My dog is running a temperature!

Your dog looks like he’s down in the dumps. Unlike his usual bouncy self, Rover has been lazing about all day, hasn’t touched his food, and doesn’t seem to be drinking much. It’s lovely weather outside, yet he’s shivering and seems to be feeling cold. What could possibly be wrong with your boy?

These signs are all classic symptoms indicating that your dog might be running a fever. However, even if your dog is exhibiting all of the above symptoms along with vomiting, nasal discharge, or a dry, hot nose, there is only one definitive way to know if he truly has a fever: checking his rectal body temperature with a proper thermometer.

What is a Fever?

A fever is a biological reaction induced by the body, raising its internal temperature in response to an invading pathogen. This process is a deliberate attempt to make the body an inhospitable environment for the disease, hindering the invasion and buying the immune system time to respond and heal on its own.

Unfortunately, this high body temperature doesn’t only harm bacteria and viruses; if left unchecked, it can also harm the animal’s own healthy cells and severely disrupt normal metabolism.

Abnormally high body temperatures denature the proteins that are essential to normal physical functioning, causing immense harm.

What Can I Do Until I See a Veterinarian?

If your dog has a fever, your first step should always be to contact your veterinarian. No one else is equipped with the medical knowledge required to diagnose the root cause and properly help your dog recover.

However, if your beloved dog is running a dangerously high fever, the steps you take while waiting for veterinary assistance can mean the difference between life and death. The immediate priority is to safely bring the dog’s core body temperature down to manageable levels.

Keep in mind that dogs do not sweat like humans do. While they have a few sweat glands between their toes, they lose the vast majority of their body heat through panting and heat radiation from their extremities.

Steps for Safe Cooling

• Relocate to a Cool Area: Immediately move the dog to a shaded, cool environment where air circulates easily (like a tile floor near a fan or air conditioner). Note that dogs with dark coats absorb heat easily, so keep them strictly out of direct sunlight or away from hot lamps.

• Apply Cool, Damp Towels: Cover the dog’s back, neck, and chest with cool, damp towels to gently initiate the cooling process.

• Use Cool Water for Rapid Cooling: If the dog is running a very high fever and needs to be cooled down rapidly, you can wet their paws with cold water or gently hose them down with cool running water. In extreme emergencies, carefully wrapped ice packs can be applied (never apply ice directly to the skin).

• Monitor Temperature Constantly: It is absolutely imperative to regularly check the dog’s rectal temperature throughout this process. Losing too much body heat too rapidly can send the dog into hypothermic shock, which is just as fatal as the fever itself. Small dogs are particularly prone to rapid heat loss.

A Note on Taking Temperatures: Do ask your vet to show you how to properly take your dog’s rectal body temperature if you feel incapable or uncomfortable doing it yourself. It is an invaluable skill for any dog owner, as it remains the single best method to accurately assess your dog’s condition at home.