What Is a Normal Yorkie Temperature?

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Detecting changes in your Yorkies’ body temperature can be challenging. This is because their temperature changes when they become excited, stressed, or depending on the time of day or night. However, knowing your Yorkie’s temperature can help you know when changes have occurred. So, what is a normal Yorkie temperature?

What Is a Normal Yorkie Temperature?

The normal Yorkie temperature ranges from 101 to 102.5 Fahrenheit. A temperature above 103 Fahrenheit is considered a fever; when it is above 105 Fahrenheit, it is fatal and may cause complications. When the temperature is below 99 Fahrenheit, hypothermia may be setting in.

A brown and black Yorkshire terrier wearing a black collar sitting on a cemented floor outside the house

When your Yorkie’s temperature does not fall within the normal ranges, you must take care and do something to help Yorkie bring the temperature to the normal ranges. If the temperature is high, find ways to cool your furry friend, and if it is low, ensure you heat it. Your dog could suffer severe consequences because of abnormal body temperature.

Taking a Yorkie’s Temperature

To know whether your dog’s temperature falls under the normal range, you must ensure that you do it right.

Using a Rectal Thermometer

As the name suggests, a rectal thermometer is inserted into the rectum. Rectal thermometers are made of glass, and they contain mercury. To get a reading with this thermometer, you shake it so the mercury can go into the thermometer’s bulb; the mercury then expands when heated, which causes it to rise along the calibrated cylinder, which indicates a reading.

Follow the following steps when measuring your Yorkie’s temperature using a rectal thermometer:

  1. Shake the thermometer.
  2. Use petroleum jelly or KY jelly to lubricate the thermometer’s tip so it can easily get into the rectum.
  3. Steadily hold the end of the thermometer to make retraction easy.
  4. If there is a stool, do not pass the thermometer through it; ensure the thermometer goes around it so you are not taking the temperature of the stool.
  5. After a minute, remove it carefully and check the reading.

You can have someone hold the dog to make the process easy. You should also be careful as the glass may break, causing the mercury to very dangerous spill.

Using a Digital Thermometer

This thermometer is inserted into the dog’s ear canal, which is less invasive than a rectal thermometer. You do not need to lubricate this type of thermometer before inserting it. Ensure the thermometer goes deep into the horizontal ear canal using infrared heat waves emitted from the area around the eardrum to measure the temperature.

To ensure you get a correct reading. Follow the following steps:

  1. Turn the digital thermometer on and give it time to calibrate. It should take less than two minutes. Most beep when they have finished calibrating.
  2. Hold it at 90 degrees with the Yorkie’s head and gently insert it into the horizontal ear canal.
  3. Keep the thermometer in the dog’s ear until it beeps to indicate a reading. This should take less than two minutes.
  4. Your dog’s temperature will be displayed on the thermometer screen.
A close-up of a brown and black Yorkshire terrier lying on a brown wooden floor

If your Yorkie shows signs of resistance, you may have to stop. Resistance could be due to a sore ear or an infected ear. If you force it and it’s sore or infected, it could lead to more damage to the ear and inaccurate reading.

Using Your Senses

If you do not have a thermometer, you may have to rely on your sense of touch and sight to know whether your dog’s temperature is normal. You can do this by:

  • Ears and Paws: Dogs’ temperatures are higher than that of humans. This means that when you touch their ears and paws. If you touch them and they are colder or much warmer, the temperature of that dog is lower or higher than normal, respectively.
  • Groin area and armpits: When checking your Yorkie’s groin area and armpits, ensure that it is lying on its back before gently feeling its armpits and groin area. When they feel hot and swollen, your dog has a fever.
  • Nose: Check your dog’s nose for a yellow or green discharge. This type of discharge is a sign of infection that may cause your dog to have a fever. Ensure that you take your Yorkie to the vet immediately to ensure it gets treatment early.
  • Gums: Your Yorkie’s gums should not be black but light pink in color. However, your dog’s temperature is high if they look reddish and feel warm and dry.

You can combine the four methods above to get the best results when using your senses to check the temperature. You should take your dog to the vet, who will check the temperature using a thermometer to give an accurate reading.

Interpreting Results

When you have read the results from the thermometers and compared them to the normal temperature or used your senses, you can know if your Yorkie’s temperature is high, low, or in the normal range.

Getting a Higher Temperature

When the temperature is higher than normal, there are things you can do to lower the temperature. They include the following:

  • Place your dog near a running fan
  • Place cool pieces of cloth on its neck, between its hind legs and armpits
  • Let it take a dip in the pool or bathtub. You can also give it a cool bath
  • Soak cotton balls in rubbing alcohol and dab its paw pads and ear flaps
  • Soak a piece of cloth or a towel in cool water and use it to press on the dog’s paws and ears gently

As you do the above to cool it, ensure it stays hydrated. Give it water and if it refuses to drink, try giving it ice chips.

A brown and black Yorkshire terrier wearing a black collar standing on stone pavements near a green grass field

Getting a Lower Temperature

When the temperature is low, you must ensure that you bring it up as fast as possible. This is because low temperatures can have adverse effects on your furry friend. You can do the following things:

  • Place a hot water bottle wrapped in a towel against your Yorkie’s stomach
  • Give it warm fluids to drink
  • Dress it in a dog sweater and let it sit near a radiator
  • Wrap it in warm blankets. You can use a radiator or dryer to warm up the blankets

Related Questions

What Can I Give My Yorkie for Fever?

You can give your Yorkie drugs such as Tylenol and Meloxicam to help with fever. However, you should only give them to your dog if your vet has prescribed them. Do not give any medication that the vet has not prescribed.

Can I Use a Human Thermometer on a Yorkie?

It is not advisable to use a human thermometer on a Yorkie. This is because you have to insert the thermometer into its rectum. It is not hygienic to use the thermometer on human beings. Once you have used it on your dog, leave it for your dog. Alternatively, you can purchase a dog thermometer for your Yorkie.

Conclusion

When your dog’s temperature does not fall within the normal range, it indicates something is wrong. This is why you must ensure that your vet checks it out as soon as possible. Before you get to the vet, you can try some home remedies to try and get it to the normal range. The vet can tell you what is causing the change and what can be done to treat it.