Why does my dog stick his tail under his legs, shake and in pain when you touch his back? What should be the course of action?
Original Question: Hello, just wondering what is going on with my dog. He has been acting strange with his tail under his legs. He seems to be in pain and if you touch his back, he yelps. He started shaking since last night. Not sure what is wrong with him. - Kent
May 24, 2018
Hi Kent,
Thanks for your question.
The short answer is I don’t know what’s wrong with him either. From your description, my best guess is that this is related to either pain or anxiety. As for pain, I’ve seen this type of behaviour in dogs that have back pain, tail pain, neck pain, etc. Anxiety will manifest as these behaviours and it could be a combination, such as sliding down the last 4-5 steps on a flight of hardwood stairs. This could traumatize an area but also scare him.
The best idea is to bring him to your veterinarian and they will perform an examination to find the source of any pain. If the answer isn’t obvious, they may consider some diagnostic testing. Keep in mind that internal reactions can cause general abdomen pain and that could bring on the symptoms as well. In short, the answer may not be simple and it may be hard to confirm.
Best of luck.
Dr. Greenway
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