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My 5 pound chihuahua is warm to the touch and is shivering. His nose is still wet, but he is acting like he doesn't feel good. Help?
Optional Information: Type of Animal: Chihuahua Gender: Male Age: 3 Name of Dog: Max Already Tried: I have always given both of my Chihuahua's Peptobismo when they have an upset tummy and it has worked always wonderfully. They (as if they know it's going to help them) lap it up like "Yes Momma... thank you!" So when Max was so warm & shivering to boot. My first thought is I know Pepto has light aspirin in it. So I gave him some and covered him up to rest. He stayed there. I haven't done anything else.
Hello. Can you use a digital thermometer and take a rectal temperature on him and let me know what it is?
Unfortunately, no! I'm not home now. I know that's awful, but I'm new at my job and I was off work for almost 2 years! So I was going to have a neighbor go and check on him and if he's still sick, then go home at lunch or so.
Oh no problem, I was just hoping to get more info. It does sound like you may be dealing with a fever. That will cause the warm feeling to the touch and also trembling/ chills. The hard part is finding the source of fever. We often need to do pretty extensive bloodwork and imaging (x-rays, ultrasound) to find the source of infection or inflammation. Often times we'll just treat supportively with antibiotics and anti-inflammatory meds. I don't think it's wrong to use symptomatic care at home and give it a day or two to see if it resolves. If you want to give something for the upset stomach, I usually go with Pepcid AC (Famotidine) over Pepto. I use a dose of 0.25 mg per lb every 12-24 hours. I would give 2.5 mg (1/4 of a 10 lb tablet) to your dog. For aspirin, I usually go with 5 mg per lb every 12-24 hours. That would be 1/4 of an 81 mg tab here. If signs don't improve or if they are worsening, then you have enough evidence that it's likely infectious and antibiotics would be needed. I hope this helps, let me now if you have any other questions.
His nose is still damp and he was pefectly fine last night (Last night, meaning when we went to bed, which was actually about 1:30 AM) so I'll keep a close eye on him and take him to the vet if he doesn't improve. Thank you for taking the panic away! I was really scared for him. ;(
Also, I have tried the Imodium, but can't get it down them! (I have two chihuahua's.) So the pepto isn't a fight and it always helps quickly, so I may give the Pepsid a try instead.
Anyway, I thank you for helping me relax a little about him being ill. It's so out of character!
I would stay away from Imodium. Imodium can cause some toxic type signs in these smaller dogs leading to trembling, incoordination and constipation. You're welcome, I hope he's back to normal soon.
Well that was a long time ago and they spit it right back out! So I'll try the Pepsid, but I will say the Pepto seems to work well and I know it has some aspirin in it, so hopefully it will help him.
Thank you... I was pretty upset and at least now I feel better that I'm not doing totally wrong thing! That is a least a relief to me. Mostly because I can't afford (like most) to rush off to the Vet at the first sign of something wrong!
Can you tell me what is High as far as his temp goes. I will take it when I get home, so I'd like to know what is a range to worry about, and what isn't. Thank you, Debbie
No problem. A normal temp is 100-102. If > 103, then we consider it a fever. If > 104.5, then it's a pretty severe fever. If > 106.5, then we can have organ failure as a consequence.
Perfect! Thank you sooo much for all of the information. I had my neighbor go in and check on him, and she said he's running around bouncing off the walls! So he seems normal to her and that IS his normal demeanor, so I'm happy. But I will definitely keep an eye and I appreciate your advice, as well as the other information you provided. Thanks again & have a great day!
Just an FYI - It's not allowing me to rate our conversation (the happy faces are greyed out!) But I will call in and let them know that I was happy with our conversation.
Perfect, sounds like it was just a one time thing. I heard that the rating thing wasn't working from some other vets as well. I'm not sure what's going on there. There have been some changes behind the scenes on this site lately that may be playing a part.
Experience: DVM, Emergency Veterinarian, BS (Physiology)