How to bring down a dog’s temperature at home

There is nothing worse when a pet is sick. After all, it cannot tell about its symptoms, cannot complain and show where it hurts. Therefore, it is very important for the owners to carefully monitor their pet and note everything unusual in his behavior. In this article we will talk about high temperature, signs and causes of its occurrence, as well as how to bring down a dog’s high temperature.

How to understand that the dog has a high temperature

Normally, the dog's temperature is 37-39 degrees. Moreover, in puppies the temperature is slightly higher than in adult dogs. Dogs of large breeds have a lower body temperature than their small brethren. Also, body temperature also depends on the time of year - in summer it is higher than in winter.

Many mistakenly believe that body temperature can be determined by the nose of an animal. This is not true. The dog’s scent works better if the nose is wet. Therefore, the dog often licks his tongue. And when the dog is sleeping, she does not need a scent, at the moment she relies more on hearing. Therefore, the nose becomes dry. It is for this reason that it is impossible to draw a conclusion about elevated temperature only along the nose. But how to understand that a dog has a high fever? What signs should alert the owner?

1. If the dog is looking for a cold place in the house. This may be a wet rag on the doorstep, tiled floors in the toilet, basement. The dog thus tries to independently lower body temperature.
2. If the dog drinks a lot. At temperature, the body burns and in order to make up for fluid loss, the dog tries to drink a lot.
3. The condition of the dog is changing. She becomes lethargic, her appetite disappears, refuses games, tries to retire. When a pet behaves this way, you need to understand why this happens.
4. Touch your dog. At high temperatures, his nose and ears become unusually hot. At the same time, the heart beats faster, and breathing becomes frequent.
5. And the surest way to determine temperature is to measure it. To do this, place the tip of the thermometer in the anus of the animal and wait a bit. It is best to use an electronic thermometer - it acts faster and makes a sound when the measurement is completed. If the body temperature of the animal is 40-41 degrees, urgent need to take action.

Causes of a dog’s fever

As you know, body temperature in humans and animals rises due to heat stroke. This can happen in the hot season, when the dog played in the sun for a long time or just overheated. In dogs, this happens quite often and does not require special treatment. You just need to water the dog and leave it in a cool place.

Another common cause of fever in dogs is nervous experience. If the dog is given to a new house, if he has changed his place of residence or owner, and also if he is in a crowded and noisy place, this can provoke a temperature increase. In this case, it is necessary to relieve the animal from stress and everything will work out.

Sometimes body temperature can be caused by local inflammation. If the dog has painful injuries or open wounds, they can cause fever. It is necessary to treat wounds with an antiseptic composition. Sometimes the temperature rises due to a reaction to a particular vaccine. So the first day after vaccination, the dog must be carefully monitored.

The most common cause of an animal’s body increase is a defensive reaction of the body to a virus, bacterium, infection. This means that your pet is sick.It is very important to show the dog to a veterinarian who can diagnose the animal. Look for other symptoms of the dog. Perhaps he has vomiting or diarrhea, blood in his stool or urine.

Most often, the temperature rises in the dog at night, and you can’t get to the vet in the coming hours. In this case, you need to know how to independently bring down the temperature in the dog at home.

How to lower a dog’s temperature

1. First you need to provide a cool room. If the dog lies in a cool place - do not drive it. In the cold season, open the windows, ventilate the room. In the hot season, on the contrary, draw the curtains from the sun and turn on the air conditioner.
2. Provide the animal free access to clean drinking water. If necessary, solder the dog with a syringe without a needle.
3. Use contact cooling techniques. Wet a towel and cover it with the back of the animal. You can also just wet the dog’s coat. Place wet rags on the inside of your hips.
4. If the dog's temperature is above 40 degrees, you need to use medications. The temperature in dogs is confused by the same drugs as in adults. To do this, use Paracetamol, Ibufen, Nurofen - that is, any antipyretic drugs.
5. It is best to give antipyretic in the form of a syrup. If the dog refuses to drink it, you can put half of the pill on the back of the tongue - the animal will certainly swallow it.
6. When the temperature is too high, then to reduce it as soon as possible, you can use antipyretic candles, for example, Cefecon. It is best to use children's candles. If you have only an adult dosage on hand, you can simply divide the candle in half with a knife.
7. When you have a small breed dog or puppy in front of you, any antipyretic drug should be in a children's dosage. One teaspoon of baby syrup is usually enough.

After an antipyretic agent, relief and lowering of temperature occurs quickly, within half an hour. But this does not mean that you should not find out the cause of the fever. After the incident, consult your veterinarian as soon as possible to rule out serious illness. Take care of your pets, and they will repay you with kindness and love!

Video: how to measure the temperature of an animal