How to help my rescue dog who growls when touched or picked up?

Hello, The first thing that comes to my mind is chronic back, neck, or shoulder pain. Dogs with pain in these areas often hesitate to use stairs or jump on and off furniture. They may also want to lay around more and be generally less active. Pain in dogs can be similar to humans in that in can be caused by things like arthritis, disc disease, or a pinched nerve. It can also flare up and be worse at some times than at others, which may be why he vocalizes at some times and not at others. Anti-inflammatory drugs (a common one is carprofen) and nerve pain drugs (a common one is gabapentin) are commonly used to treat these conditions. I would recommend taking Gage into see a vet and be evaluated for chronic pain. I hope this is helpful! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Besides this being behavioral, this could also be due to a medical issue such as a display of pain of some sort. I recommend that if this persists, you have him evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They would be able to check for this possibility and treat him accordingly. This may require taking x-rays. Good luck and have a great day!

Since this sounds like a sudden change I would recommend making an appointment with your veterinarian to rule out a medical problem first. It is possible that he is painful somewhere and is reacting this way due to pain. I would try not to pick him up until you can see a vet, or wrap him in a thick towel before picking him up. If he seems healthy, you can then discuss what could be causing this behavior with your vet or your vet could refer you to a local animal behaviorist.

I am suspicious that it may be painful for him when you pick him up. Back pain can be hard to see but when you manipulate the back by picking him up is when you may see the most pain. I would encourage you to have him examined by your veterinarian to see if he is suffering from any pain. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

Jojo could be just a little more anxious right now since there is so much going on in the household. On the other hand, he could be hurting somewhere like his neck/back. I would rest him and see if he continues to act painful. When you go to pick him up, make sure you don't startle him as this can also cause them to yelp. If he continues to act painful, I would have your vet take a look at him. Your vet will be able to do a thorough orthopedic and spinal exam to localize the pain. Your vet will also be able to do x-rays if needed. I hope this helps!

Poor Joey. The two possibilities here are that it hurts or that he scares him when you pick him up. I'd lean towards pain from your description, but keep fear in mind since your vet didn't find any pain. One area pain can "hide" during a physical exam is in the spine or neck - vet's don't always check this area carefully. I would recommend a recheck visit, since it's still going on with no changes to see if anything is different on physical exam this time, and ask if doing a trial of pain meds for around 5 days would be appropriate. If pain meds don't help, experiment with never picking him up to see if that makes him happier. Good luck!

I would take him to your veterinarian asap as pain relief medication are required and make sure there are no penetrating wounds (sometimes they can be quite subtle). Other injuries a part from muscles and soft tissue ones need to be diagnosed or ruled out. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. Please find the time to give us a feedback about the consultation as that will be used to improve our service.