My dog is suddenly very tired, won't get up, and has back pain. What to do?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It sounds like Beba could be feeling weak. How serious depends on what it is. For example, this can go from just her being really tired to her being ill. Some things that can cause weakness include anemia, inflammatory conditions, among other possibilities. If she is otherwise doing well (eating and drinking well, etc) I recommend that you continue to watch her closely. If this behavior continues by tomorrow, have her evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. If she worsens tonight then definitely have her examined before. Good luck! I really hope that this is nothing serious.

With the lethargy and being painful under her arms, she may have hurt her neck or back. This is common if they run and jump a lot or fall somehow. I would bring her food and water to her if she doesn’t get up to see do she wants to eat. From there you can try to encourage her to get up and see if she limps on any leg or moves her neck normally. If it continues after 24 hours or she is unable to stand then I would get her seen

I am very concerned about your dog's condition and highly recommend a veterinary visit. There are a few general categories that fit with what your dog is showing at home. One would be weakness due to a nerve problem in the back end. This can happen if a disc has moved out of place in the spine and is pressing on the spinal cord. This can cause dogs to have trouble walking and placing their feet in an appropriate way. Some have the appearance of walking on their toes. Otherwise they are able to place weight on the back legs but stagger or sway when walking. This can be an emergency situation if the disc slips more into the spinal cord and causes paralysis. Another type of weakness that causes trouble getting up is if there is a lack of proper blood circulation. The lower level of blood in the body causes them to be lethargic due to the decreased oxygen circulating throughout the body. In an older dog, the most common cause of this is with a tumor or mass on the spleen that has ruptured. The spleen holds a large amount of blood and if it has a rupture, the blood leaks out into the abdomen. In addition to the lethargy, we often see pale gums and a pot belly appearance due to the pooling blood. An x-ray or ultrasound would help determine if this is occurring. These are the two most common reasons for such a dramatic change in her appearance. There is also the chance of her eating something she shouldn't. The best thing for her would be to have an exam as soon as you are able to determine what is causing her signs. The vet may recommend bloodwork or an x-ray. Unfortunately. older large breed dogs can lose nerve function in their back legs due to age changes. There is little we can do to help this aside from keeping them comfortable. Due to how sudden the signs showed up, this is less likely, as it is often a more gradual change.

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. With the symptoms that you are describing, I would strongly suggest having a veterinarian examine her. The symptoms you are describing can be caused by many things and would be best to have a veterinarian perform Diagnostics to rule out different causes. I would be concerned about a foreign body obstruction, systemic disease or infection, or trauma-related. The veterinarian can then make the most appropriate Diagnostic and treatment recommendations based on the physical examination. I hope this helps! Please feel free to contact me if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Pippin. It sounds like he is very sore. He will need to see a veterinarian to determine the source of his pain. It is common for small breed dogs to experience neck or back pain. These dogs will typically pant, shake and be reluctant to move. They can refuse to do stairs or jump on furniture. In severe cases, back pain can lead to weakness or paralysis. He should see his veterinarian soon. I hope this information helps!

This sounds like abdominal pain, or back pain. Since she’s not spayed you need to be concerned about a uterine infection which could cause lethargy and abdominal discomfort. If she has a bulging disk in her back that can cause pain also. I would take her temperature to check for a fever, and if she has a fever or these symptoms continue then please bring her in for an exam and treatment. They will feel to find where she’s painful and may do an X-ray or blood tests to diagnose the problem. She’s a very small dog so please don’t wait too long since she doesn’t have the body reserves of a bigger dog. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Luna.

I’m sorry Buddy isn’t feeling well. The good news is that his blood work looked good! Sometimes with real nebulous Symptoms such as what Buddy is displaying it can be difficult to pin point the cause. When he is sleeping standing or sitting it makes me suspect that laying down is uncomfortable. This makes me wonder is his belly or his back is uncomfortable . Young dogs certainly have a reputation for eating things they shouldn’t and an intestinal foreign body would be high on my list of concerns. Also I see a lot of back pain in these types of cases as well. Sometimes serial examinations are helpful because you find things on a repeat examination that maybe wasn’t as evident the day before. If he doesnt seem to improve then I would encourage you to have a follow up appointment soon. An x-Ray of his abdomen may be recommended. Best of luck and I hope he improves soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.