When your pet has fever, it is inactive and has a poor appetite and a 'dull' look in its eyes. Note that your dog's nose is not a good indicator, contrary to popular belief. Feverish dogs may have either a cool, wet nose or a warm, dry one. To take your pet's temperature, put a dab of petroleum jelly or lubricating jelly on the tip of a rectal or digital thermometer and insert it about one inch into the rectum. Read the thermometer after one minute. If the reading is over 103F, your pet has a fever. See your vet to determine the cause.

Pain can be one of the earliest signs of disease. Dogs or cats in pain may become listless, shiver, groan and whimper, move constantly or be reluctant to move. Neck or back pain often causes animals to avoid moving and if forced to move, they often cry out. Abdominal pain may cause them to assume a 'praying' position, with hind legs upright while lying down with the front legs. Any type of severe pain should be checked immediately by your veterinarian. Mild pain that doesn't go away in a day should also be checked.

In dogs, coughing is often caused by infectious tracheobronchitis, or kennel cough. Cats often cough in an attempt to expel a hair ball. Other more serious causes of coughing are pneumonia, abnormalities of the trachea (windpipe), heart disease, allergies, parasites and cancer. Coughing should always be checked by your veterinarian as soon as possible, especially when it's accompanied by labored breathing.

Infectious upper respiratory diseases are the most common cause of sneezing. Occasionally, though, plant materials, such as foxtails, are inadvertently sniffed into a nostril and cause a severe bout of sneezing. A couple of sneezes a day may be normal, but persistent sneezing or sneezing accompanied by nasal discharge is not.