. If you administer aspirin make sure it is buffered.

In a few hours Boomer was back to his happy, hungry self.

For more information on treating your dogs symptoms naturally. Check out this e-book for great home care methods from "Veterinary Secrets Revealed" this book will answer all your questions including, does my dog have a fever?

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