NORMAL TEMPERATURE OF THE DOG. 185 



lowering or elevation of the temperature. The latter is 

 the more common, and is termed fever. Since fever im- 

 plies elevation above a normal, we shall now discuss the 

 natural temperature of the dog ; and, finding that this had 

 received but little attention, the author has investigated 

 the subject recently with the assistance of some of his 

 students, and will give a few of the results. 



It is known that in man and other animals the tem- 

 perature varies within limits in the twenty-four hours. 

 The tabular statement on the next page will illustrate this, 

 and indicate what is the dog's exact temperature. 



It will be noticed that these temperatures do not quite 

 correspond ; and investigation has proved that we must 

 recognize differences not only for breed, age, sex, etc., but 

 also for each individual. It is true these are slight, but 

 they must be taken into account in drawing conclusions 

 for both the healthy and the diseased. The rectal (or 

 vaginal) temperature is the most reliable ; that in the 

 groin under favorable circumstances is usually about one 

 degree less than in the rectum, but it can not be relied on. 



The dogs on which the observations were made be- 

 long to the author's own kennel, and were disturbed as 

 little as possible during the act of taking the temperature. 

 The animals were a pedigreed greyhound dog and pedi- 

 greed Gordon setter bitch, of almost the same age about 

 two and a half years. 



The following is extracted from the author's record- 

 book : Animals fed at 8.30 A. M. and 5 P. M. Dogs re- 

 moved from the kennel while taking the day temperatures 

 to a room in the house, and kept there during the night of 

 observation, January 3 and 4, 1891. The thermometer 



