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What is a normal increase in body temp when a dog exercises?


Shetlander

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Quinn's exercise tolerance has been lower lately and he's been coughing more -- though rarely while exercising. He was diagnosed with chronic allergic bronchitis when he was a youngster. He's now almost 5 and has been under a holistic vet's care for over two years and doing great. Anyway, the vet asked me to take his temp before and after exercising after I described how hard he is panting lately after 10 - 15 minutes of fetch. Today it was 99.9 before we went out to play. When we came in after about 15 minutes, we stopped and it was 105.3. When I took it 20 minutes later, it was down to 102.7. An hour after that it was 100.3.

 

The weather was in the the upper 30's and windy when we were outside playing. So not heatstroke weather, I wouldn't think.

 

I left the vet a message, as she asked, with this info. I know she'll get back to me probably tomorrow but was wondering if anyone knew if this type of increase was normal or not. I couldn't find much searching here or on the web. Thanks!

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My vet friend has a BC who collapses, so was taking his temp before and during exercise. She also took the temp of her other BC (w/o issues) for comparison. Both dogs reached 105 degrees while playing and then came back down as you described (although I don't remember the exact timeframe since this was years ago). So based on that, I wouldn't think there's anything to worry about, but your vet will probably know best.

 

If you're worried about heat stroke, I'd go off the dog's symptoms overall, not just the body temp. The warning signs are pretty easy to see (at least in my dogs).

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If you're worried about heat stroke, I'd go off the dog's symptoms overall, not just the body temp. The warning signs are pretty easy to see (at least in my dogs).

 

Thanks for the info on your friends' dogs. Quinn had a few episodes of getting over heated in Summer of 2008 (staggering, weaving -- freaked me out) and since then I think both he and I have gotten better at stopping before getting to that point. I was more concerned about his exercise tolerance lately. It never occured to me to check his temperature since the weather is still pretty cool. I was really surprised to see how much his temp jumped in such a short time. I had no idea. I was also glad to see it drop pretty quickly.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Quinn's exercise tolerance has been lower lately and he's been coughing more -- though rarely while exercising. He was diagnosed with chronic allergic bronchitis when he was a youngster. He's now almost 5 and has been under a holistic vet's care for over two years and doing great. Anyway, the vet asked me to take his temp before and after exercising after I described how hard he is panting lately after 10 - 15 minutes of fetch. Today it was 99.9 before we went out to play. When we came in after about 15 minutes, we stopped and it was 105.3. When I took it 20 minutes later, it was down to 102.7. An hour after that it was 100.3.

 

The weather was in the the upper 30's and windy when we were outside playing. So not heatstroke weather, I wouldn't think.

 

I left the vet a message, as she asked, with this info. I know she'll get back to me probably tomorrow but was wondering if anyone knew if this type of increase was normal or not. I couldn't find much searching here or on the web. Thanks!

 

 

Last Thursday Layla had the same type episode you're describing. The temps were in the mid to upper 70's. I was playing fetch with her and Gus 15 minutes +. Layla is very slight in built 25.5 pounds and Gus is very fit at 38. Layla charges after Gus then I throw her frisbee. She is basicly doing 2X the work. After playing hard I brought them back into the yard to cool down. Layla was lithargic and staggered for a minute or two. Seemed like forever. I was forced to scoop her up and take her inside. Needless to say I was terrified. After 5 minutes inside she returned to normal and was drinking and wanting to play. I had her to the Vet on Friday morning and the Vet did a complete check. Temp normal, heart, pulse, everything sounded normal. Vet said he didn't hear any unusual heartbeat. Vet suggested a complete blood and urine examination. Should have the results today. I'm now limiting her play to short 5 minutes periods.

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Temperatures in the 30s © = temperatures in the 80s (F), right? That is heat exhaustion/stroke weather. I had a dog go down from heat exhaustion on a nice spring day with temps in the 70s, so don't think that just because it's pleasant outside that a dog won't overheat.

 

ETA Um, nevermind, I was thinking the OP was in Canada, but rather than leave a blank post, I'll just leave it up as informational....

 

J.

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