My dog cries when touched and is lethargic. Is she in pain?

If poor Lulu is in that much pain I would recommend seeing an emergency veterinarian. She may have back, neck or abdominal pain. With severe pain it is common for animals to anticipate pain and react even before they are touched. A vet would hopefully be able to localize pain based on a physical examination and make recommendations about testing as well as prescribe safe pain medication if needed.

Hi there! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The symptoms you describe are concerning for something serious causing her pain or discomfort from something. I advice that you have Meg evaluated by your veterinarian for a thorough examination and further diagnostics to be followed by therapy if indicated based on findings. At the very least, if she is confirmed to be in pain or discomfort, she could at least be started on pain control medications. Good luck!

Any abrupt change in demeanor or behavior should be checked by a vet as soon as possible. Sometimes this is the only way our pets can tell us something is wrong. Hiding and not wanting to be touched can indicate pain or discomfort. She could have a hidden injury you weren't aware of, she could have an infection of some kind, eaten something that didn't agree with her, there are a number of possibilities. Your vet will do an exam, labwork and probably x-rays and based on these results will be better able to tell you what is wrong and how best to treat it.

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.

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

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.

I suppose it could be pain - some dogs just tend to be stoic at the vet hospital and will not react painfully. The fact that Ace doesn't want to jump and avoids being picked up makes me wonder if he might have some back pain. There are of course many other diseases that could cause lethargy with normal lab work - tick borne disease and splenic disease are two possibilities. You may want to recheck with your vet and see if they would recommend more tests, or you could ask about a trial of pain medication to see if Ace improves.