What To Do When Your Dog Has a Fever
As an owner it is important to
know what to do when your dog is ill.
There are many different things that can cause your dog to be ill, and
many different things you can do based on the illness to help them feel better.
If your dog is not feeling well, it usually makes an uncomfortable
situation for both the owner and the dog alike.
A fever is common to many
illnesses, so it is important to know how to treat a fever.
When the dog has a fever its body uses more calories and energy than
normal. This increase in calories
and energy used is to fuel the fever.
Since the amount of energy and calories used increases, so does the
amount of calories that are taken in.
If the amount of calories that are taken in are not increased, the only
other place to take them from is the dogs body.
If this occurs the recovery time is much longer.
Due to the increased burning of
calories, the amount of calories that are taken in should also increase.
A good rule of thumb is to increase the calories by three per pound of
body weight
for each degree that the
temperature is above normal. The
higher the fever, the more calories that are needed to replenish what is being
taken away.
This increase in calorie intake
is not always easy, as when a fever or illness occurs, the appetite usually
decreases. One easy way to get the
increase in calories needed is to add corn oil to the dogs regular dog food.
Corn oil has 45 calories in each teaspoon.
Since energy is also used,
protein will be needed to keep the dogs energy level up.
Cottage cheese, usually three ounces to one pound of canned food, and
four ounces to dry food, and one boiled eggs added to the food is sufficient.
Do use the same food that is used on a regular basis.
A change in dog food may cause even more illness.
The increase in calories, and
protein should be started as soon as a fever is detected, and stopped as soon as
the dog is feeling better. It is
important to start the increase right away to help speed the recovery along.
The sooner your dog feels back to normal the better.
If the dogs fever persists, a
visit to the vet may be necessary.
The fever may be caused by a virus, and this may require an antibiotic to kick
it, and get your dog back to normal.
Your vet will know how to treat your dogs illness, and may have further
suggestions on how to speed the recovery process.
In addition to the antibiotic a vitamin may be a good idea.
Article by Robert Nelson of Oh My Dog Supplies - shop today for designer dog treat jars