So many of us don’t know what the baseline is for vital signs for our dogs.  The last time you want to discover this is when you are having an emergency and your vet asks what is their temperature reading? Believe me, knowing what the  temperature is for normal dogs pales in comparison to knowing that you now have to place a thermometer up your friends butt! Hoping your canine buddy will allow you to do this, it is not the way you want to find out in the last minute! In an emergency it is critical!

I ran across a time when I had to do this and I can’t tell you how frustrating it is when you have a dog who will let you do anything with them because they were very well conditioned as a puppy, and trust you to the end of  the earth, until now! Not only do you have to keep your state of calm, relaxed and in charge mindset, you are panicking inside at the possibility of your dog running away through the house with a thermometer hanging from their bum!

It is very important to practice taking your dog’s temperature when they are a baby. One of the few things most of us don’t do. Older dogs may need to have their vital signs checked regularly and I cannot stress the importance of this enough! If there is an emergency, the more you know the better it is for all involved. Continue reading →