My dog yelps in pain waking from sleep and walks slowly. What's wrong?

Question

I have a 20 pound Cavachon, neutered, five years old. For the past few days she has not been her normal self, laying low and walking very slowly. For the past three days and even more so today, she has been waking up from sleep in yelps of pain. She will seem completely fine sleeping, then she will suddenly give a light yelp of pain and whimpers, lifting her head and continuing to whimper and whine. She will get up and move to a different spot. They only last about 10 secs.. What might this be?

Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS · Accepted Answer

It sounds like your girl is in pain, and given that she is getting up and moving around to a different after waking up yelping, I would be concerned that she is having pain in her spine and/or neck. This would also affect her walking and cause her to be lethargic. Because this has been happening for a couple of days now, I would have her seen by a vet first thing in the morning. The vet can do a lameness exam and x-rays to diagnose if there is a problem with her neck and/or spine, and can treat her for it. In the meantime, please do not give her any pain medications, many human ones are toxic for humans and can fatal if given.

My dog yelps in pain waking from sleep and walks slowly. What's wrong?

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