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Why is my chihuahua not moving, with tender back and tight belly?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Chihuahua | Female | spayed | 6 years and 4 months old | 4.6 lbs

Hi, my 6 yr old female chihuahua has a tender lower back and a sudden behavioral change in the last 2-3 hours. I've tucked her into bed where she hasn't moved for the last few hours - this is very abnormal for her. i believe it maybe be a uti, gallstones or enlarged prostate pushing on her spine? She's not yelping or crying just has a very tight belly and she stiffens up when I feel around her lower back and 'love-handles' area.. can you please assist?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Cara, DVM, cVMA

Veterinarian

Published on June 29th, 2017

Poor Pandora! I'm sorry she's not feeling well. She may have a back injury that's causing her pain. Other possibilities are some sort of GI disturbance such as pancreatitis, though a urinary problem would be possible as well. Female dogs don't have a prostate though and gallstones are not terribly common. If she's not improving over the course of the next few hours or is getting worse I would take her to the vet to be evaluated.

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    Answered By Dr. Rachel

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    Two of the most common causes of this type of painful behavior are back pain and abdominal pain caused by gastroenteritis, urinary tract issues (including UTI, especially if a kidney infection), pancreatitis, liver problem (including gallstones), or others. Fortunately female dogs do not have a prostate gland, so no need to worry about that! It can be difficult to differentiate between back pain and abdominal pain without a physical exam, so I think it would be worth taking her to a vet to investigate further. Depending on what is found, she may need an abdominal x-ray to evaluate her spine and abdominal organs. Continue to monitor her for other concerning symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, difficulty walking or gait abnormalities, or anything else. I hope she feels better soon!

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