Why is my dogs head so warm? Get answers about body temperature regulation in your furry friend.

So, the other day, I was just chilling on the sofa, minding my own business, and my dog, Max, comes over and plonks his head right on my lap. You know how they do. I started giving him some good scratches behind the ears, and then it hit me – his head felt really warm. Like, noticeably warmer than usual.

My first thought? Oh heck, is he sick? You know how your mind just jumps to the worst thing immediately. Especially after that time last year when he ate something weird from the garden, cost me a small fortune at the vet. Didn't want a repeat of that drama, let me tell you. That whole episode was a nightmare, ended up having to dip into the emergency fund I was saving for fixing the fence. Still haven't fixed that fence, by the way.

Anyway, back to Max's hot head. I sort of gently panicked. Felt his ears, they were warm too. Then I tried the old 'wet nose' test. People always say a dog's nose should be cold and wet, right? His felt kinda dry-ish. Okay, panic level rising slightly.

What I did next

Right, first things first, I tried to get a proper look at him. Was he acting weird? Nope, seemed perfectly happy. Tail wagging when I talked to him. Eyes looked bright, not droopy or sad. I checked his gums – nice and pink, not pale or weirdly coloured.

Then I thought about what he’d been doing just before. He wasn't exactly sprinting around, but he had been snuggled up in his favourite sunny spot by the window for a good hour. Maybe he was just toasty from sunbathing?

I remembered we had one of those ear thermometers for dogs somewhere. Found it after rummaging through the 'pet stuff' drawer (which is basically a chaos zone). Trying to actually get a reading was another story. Max decided it was a fun new game called 'dodge the weird thing mummy is trying to stick in my ear'. After a bit of a gentle wrestle, I got something that looked... well, maybe slightly high, but not crazy high fever territory. These ear things can be a bit hit-and-miss anyway, in my experience.

Looking into it (the non-vet way first)

Okay, so he wasn't showing any other really worrying signs. He wasn't lethargic, wasn't off his food (trust me, Max is NEVER off his food), no vomiting or anything nasty. So, I did what most of us probably do – I had a quick look around online for info. Just general searching, you know.

Found out a few interesting bits:

• Blood flow stuff: Apparently, dogs have a lot of blood vessels in their heads and ears to help them cool down (or warm up). So, those areas can just feel warmer sometimes, especially if they've been active or are lying in a warm spot.
• Normal temp is higher: A dog's normal body temperature is actually higher than ours. What feels warm to us might be perfectly fine for them.
• Check the whole picture: The main thing everyone seemed to say was don't just rely on a warm head. You gotta look for other signs like being tired, not eating, weird toilet habits, shivering, stuff like that.

So, after all that, I decided to just keep a close eye on him for the rest of the day. Let him cool down away from the sunny spot. Checked his head again later – felt much more normal. Nose was wetter too. He ate his dinner like a champ and was bouncing around wanting to play fetch in the evening.

Turns out, he was probably just a bit warm from his nap in the sun. Big relief. Still, it's always a bit worrying when you notice something off, isn't it? Definitely worth checking for other signs before hitting the full panic button, but also, you know your dog best. If you're really worried, calling the vet is never a bad idea. Better safe than sorry, especially after my garden-eating incident last year. That fence still needs fixing...