What's wrong with my senior dog: lethargic, whimpering, hard belly?

Question

My dog is 9 years old. He is a schnauzer Maltese mix. He has not been very active recently. He doesn’t jump on the couch anymore. He whimpers when you touch his side or belly. His spine feels popped out almost. He acts depressed and like he has no energy. I took him to the vet and they did blood work which came back fine, said he had nothing wrong with him. His belly also feels hard. The vet prescribed him some pain meds but he just feels bad. Please help. Pet's info: Dog | Miniature Schnauzer | Male | neutered | 9 years and 9 months old | 15 lbs

Dr. Heidi DVM, CVA, CCRT, CVTP, CVSMT, CVCH · Accepted Answer

I'm so sorry to hear that Cooper is not feeling well. It sounds like there is something going on that is not showing up on bloodwork. With what you described, there could be something painful in his back or his abdomen. If the pain medication is not helping, it is probably time to do more testing to figure out what is wrong. X-rays of his back and abdomen may be the next step to evaluate that is going on. Sometimes it is very hard on exam to determine if a back or abdomen is painful because the muscles wrap around the same area, but x-rays can sometimes help us figure it out. If x-rays are normal, you could also consider doing an abdominal ultrasound to get a better look at the internal organs in the abdomen to see if there is anything abnormal there. I wish I had a simple answer for you, but it sounds like we need to do some more investigation to figure out what is going on with Cooper in order to figure out the best treatment plan to make him feel better. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

What's wrong with my senior dog: lethargic, whimpering, hard belly?

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