How To Correctly Measure Your Dog's Temperature

If your dog is energetic, has a good appetite, and is lively and active, you do not need to measure its temperature; if it suddenly becomes listless, has a dry nose, increased eye mucus, decreased appetite, vomiting and diarrhea, and coughs constantly, you should measure its temperature immediately.

When measuring body temperature, you can use a thermometer for animals or a human rectal thermometer. When measuring, because dog hair is very thick, if you measure under the armpit or groin, errors will occur, so the temperature measured at the anus is accurate.

By the way, before each measurement, you should shake the thermometer vigorously a few times, moisten the front end with paraffin oil, and then insert it about 3 cm into the anus to reach the rectum.

The normal body temperature of a dog is between 37.5 and 39℃. It is higher in puppies than in adult dogs, and higher in small dogs than in large dogs. Since the breed and age of dogs are related to body temperature, when the dog is usually healthy, you can measure 5 times and take the average value to understand the normal body temperature of the dog.

When your dog has coughs and diarrhea, it is best to measure its temperature first. If the temperature is not high, you don't have to worry too much. However, if the dog is depressed and has a poor appetite, and the temperature rises to more than 40℃, it may be suffering from acute pneumonia, canine distemper, infectious bronchitis, pneumonia or heat stroke, which are fatal diseases. Be sure to pay attention. When a dog has a fever, it will often find a cool place to lie down to cool its belly, and sometimes the body will tremble and shiver. At this time, it is necessary to send it to the hospital immediately for treatment. Of course, the body temperature of some diseases may not increase, but decrease. If the body temperature is below 36℃, or even undetectable (below 35℃), it means that it is in a more dangerous state of shock, which is a precursor to the deterioration of the disease.

The normal body temperatures of animals are as follows:

Horses 37.5~38.5℃; Cattle 38.0~39.5℃; Sheep 39.0~40.5℃; Pigs 38~40℃; Dogs 37.5~39.0℃; Poultry 41.5~42.5℃.