Question: What do you call a dog that is hot?

Marisol Collins answered on 15 Nov 2016:

Ha! This sounds like you could be about to tell me a joke!? Apart from the obvious answer, which would be a Hot Dog (!), I would like to know what you think we should call a dog that is hot!

As a vet, another answer could be that a dog is hot because has a fever! The scientific name for this is ‘pyrexia’, so a dog that is hot could be pyrexic! This might be because the dog is ill and has an infection. I can check a dog’s temperature with a thermometer, which I carefully put up the dog’s bottom. This takes a few seconds and doesn’t hurt them, though it can be a bit of a shock (for the dog and the owner!). I bet you are glad that when the doctor takes your temperature, they don’t do this too!

Many vets are now using a different way to measure a dog’s temperature by using an infra red thermometer: this type of thermometer can detect the radiation that the body gives off as heat with a little sensor at the tip. You can usually gently place it in the ear of a person or animal to estimate their body temperature. A bit nicer than having a thermometer up your bum! These types of thermometer are already very common in human medicine and are becoming more common in veterinary medicine. It’s great to see how technology can give us new ways to do these tests in our job 🙂