My dog keeps sitting down. Is this a sign of pain or discomfort?

This may be a sign of pain either her hips or knees or tail or back end area. you can look for any redness or swelling around her rectum or under her tail. Make sure her tail moves well in all directions without causing pain. Monitor for any diarrhea, as straining can cause irritation. If she is walking well and still acting normally, you can try to get her to lay down and rest if that helps. If not, then she may need to seen by a vet to find the cause.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This could be a general sign of discomfort. If this continues, I recommend you check in with your veterinarian for a physical examination to make sure that there is nothing really wrong with him. Hopefully it is just an isolated episode. Good luck and have a great day!

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! While back pain may definitely be the cause of this, other conditions can cause Honey to be less active or painful. For instance, conditions such as pancreatitis can cause abdominal pain, and thus reduced activity. I recommend having Honey seen by a vet, who can perform bloodwork and x-rays to determine what is causing these signs. Blodwork would be able to rule out any malfunctioning organs or infections, while x-rays can rule out abdominal masses and vertebral fractures or herniated discs. I hope all is well with Honey!

It could be that Dakota is in pain, for example with arthritis pain in his hips, or a beginning heart condition that makes him tired fast. It may also just be a habit, but it is better to have him checked out by a veterinarian. If he is in pain, pain medicine for dogs will improve his quality of life significantly, and should he have a heart condition, catching it early will make it so much easier to treat and significantly prolong his life. Please schedule an exam with your veterinarian soon.

Often I see anal sac infections, or perianal dermatitis ( skin infection) causing the signs that you are seeing. However, back pain could be another possible cause. If it continues I would encourage you to have him evaluated by your veterinarian as soon as possible. Best of luck and I hope he improves soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

That's a good question. Dogs with hip or knee problems often sit sideways but puppies who have not learned a formal sit through obedience classes can also do it. I find that dogs can have a sloppy sit when they are relaxed whether or not there is a problem. Dogs who have an orthopedic problem are reluctant to sit at all when asked, sit crooked, often with one leg out to the side, or they flop down, not using the rear legs. If Max runs normally, can walk up stairs alternating his legs, and doesn't have any muscle trembling after exercise the sideways sitting is probably nothing to be concerned about. You can take a treat and hold it up while asking him to sit to see if he can sit squarely without resistance. If he won't sit, sits with one leg out to the side, or bunny hops when running then he should have an exam and X-rays to see if he has a hip or knee problem which is causing the sideways sitting. If it's due to discomfort the veterinarian can prescribe medication for pain. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to get answers to your veterinary questions.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Honey! She is very cute! Honey sounds very painful. The most common reason for random crying out in pain and trouble sitting is neck or back pain. The dog's also stop jumping up and have trouble doing steps. The most common cause is a muscle strain or sprain or a mineralized disk. I treat neck and back pain with muscle relaxants, pain medications and anti-inflammatories. I recommend having Honey seen by a Vet. They can help figure out where she is painful and prescribe the correct medications. Please do not start human medications as they can interfere with the medications your Vet will want to prescribe. I hope this helps and I wish Honey a speedy recovery!