Learn How To Take Your Dog’s Temperature, Read His Pulse, & Collect Potty Samples
Learn How To Take Your Dog’s Temperature, Read His Pulse, & Collect Potty Samples
As your dog’s constant companion, you are probably very attuned to fluctuations in his behavior. If you observe that your dog seems more sluggish or less comfortable than normal, take a careful look at him. Does your dog have a runny nose? A cough? Is his appetite normal? Does he have diarrhea? Is he drooling excessively? Is he whining? These are all examples of warning signs that may accompany an illness and you may have to do some minor investigating. Here are some tips:
How To Take Your Dog’s Temperature: If your dog seems sluggish, has a hot, dry nose, dull eyes, and/or feels warm, he may have a fever. The only reliable way to take your dog’s temperature is with a rectal thermometer. Shake down the thermometer and grease it well with petroleum jelly.
Not many dogs will stand still while you insert a thermometer into their rectum, so it is best to get someone to help you. If no help is available, make your dog lie down on his side and hold him as best you can, all the while talking to him soothingly. Lift his tail and gently push the thermometer in with a twisting motion. Insert the thermometer from one to three inches, depending on the size of your dog. Hold the thermometer in place for at least two minutes.
Remove it, wipe it clean, and determine the temperature by the height of the silver column of mercury on the thermometer scale. A temperature of 100.5 degrees to 102 degrees is normal. A temperature above 102.5 or below 100.0 is cause for concern, and merits a call to your veterinarian. Do not let go of the dog or of the thermometer. You do not want to risk having the thermometer break in the dog’s rectum. If the thermometer does break off, do not attempt to find and extract the broken end. Give the dog one to two teaspoonfuls of mineral oil and call your veterinarian.
How To Take Your Dog’s Pulse: The most reliable way of taking your dog’s pulse is to locate the femoral artery. Your dog can either be standing or can be lying on his back for this. Put your fingers inside your dog’s groin, where the leg joins the trunk. Feel around until you detect a pulse. Another method is to press against the rib cage over the heart while your dog is standing. You should be able to detect a pulse just below the elbow joint.
Count how many beats there are in a fifteen-second period, and then multiply that number by four. The normal range is wide – anywhere from 70 to 130 beats per minute. Smaller breeds
and puppies usually tend toward faster pulse rates, while larger breeds and healthy dogs who get plenty of exercise often have a slower pulse.
Collecting Urine Samples: For male dogs, use a wide-mouthed jar. When your male dog lifts his leg to urinate during a walk, reach down gently and collect about a quarter cup of urine. For a female dog, place a flat pan under her when she squats to urinate.
Collecting Stool Samples: Stool samples are used to determine the presence of intestinal parasites. A sample is often requested as part of your dog’s routine examination. Try to collect as fresh a sample as possible and place it in a plastic bag. If you are taking it from outside, avoid soil; organisms on the ground could make their way into your dog’s fecal material, resulting in an inaccurate reading.
