diff --git a/dns/doq.go b/dns/doq.go
index 401e1bd7..02558321 100644
--- a/dns/doq.go
+++ b/dns/doq.go
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import (
 	"encoding/binary"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
+	"io"
 	"net"
 	"runtime"
 	"strconv"
@@ -153,18 +154,27 @@ func (doq *dnsOverQUIC) ResetConnection() {
 // exchangeQUIC attempts to open a QUIC connection, send the DNS message
 // through it and return the response it got from the server.
 func (doq *dnsOverQUIC) exchangeQUIC(ctx context.Context, msg *D.Msg) (resp *D.Msg, err error) {
+	// All DNS messages (queries and responses) sent over DoQ connections MUST
+	// be encoded as a 2-octet length field followed by the message content as
+	// specified in [RFC1035].
+	// Note: we do not support receiving multiple messages over a single connection.
+	buf := pool.Get(2 + MaxMsgSize)
+	defer pool.Put(buf)
+	b, err := msg.PackBuffer(buf[2:])
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to pack DNS message for DoQ: %w", err)
+	}
+	if len(b) > MaxMsgSize {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("DNS message is too large: %d > %d", len(b), MaxMsgSize)
+	}
+	binary.BigEndian.PutUint16(buf, uint16(len(b)))
+
 	var conn *quic.Conn
 	conn, err = doq.getConnection(ctx, true)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	var buf []byte
-	buf, err = msg.Pack()
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to pack DNS message for DoQ: %w", err)
-	}
-
 	var stream *quic.Stream
 	stream, err = doq.openStream(ctx, conn)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -176,7 +186,7 @@ func (doq *dnsOverQUIC) exchangeQUIC(ctx context.Context, msg *D.Msg) (resp *D.M
 	})
 	defer stop()
 
-	_, err = stream.Write(AddPrefix(buf))
+	_, err = stream.Write(buf[:2+len(b)])
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to write to a QUIC stream: %w", err)
 	}
@@ -187,16 +197,31 @@ func (doq *dnsOverQUIC) exchangeQUIC(ctx context.Context, msg *D.Msg) (resp *D.M
 	// write-direction of the stream, but does not prevent reading from it.
 	_ = stream.Close()
 
-	return doq.readMsg(stream)
-}
+	// -- reading the response ---
+	var respLen uint16
+	err = binary.Read(stream, binary.BigEndian, &respLen)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("reading response length from %s: %w", doq.Address(), err)
+	}
+	if respLen == 0 {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("received empty response from %s", doq.Address())
+	}
+	if respLen > MaxMsgSize {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("received response that is too large: %d > %d", respLen, MaxMsgSize)
+	}
 
-// AddPrefix adds a 2-byte prefix with the DNS message length.
-func AddPrefix(b []byte) (m []byte) {
-	m = make([]byte, 2+len(b))
-	binary.BigEndian.PutUint16(m, uint16(len(b)))
-	copy(m[2:], b)
+	_, err = io.ReadFull(stream, buf[:respLen])
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("reading response from %s: %w", doq.Address(), err)
+	}
 
-	return m
+	resp = new(D.Msg)
+	err = resp.Unpack(buf[:respLen])
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("unpacking response from %s: %w", doq.Address(), err)
+	}
+
+	return resp, nil
 }
 
 // shouldRetry checks what error we received and decides whether it is required
@@ -369,30 +394,6 @@ func (doq *dnsOverQUIC) closeConnWithError(err error) {
 	doq.conn = nil
 }
 
-// readMsg reads the incoming DNS message from the QUIC stream.
-func (doq *dnsOverQUIC) readMsg(stream *quic.Stream) (m *D.Msg, err error) {
-	respBuf := pool.Get(MaxMsgSize)
-	defer pool.Put(respBuf)
-
-	n, err := stream.Read(respBuf)
-	if err != nil && n == 0 {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("reading response from %s: %w", doq.Address(), err)
-	}
-
-	// All DNS messages (queries and responses) sent over DoQ connections MUST
-	// be encoded as a 2-octet length field followed by the message content as
-	// specified in [RFC1035].
-	// IMPORTANT: Note, that we ignore this prefix here as this implementation
-	// does not support receiving multiple messages over a single connection.
-	m = new(D.Msg)
-	err = m.Unpack(respBuf[2:])
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("unpacking response from %s: %w", doq.Address(), err)
-	}
-
-	return m, nil
-}
-
 // newQUICTokenStore creates a new quic.TokenStore that is necessary to have
 // in order to benefit from 0-RTT.
 func newQUICTokenStore() (s quic.TokenStore) {