The Shar-Pei Forums-Health Behavior Diet & Rescue Info and Discussion Group

Hi
I am new to the forum and Rumpy is my first Shar Pei! He is amazing, and so far he is healthy. I was wondering though, what are the symptoms of a fever? I don't think he has ever fevered but since he is a little lazier during the heat I guess I don't really know how to tell what the symptoms are or what to do if he ever does.
Thanks!!

a normal temp for a dog is 101-102.5 some run slightly different, the classic signs of shar pei fever are:
elevated temp
roached back
usually they will hold a back leg up
swelling of the muzzle and hocks
lethargy
sometimes they have no apetite
sometimes they vomit
and there are complications to FSF which can be fatal like STSS
keep a thermometer on hand so you're prepared not all pei show these signs, some times they just fever

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Lulu gave you a very good run down on what to look for also the health section is full of info and read the stickies. The thermometer is a must for all owners if you don't have one please get it because if you come on here and say Rumpy don't feel good the first thing that is going to be asked is if you have taken his temp and what is it.

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the last couple of fevers harrison has had, he showed all of those symptoms. his first fever he displayed most of them. some will show them all, some only a few. i agree that having a digital thermometer on hand is mandatory with this breed.

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"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."
--Ghandi

the last couple of fevers harrison has had, he showed all of those symptoms. his first fever he displayed most of them. some will show them all, some only a few. i agree that having a digital thermometer on hand is mandatory with this breed.

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"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."
--Ghandi

what kind of thermometer?

Thanks! That's really helpful. I don't own a thermometer yet, so I'll grab one this week. It sounds like its pretty obvious when they fever... figured it would be.
Only question is, what do I do? Do I just find ways to cool him down? Do I take him to the vet immediately? Or when should I take him to get treatment?
Thanks! I just see a lot of people say their Pei's fever but not what they did about it. Maybe I'm just not finding the right posts

There are quite a few threads where we have talked about treatment methods or coached an owner through a fever (perhaps try searching for "has a fever" or something like that. Also, both Drs. Tintle and Vidt offer treatment protocol's on their website. Typically you give an adult aspirin or metacam immediately, you can repeat 6-8 hours later after the first dose (depending on severity of fever) and then continue to repeat every 8 hours. Most fevers break within 24-72 hours. Some folks place cool washcloths on their pei's stomach to help further cool. Most pei don't like to eat or drink, but they can get dehydrated during this time - so feeding ice cubes or encouraging drinking (even if you give water or pedialyte to restore electrolytes through a syringe) can help. I give my dog IV fluids for another condition - so when he fevers, I typically give him IV fluids to keep him hydrated. It has seemed to help bring down his fever more quickly as well.

If it's the first fever, you want to get your pei to the vet. Take first morning urine and have a full blood work up done. This will allow you to determine whether there is some sort of infection going on that caused the fever. If there is no apparent cause, you should have a talk with your vet about FSF and potential treatment. Most folks advise waiting for the second fever to start colchicine. If a second fever occurs and your pei does have FSF you have to start a fever protocol. This includes either colchicine (or others go the homeopathic route with Lita Radford's remedies), many of us also add in hyvitality, MSM, and fish oil. Some on the board have found bromelain is effective in helping to control fevers.

Any pei owner should read up on the information offered by Dr. Tintle:

http://www.wvc.vetsuite.com/templates/C ... 9b55742691

http://www.hyvitality.com/blogs/news/25 ... om-is-live

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This is the type I have and have had for years I am suprised it is still working.

http://www.bd.com/thermometers2/

Also make sure you have some petroleum jelly or vaseline to put on the end of the thermometer to make inserting easier and comfortable.

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ack!! i'm sorry my post posted twice lol...my laptop was acting up last night.

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"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."
--Ghandi