Dog's head became hot- why?

[Jaideux]

My dog’s head was (seemingly) randomly hot when she got into bed with me tonight. I’m perplexed, and a quick google search was not helpful. So, I turn to the collective knowledge of COTH.

Tonight: I got home, took her out of the crate, took her out to run/pee, came in and fed normal dinner. She was acting a little nervous (pacing, not eating dinner) but I also thought it looked like “I just got done running!!” joy/panting, which is normal for her. A little while later the alarm clock went off, but I was indisposed for a good 5-10 minutes (by this time she had eaten dinner). She got nervous, pacing and panting, doing her stress-play with stuffed animals to self-soothe and trying to figure out the noise. When I was able to shut it off, she calmed. Maybe 5-10 minutes after that I hopped into bed, and I immediately noticed her hot forehead when I went to pet her. Her body temp was slightly elevated to the touch, but nowhere near like her head. This is the first I have ever noticed this. 5 minutes or so later, she feels like her normal temperature. She was in no distress when she felt hot, and if I hadn’t touched her I would never have known something was up as her behavior was totally normal and relaxed.

The past week or so: She hasn’t had a regular appetite. She’s been skipping meals, nibbling or eating the full meal later. When we first adopted her, her appetite was finicky and she preferred to graze, but she’s had a regular feed schedule and eats with fair to moderate gusto most meals for the past 5-6 months.

January: she had two witnessed neurological events within an hour of each other. She had no known history of seizures and has had none sense. They looked more like a drunk dance of a dog tying up than any sort of seizure (she was alert the entire time and tried to follow commands).

She is not on medications. She does get fish oil with dinner to stop her from getting dry and itchy.

Any thoughts on why she got a hot head tonight?

[Horsegal984]

A literal “hot head” occurs when a pup gets worked up emotionally and the body is trying to cool itself and dissipate heat. So in other words, in an emotional dog who’s body is maintaining a normal body temp a “hot head” is normal.

I wouldn’t read too much into it. If you’re honestly concerned about body temp, the only accurate measurement of fever vs. normal in animals is a rectal temp. Which most dogs don’t mind, but often cats think is worse than having a kidney removed and waking up in a tub of ice…

[WoofNWhinny]

My first thought, long before I read about her recent seizures, was epilepsy. Whether it is or not, I have no idea.

But be aware that petit mal seizures can be as minor as the dog appearing to snap at invisible flies, stare at the wall intently for a brief period and other easy-to-miss events.

I would talk to your vet and watch the dog very carefully. Maybe cut the fish oil for a while too. Maybe too much vitamin A?? I’ve heard of dogs stumbling and having difficulty with their front legs on too high a dose of fish oil.

Also check your dog’s diet. While you might not want to make any changes until you see what’s going on with your dog, but do check into possible issues and look at the ingredients in her current food.

Seizures in dogs can be triggered by many things, including environment triggers such as household cleaners (pine sol or pine cleaners), fabric sprays, carpet fresheners, chemicals applied to the yard/lawn, bug sprays and exterminator chemicals, and YES, common flea and tick products.

Epilepsy most often shows up after two years of age, but seizures in response to environmental triggers can show up at any age.

Not to panic you, it may not be related. Hope you figure it out and your dog is okay.

[jetsmom]

I was thinking of too much fish oil as well. I think you are supposed to supplement w/Vit E to balance things out if you give fish oil. Too much Fish oil can make a dog have some really serious problems…

[Jaideux]

We started the oil after the seizures. We buy it from our vet, and he checked her out for the neuro events within hours of her discharge from the hospital. She gets 2-3 mL with dinner. But I will hold it for a few days and see if that helps anything.

I didn’t realize they could get localized heat from being emotionally worked up! Knowing that, it makes most sense to me that that was the cause. But I will keep a closer eye on her this weekend.

Thanks, everyone!

[LauraKY]

Hence the term…hot headed.

My cocker had petit mal seizures as a consequence of Lyme disease. We could only use Frontline on her…not the Plus and the Preventic collar set her off. So did cleaners, air fresheners, lawn chemicals and oddly, dry wall and grout dust.

[abbradwell]

I know this is a very old post, but any chance you ever learned what was causing these symptoms? My dog displays a lot of the same symptoms, just not the neurological stuff. He does, however, have muscle weakness, which can be neurological. He has been diagnosed as hypothyroid but medication hasn’t cleared up all of his symptoms, though some seem to have improved. I would love to know if you have any insight. He seems uncomfortable when his head gets warm and if his muscle strength deteriorates any further, I’m not sure he will be with us much longer.

[tfdelia]

Almost a year and a half since last post but I am amazed that this question still shows up on the web after more than 10 years and almost no one gets what the OP’s are saying, attributing it to fevers, etc. It leads me to think most people have never had a dog that experienced this and that they felt. Once you feel it you know it is something transient but very intense. Usually less than a minute in length but extreme heat in the forehead and between the eyes. Such an ephemeral, localized and intense spike in temperature around the dog’s forehead is almost certainly neurological.

I am not a vet but I have had the fortune of having 8 amazing dogs of my own and working with about three times that many. In all of those years I have noticed it in just two dogs, both were mine and both had Cushings, at least one of which was (and probably both were) pituitary Cushings with macroadenomas. It is likely the tumor affecting the pituitary function somehow causes a brief but sharp neuronal activity and subsequent spike of warm blood flow to the frontal lobe.

IF you ever feel this in your dog’s forehead take them to the vet and ask about pituitary Cushings. The condition used to be rare in dogs. Under-diagnosed previously or something new, who knows? Although I am not sure I suspect the latter whether due to changing dietary or environmental factors.

[Smfry]

I am pretty sure my 10-year-old Morkie has Cushing’s disease. Excessive panting, petite seizures, and I also noticed her head was very hot which is concerning to me because I only noticed that if you weeks ago. She has been seen by a neurologist and she was diagnosed with having strokes but then I took her to a specialist and The specialist suggested that she may have a tumor in the pituitary gland and she said there’s not a whole lot can be done about this since the blood thinners that she was put on helps control the seizures. So do you think the hot forehead is from Cushing’s, the tumor in the pituitary? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated as the heart for head concerns me greatly

[Amar]

My experience with dog’s heads being warm is it’s a part of their natural cooling process. Blood flows through the head area and circulates out to the ears to promote heat loss. It also circulates into the mouth area as panting is also used for heat transfer out of the body.

[S1969]

@Amar

My experience with dog’s heads being warm is it’s a part of their natural cooling process. Blood flows through the head area and circulates out to the ears to promote heat loss. It also circulates into the mouth area as panting is also used for heat transfer out of the body.

Agreed. It is normal.

Although I like to tell my dogs that they must be “thinking really hard” about something.

[CarolynAnne]

CBD oil works amazing. My 4 yo pup is epileptic. We treat with CBD oil. Tonight he had a seizure and it’s the first time I felt his head do this. The CBD cooled the head and also stopped the seizure.

@Smfry

I am pretty sure my 10-year-old Morkie has Cushing’s disease. Excessive panting, petite seizures, and I also noticed her head was very hot which is concerning to me because I only noticed that if you weeks ago. She has been seen by a neurologist and she was diagnosed with having strokes but then I took her to a specialist and The specialist suggested that she may have a tumor in the pituitary gland and she said there’s not a whole lot can be done about this since the blood thinners that she was put on helps control the seizures. So do you think the hot forehead is from Cushing’s, the tumor in the pituitary? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated as the heart for head concerns me greatly

[S1969]

@CarolynAnne

CBD oil works amazing. My 4 yo pup is epileptic. We treat with CBD oil. Tonight he had a seizure and it’s the first time I felt his head do this. The CBD cooled the head and also stopped the seizure.

BS. CBD oil doesn’t stop seizures while they are happening. CBD oil doesn’t work on all dogs with epilepsy either. If your dog is still having seizures, the CBD oil is obviously not working “amazing”.