Fever in Dogs

Detecting sickness in dogs often happens when something is already terribly wrong. Dogs do not immediately give off a very profound signal like humans or kids do when they start to feel sick. That's why it's easy to forget that dogs do get a little bit under the weather. One has to be aware of slight changes of your dog's behavior, level of energy or routine.

I remembered when Harvey became sick right after his vaccination. It was Sunday after dinner when we noticed him throw up, looking droopy and his eyes were about to close. His nose was so dry and he wouldn't eat. He was shivering. 

Of course, I did what naturally came to me. I panicked. 

I tried to call his veterinarian as I looked for my car keys. I was eager to bring him to the vet. I saw the look on my father's face when he saw me panicking. He thought it was a real emergency, but after finding what the fuss was about, he said it was I who needed hospitalization. Karla and JD were nowhere to be found. Globe's 3G was hopeless that time. I tried to google for remedies. My mom was on the phone with someone. Nobody cared. 

I was about to pick him up and bring him to the car when my mom gave me a half tablet of Biogesic. She told me my lolo from Cebu recommended it. He's not a vet, but he also takes care of dogs and he swears by this treatment. With no other options, I forced Harvey to drink the medicine. Then his veterinarian called. I told him my observations, which he ruled out to be fine. The vet said that Harvey's just having a slight fever and it will go away the next day. He assured me its normal after a series of shots. I didn't tell him about the Biogesic remedy though. True enough, Harvey was back to his normal self the next day.

That was as a horrific episode. But how would you really know if your dog has fever and what should you do? Do they even get fevers like how humans get it? Weather? Virus? Infection? And what are the signs?

According to what my friends share and what the vet mentioned, if the dog's nose is wet and cold, he's pretty much okay. But if it's dry and rough, it means he's under the weather. I don't even know if giving half dosages of human medicine is appropriate.


CAUSE:

According to medicinenet.com, a dog's fever could be brought by 3 known reasons:

Infection: This could be bacterial, fungal or viral. Infections latch on anywhere in the body, usually organs, and this definitely needs attention from the vet. You have to possibly rule this out.

Vaccination: 24-48 hours of fever is common after a series of shots. It's just basically the medicine working with the dog's immune system.

Toxins: When the dog eats something bad and inappropriate, it could increase body temperature. This also needs treatment and attention from the vet.

If the dogs do have repetitive fever, but the source like toxins and infections are unknown, an underlying problem maybe brewing. This could be caused by organ disorders, bone marrow problems and cancer. It's always best to involve the vet for dog fevers of more than 2 days.

SIGNS:

But how do you know if the dog has fever in the first place? What are the foolproof signs and symptoms?

According to petmed.com, one of the main signs that dogs have fever is unexplained or sudden weakness. If you call your dog and he seems to be unresponsive and unusually weak, this is a foolproof sign that something's wrong. If the dog doesn't have any appetite. If the dog sneezes, drools too much and has swollen gums. Physically, if the dog has a hot and dry nose and has unexplained nose and ear discharges. And if the dog does shiver, vomit and has diarrhea. 

Those are the foolproof signs that your dog is sick. But if you ask me, you can already tell if there's a change in personality. If the dog looks at you with a  droopy face, unusually struggles to respond and practically ignores you, that's already a signal for me that something's gone terribly wrong.

CONFIRMATION and ACTION

Now you figured out that something's wrong what do you do?

It's best to confirm your observations by using a rectal thermometer. According to pet websites, this is the most reliable method to determine your dog's temperature. Dogs have naturally higher temperature than ours. The normal temperature of dogs according to petmed.com is 99.5-102.4 Fahrenheit (37 - 39 Degrees Celsius). If it goes higher than 103 F, that's already a sign of elevated temperature that could be caused by fever.

You could use the normal digital or glass thermometer with your dogs, same ones you use for humans. You just need a lubricant or oil to avoid further discomfort for the dogs and an extra person to help you get the temperature.

Now that you have confirmed that the dog has fever and the vet is out of reach at the moment, what do you do?

• Give him access to lots of clean water. Do not force it though, an access to water would do. Just like in any fever there's a possibility of dehydration. 
• Give a blanket. If the dog is shivering, comfort him with a blanket. If he doesn't want to, don't force it. 
• Give gentle massages. This works wonders. It calms the dog down and makes him sleep.
• Keep him in a cooler place. Use cold compress in his stomach to bring relief. 
• Homemade broth or soup helps (vegetables or chicken)
• If the dog doesn't want to drink water, give him a few ice cubes to lick. 

Most importantly, if you know that the fever is not caused by any series of vaccination and it lasts for more than 24 hours with the temperature skyrocketing to 104 to 106 Fahrenheit, you need to get him to an emergency animal clinic immediately. 

Having fever sucks and you could just imagine how your dog feels. The important thing is try to make him feel comfortable and pray it's just a one-day thing that he just needs to shake off. As owners, we need to pay attention, stay calm and be informed.