Health
Hot ears, a warm dry nose, a dog who will not get up for his walk. The nose tells you nothing. A thermometer tells you everything in under a minute.
Caution. Above 39.5 °C with lethargy or other signs, above 40 °C regardless, below 37.5 °C in a weak dog, or fever in an unvaccinated puppy: call your own vet today. Above 41 °C after heat or exercise, wet him with cold water and leave now. Do not give human fever medicines.
Do not look for the answer in a Facebook group, on TikTok or on a forum. Look for someone trained for this: your dog's own veterinarian, the only person who can examine, investigate and treat them.
Use this page to know what to observe, what to note and what to ask at the appointment, not to treat at home. If you still have doubts after a consultation, ask another vet or a specialist (dermatologist, internist) for a second opinion, not a group. And if you do not have a regular vet yet, find one now, while your dog is healthy: how to choose a veterinary clinic.
He has been lying in the corner since morning. He did not get up when you picked up the lead, he has not touched his food, and when you stroke his head his ears feel like they are burning. You touch his nose: warm and dry. Your gran says that means fever; the internet says it means nothing. To find out, you need a thermometer and two minutes of patience. Here you will find a dog's normal temperature, how to take it without anyone getting upset, which readings mean a phone call today, and what never to give him from your own medicine cabinet.
An adult dog's normal temperature, taken rectally, is 38 to 39.2 °C (100.4 to 102.5 °F). Puppies can run slightly higher. In practice, fever starts from about 39.5 °C. Call your own vet today if:
Above 41 °C, especially after exercise, heat or a day in the car, it is no longer fever. It is overheating, and within minutes it becomes dangerous. Wet him with cold water, not ice, on the belly, neck and paws, and head for the practice with the air conditioning on. Do the same if he is fitting, his gums are white or blue, or he no longer responds to his name.
The nose tells you nothing. Perfectly healthy dogs have warm, dry noses after a sleep, next to a radiator or after a day in the sun, and a dog with a fever can have a cold, wet one. Warm ears, a warm belly and warm paws are just as unreliable. The only tool you can trust is a thermometer.
Ear thermometers for animals exist but read less reliably. Infrared forehead thermometers made for people do not work through fur. If you cannot get a reading at all, tell your vet that rather than guessing a number from how he feels to the touch.
Take it when he is settled, not straight after a walk, a game, a hot bath or an hour by the fire. Exercise and excitement push the temperature up by half a degree, sometimes a whole degree, without it being fever. At the vet's, frightened dogs often read 39.3–39.5 °C from stress alone.
| What it might be | What else you usually see |
|---|---|
| Infection (tooth, skin, urinary tract, airways, a wound) | Signs in that spot: pus, coughing, weeing often, pain |
| Tick-borne disease | Lethargy, pale gums, dark urine, lameness that shifts from leg to leg |
| Abscess after a bite | Hot, painful swelling appearing 2–5 days later |
| Womb infection in unspayed bitches | Great thirst, lethargy, sometimes discharge, 1–2 months after a season |
| Pancreatitis, other internal inflammation | Vomiting, sore belly, hunched posture |
| Reaction to a vaccination | A day or two a bit flat, then back to normal |
| Overheating (not a fever) | After heat or exercise, heavy panting, very high temperature |
A fever tells you something is going on in the body. The vet's job is to find out what.
Before you leave, ask what to watch for at home, at what temperature to call again, and when the follow-up is.
A cheap thermometer kept in the dog's first-aid kit saves you a lot of nights staring at his nose not knowing what to think. Take his temperature now, while he is well. You learn what is normal for him, and he gets used to the thermometer.
What dog owners search for most often on the internet about this problem, with the short answer. The answers are a guide only: the decision belongs to your dog's own vet, after an examination.
Between 38 and 39.2 °C, taken rectally, in a calm adult dog. Puppies can run a little higher. After exercise, play or excitement the temperature can rise by half a degree without it being fever, so measure once he has rested. Above 39.5 °C is a fever, below 37.5 °C is too low.
With a digital thermometer kept just for him, the tip greased with petroleum jelly or oil. Someone holds the dog standing, you lift his tail and slide the tip gently into his bottom, 1–2 cm in small dogs and 2–3 cm in large ones, until it beeps. Then wipe and disinfect the thermometer, and give him praise and something good.
No. Plenty of healthy dogs have a warm, dry nose after sleeping, in the sun or next to a radiator, and a dog with a fever can have a cold, wet one. Warm ears or a warm belly are not reliable either. Only a thermometer tells you. If you cannot get a reading, tell your vet so.
Nothing from your own cupboard. Human fever and pain medicines are toxic to dogs even in small amounts and can cause ulcers or damage the kidneys or liver. Give him fresh water, let him rest somewhere cool and call your vet, who will look for the cause of the fever and decide on treatment.
The information on this page is educational and does not replace an examination. For full details and a diagnosis, consult your dog's own veterinarian.
They often come together: the same causes, plans that complement each other.
Panting with a wide tongue, looking for shade, wobbling, then lying down. Cool him first with cold water, travel second, and do not stop at "he seems better".
He sniffed the bowl and walked off, twice running, yet he's drinking and wagging. With a bright adult you can wait a day. With a puppy or an old dog, you can't.
You pick up the lead and nobody comes. He sleeps, leaves food in the bowl, ignores the ball. An off day or the first sign of illness; what comes with it decides.
He shakes at fireworks, in the cold, with excitement before a walk. Or he shakes, drools, goes floppy and found the chocolate. A thirty-second video tells them apart.
We work with your dog's behaviour, not its health. For any sign described here, book an appointment with your own vet; the related services page explains how to choose a clinic.