diff --git a/src/dns.c b/src/dns.c
index 9cea926..b1c6fb2 100644
--- a/src/dns.c
+++ b/src/dns.c
@@ -404,10 +404,10 @@ dns_decode(char *buf, size_t buflen, struct query *q, qr_t qr, char *packet, siz
 	short qdcount;
 	short ancount;
 	uint32_t ttl;
-	short class;
-	short type;
+	unsigned short class;
+	unsigned short type;
 	char *data;
-	short rlen;
+	unsigned short rlen;
 	int id;
 	int rv;
 
@@ -509,7 +509,7 @@ dns_decode(char *buf, size_t buflen, struct query *q, qr_t qr, char *packet, siz
 			 */
 			char names[250][QUERY_NAME_SIZE];
 			char *rdatastart;
-			short pref;
+			unsigned short pref;
 			int i;
 			int offset;
 
diff --git a/src/read.c b/src/read.c
index 66f19a7..a2dcd96 100644
--- a/src/read.c
+++ b/src/read.c
@@ -85,15 +85,15 @@ readname(char *packet, int packetlen, char **src, char *dst, size_t length)
 }
 
 int
-readshort(char *packet, char **src, short *dst)
+readshort(char *packet, char **src, unsigned short *dst)
 {
 	unsigned char *p;
 
 	p = (unsigned char *) *src;
 	*dst = (p[0] << 8) | p[1];
 
-	(*src) += sizeof(short);
-	return sizeof(short);
+	(*src) += sizeof(unsigned short);
+	return sizeof(unsigned short);
 }
 
 int
diff --git a/src/read.h b/src/read.h
index 3ce429d..2aac355 100644
--- a/src/read.h
+++ b/src/read.h
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@
 #define _READ_H_
 
 int readname(char *, int, char **, char *, size_t);
-int readshort(char *, char **, short *);
+int readshort(char *, char **, unsigned short *);
 int readlong(char *, char **, uint32_t *);
 int readdata(char *, char **, char *, size_t);
 int readtxtbin(char *, char **, size_t, char *, size_t);
diff --git a/tests/read.c b/tests/read.c
index a961fe2..24a5214 100644
--- a/tests/read.c
+++ b/tests/read.c
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ START_TEST(test_read_putshort)
 					i, ntohs(k), i);
 
 		p = (char*)&k;
-		readshort(NULL, &p, (short *) &l);
+		readshort(NULL, &p, &l);
 		fail_unless(l == i,
 				"Bad value on readshort for %d: %d != %d",
 					i, l, i);