I know it is a little nutty but I do hope we get at least one more snow storm. Most of the Montana snow has been east of the divide. I usually get in one good walk with the pups on a snowy day and so far this winter I have mostly missed out. There were a couple of short ones with small flakes but I want lots of snow and flakes so fat you almost have to call them snowballs. When the air is thick and sound buffering as a quilt and no one else is out.

Monday I took Dusk to the vet. We did a x-ray and Dusk has a mass in his chest which looks pretty bad. If you didn't know Dusk he wouldn't have even looked sick. I was telling Judy, about discovering Dusk had a temp on Saturday and I started him on baytril right away. She wanted to know why I took his temperature at all. If my dogs seem a bit off I put them on the grooming table and give them the once over. I run my hands all over them, look them in the face, smell their breath, and look for anything that feels wrong. To my hands he felt hot...in particular I put my fingers in his ears and a hand on his inner thigh. If your hands are sensitive you will be able to get a sense for if they seem hot. Of course if you don't know what your dog feels like when they are normal it will be hard to tell when they feel hot. If they feel questionable, I break out the thermometer. I often check temp just to be sure anyway. If the dog has been outside his ears can be cool and there still be a problem. Dry nose is no more a indication of fever than chapped lips for us...it means nothing. Every dog owner should have a thermometer for the dogs. Nothing special just a good digital thermometer from Wal-mart. I like digital because it is easier to read, won't break if I drop it and tells me when it is done. Yes, you have to take a dog's temperature rectally. I really wanted one of those nice ear thermometers BUT unfortunately because of the shape of a dogs ear canal they are inaccurate...so why bother. Once you have a thermometer write on it in big letters "DOG" on one side and normal dog temp on the other (101.5 give or take a degree either way). Taking a temp is not hard. You get your thermometer, a paper towel and a dab of Vaseline and act like you know what you are doing. It is normal for there to be some resistance but don't shove. Often you have to kind of hold it in there. When it beeps take it out, with paper towel ready, wipe and read. I follow up with a wipe down of peroxide. If your dog is a little high, write down the temp with the time and check it again in a hour or so. If it keeps moving away from normal call your vet. Anything under 100 degrees, over 103 degrees or that is changing is worth a call right away. But again if you don't know what is normal for your dog it is going to be hard to tell exactly how elevated it is. Take your dog's temp a few times for two reasons, so you learn how and so you know what is normal. If you are nervous about how to do it have your vet or a vet tech show you.

Dusk seems to be holding his own. He is eating well and responding to the medicine. So maybe some of the mass was inflammation. My vet wasn't too hopeful but my Aussies have beaten the odds before...and Dusk is a master at beating the odds.