HELP!! Reducing Fever in Dogs

[TanyaL]

HELP!

Once again our beagle mix has spiked a fever but this time I can't seem to bring it down for the life of me...or her for that matter!

Typically, about every 6 months she spikes a fever, the highest being 106.2!! And, as luck would have it, she usually gets the high fevers on weekends, nights or holidays when our vet is closed. I've tried everything that I know to do to bring it down but nothing seems to be working.

Since about 5pm this evening, she has had anywhere from 102.4 to 103.3 (where she is now). I've given her cool baths, rubbed her paws with alcohol and placed a cold towel between her hind legs but nothing seems to be working for more than a few minutes. Can anybody tell me what else I can to do bring her fever down and get her through the night until the vet opens in the morning. Right now we just can't afford an ER trip unless it's absolutely necessary! I don't know where we will get the money from should she have to go to the vet tonight but we will do what we need to if it comes to that.

Right now she is laying on the couch balled up (almost like Foster, our bp does) which is not helping her any. And, when she gets to feeling like this, she won't eat or drink and gets very cranky! Shortly after we noticed that she had the fever we also noticed that she had vomited in the corner. She was licking ice cubes but now doesn't want anything to do with them. And, if that wasn't enough, she wants to hide in my son's room where she rarely spends any time. The poor girl just does not feel good at all! Any and all suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

[SatanicIntention]

Get a big bottle of alcohol, pour it on her and place her near a fan. If you do not get her fever down, she could easily start having seizures and go into cardiac arrest or have irreversible brain damage. The vomiting is not a good sign.

If you do not have the alcohol, put her in the bathtub and spray her down with cool water. Don't let her jump out or hide anywhere. Keep her confined to the bathroom or somewhere where you can watch her.

102-103 isn't too bad, but just continue to monitor her.

Has the vet explained why she gets fevers?

[TanyaL]

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for your reply!

I know that 102 - 103 isn't too bad but based on her history, if I don't do something NOW, she probably will go higher and I don't want that! When she had the 106 fever, the vet used 3 different themometers because he could not believe that she wasn't showing any signs of having a fever that high. And, as for a seizure, we believe that she may have had one the last time she spiked.

She is laying quietly on the couch but that is only because I have shut all the doors and she can't go anywhere else. Our bathroom is just too small for the both of us and I don't want to lock her in there by herself since I won't be able to keep an eye on her and she seems more comfortable on the couch.

I just took her temp again and it's down to 103...for now. She has also started to shiver.

When I called the ER vet, they said to rub her paws with alcohol and/or do the cool bath, which I did and that only brought her fever down a few points and only for a short time. She is not too fond of the fan but if that's what needs to be done, she is going to have to deal with it. Wouldn't the alchol make her shiver more and if so, is that going to cause a problem? If I'm not mistaken, the shivering will heat her back up, or am I wrong?

We have had this problem about 4 times already over the two years that we've had her. The vet has done numerous tests (blood, fecal, urine, ultrasound, liver, etc) but there is no explination as to what is causing it. Her white blood count isn't even as bad as they would have expected it. We thougth that since it happens about every 6 months, it may have something to do with her cycle. She was fixed as a puppy so the vet did the ultrasound to rule out a botched spaying which turned up nothing. We really are baffled by this and don't know what to do anymore.

So, should I soak her in alchol even though she is shivering? What do you suggest?

[TanyaL]

I don't have any recent pics of her online but here is a pic of her as a pup.

http://www.quicktrack.smugmug.com/ga...89113077_PJpGC

Sorry, I can't for the life of me post a pic so all I can provide is a link. There are a few others in this particular gallery.

[SatanicIntention]

That's just odd that no one has been able to find a reason for the fever spikes. It'd be nice if you were close to A&M, I have a friend who is a tech in the small animal clinic.

I would just put her in the tub and run cool water over her, possibly with the fan running in the background. Wrapping ice packs in towels and putting them under her armpits and against her throat(jugular area) will help cool her blood down faster.

Keep checking her temp though, and stop when she gets to 102 or 101.5. Don't want her cooling down too much.

[TanyaL]

How long should I have her in the tub (kitchen sink really...my bad back won't allow the tub). Earlier I did it for about 30 - 45 minutes, using the hand sprayer and spraying her down all over, basically just moved the sprayer from top to bottom and front to back.

Sorry to have so many questions....I've never had a problem getting her fever down before.

[TanyaL]

She is now shivering uncontrolably and curled up on the couch in a ball! I think I'll go out behind the barn and put myself out of my misery! It would rid me of my other ailments! LOL Just Kidding!

Nobody wants to help me get her fever under control here...they just want to tell me what is going on and what to do! And, she isn't even my dog! It's a shame that I get more help on a BP forum than I do from my own family! So, THANK YOU again!

[TanyaL]

I've got the cold rag around her neck and her fever has come down to 102.8. At least we are moving in the right direction!

[420boa]

keep cold rags on her and hold her to relax her/ dogs are like humans they need to be comforted. her being very relaxed will help the temp drop as well

[TanyaL]

keep cold rags on her and hold her to relax her/ dogs are like humans they need to be comforted. her being very relaxed will help the temp drop as well

Holding her only makes the fever go up...I guess from our body heat. And, she seems to want to be left alone. I've got a cold rag clipped around her neck and a close eye on her. I just took her temp before placing the rag back on her neck and it's back up to 103. It's going to be a LONG night!