Can dogs have fevers?

Question

My dog's head feels extremely HOT but she acts ok. Could she have a fever? If not what do you think is causing her head to feel so hot?

Answer 1

Yes, a dog can have a fever. A dog's normal temperature is about 100.5 to 102.5 degrees farenheit, so they should always feel warmer to you since your normal temperature is much lower. The only way to really tell if your dog has a fever is to take her temperature rectally. If you are concerned, take the dog to the vet, or buy a rectal thermometer and take the temp for 60 seconds. The temperature can be elevated due to increased activity, stress, or being out in the heat. If the temp is high, put the dog in a place to chill out and retake it in one hour. It should go down if it's due to one of those factors.
Do not EVER give your dog an over the counter medication without first talking with your vet. Tylenol and ibuprofen are NOT ok to give to dogs.
The feel of her nose has absolutely nothing to do with her health. Some dogs have dry noses, some have wet, some have warm noses, some have cold. They may all be normal.

Answer 2

Yes dogs can get fevers, but some dogs heads just normally feel hot. My LabX female always has a hot head.........hehehe But if you think she might have a fever you can always take a rectal temp on her, The average temperature of a healthy dog is 101 °F or 38 °C, however, the normal temperature of a healthy dog may range from 99 °F to 102.5 °F (37.2 °C - 39.2 °C).

Answer 3

Yes, a dog can have a fever, but cannot tell by his or her nose. A dry nose IS NOT AN sign OF FEVER or any other type of illness in a dog. That is an old wives's tale.

The only way to know if your dog is running a fever is to take its temperature rectally.

Answer 4

the actual temputure for dogs is higher than whats expected in humans. And I think it varies by the size/breed of the dog.
But I did have a vet tell me one time how to check for fever- actually feel the ends of the dogs ears. The ears should always feel cool to the touch- so if they havent been laying in the sun or something- warm ears may mean they have a fever. (you cant always use the cold-wet nose thing- cause they get dry and warm when the sleep.)

Answer 5

you really cant tell a dogs temp by the way their head feels like humans. if your really concerned about your dogs temp. you have to take it rectal. a dogs normal body temp is 101 f. if your dog is acting and eating normal iam sure she is fine. her head might be hot because she was in the sun or she was just sleeping on it or she was running around or many other simular reasons. do not give your dog tylenol. it is not okay for dogs. asprin is but to get the correct dose you need to consult a vet. never give your dog medicine without consulting a vet first.

Answer 6

yes dogs can very well have fevers. Check and see if the nose is wet and cold, if not she has a fever. You can take a dogs temp. Anal, using a baby thermometer

Answer 7

A vet will tell you animals can get fevers.

A vet will tell you to keep fresh water always available especially if the dog seems hot.
Excess thirst can be a sign of a fever.

You could call the SPCA to ask for their advice for free.

Answer 8

Yes

Answer 9

Yes

Answer 10

well your dog should feel extremely hot compared to your average body temeperature, because a dogs normal body temperature is 101 degrees. If you think your dogs temp is higher than that you could always shove a thermometer up his/her butt to find out if he/she has a temperature.