My puppy has a 106° fever of unknown origin. What should I do?

My next step would be to send off blood for a test for plague (Yersinia pestis) and Tularemia, especially if your dog has access to areas where there are rodents, squirrels and rabbits. These would not be included in regular blood work. You may also want tod discuss a disease called malignant hyperthermia with your veterinarian. Other common causes of "fever of unknown origin" would be tumors, however your vet apparently ruled those out with blood tests, ultrasound, and xray and possibly blood parasites such as Ehrlichia spp, Babesia spp and similar. A heartworm test may also be advisable.

A fever this high is usually indicative of a bacterial or viral disease going on. Your veterinarian will need to run some tests to try and determine the cause of the fever. Once the cause is identified the proper antibiotics, antifungals, or antipruritic drugs can be prescribed. The tablet given to your dog is basically a fever reducer but will not treat the cause of the fever. I would recommend taking your dog in for a recheck as soon as you’re able to. The exact cause of the fever cannot be determined without further workup and diagnostics. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

A fever is very concerning, especially in a pup this young. I would have him seen as soon as possible to figure out the source of the fever. There are many causes of fever, but certainly infection would be a consideration, and quite worrisome, in a pup this young. Separating him from the litter is likely a good idea until you know for sure the cause. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

I am so sorry to hear that your pet has a fever of unknown origin I’m assuming. The vet has to run labs to try and find the source of the fever. Has she had any testing done? Bloodwork and urinalysis would be the first place I would start. If she has a high white blood cell count, then antibiotics can be started on her to treat for a suspected infection, which can then be assumed to be the source of the fever. Fever in pets doesn’t happen randomly, and in most cases antibiotics prescribed by your vet are needed. I would highly discourage you from using any over the counter human fever reducer medicaiton, as these can be quite toxic in pets. It’s best to feed Ava as normal and offer her plenty of access to water until she can be seen by your vet. I hope this helps. Best wishes in getting Ava’s fever to come down. I hope she feels better soon. Take care..

Maxi certainly sounds quite sick, but I am glad to hear that she is eating and drinking normally. As I'm sure your vet discussed, tick borne diseases are one of the more common causes of a fever of unknown origin (FUO). However, FUOs can also be caused by other infectious diseases (toxoplasmosis, Bartonella, Brucella, mycoplasma, fungal diseases, etc.) as well as immune-mediated or cancerous causes. To answer your question, yes, you will need to do some more diagnostics to get to the bottom of this issue. Different causes of the FUO will require different treatments. Maxi's vet will be able to guide you as to their next tier of diagnostic testing based upon their clinical suspicions. I hope that all goes well!

Oh my. Poor guy. If he has a fever this can be caused by a bacterial or viral infection (i.e. Parvovirus if he isn't fully vaccinated). I would have him tested for parvovirus first and if that comes up negative he needs full panel bloodwork and a urinalysis. to fully evaluate him. He should be on antibiotics and fluid therapy to help bring down his fever. He also needs anti-vomit medication to prevent him from becoming dehydrated due to excessive vomiting. If his condition has not improved within 24-48 hrs, then you should consider having him hospitalized so that he can get around the clock care and treatment. Poor guy. I do hope that your pup Shadow is able to make a full and speedy recovery from his illness. For tonight you can try feeding him some slghly warmed up cans of baby food (meat and vegetables or squash) to try to entice him to eat. Only a small amount at a time to hopefully not induce his vomiting. Best wishes and take care.

I am sorry to hear he is not feeling well. I would highly encourage you to have a follow up appointment with your veterinarian as soon as possible. Young puppies need nutrition and will Parrish quickly without it. Viral infections such as parvovirus can cause fever and inappetance as well as many other possibilities. Please him evaluated again, I am very concerned about him. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.