dog lathargic and wont lay down

Question
11 yr old Sckipperkee, approx 17 lbs.

Dog is not active, not eating, will not lay down. Holds his head down as if stiff. Doesn't show any exterior injury or pain in any specific location. Will yelp almost uncontrollably for a bit, other than that no barking as he normally would. Our vet has never determined in the past a problem with similar conditions but he has always recovered after a few days previously. He seemed a little better this morning but will be visiting the vet later today if not showing more positive health. Can anything like other animals or certain plants cause these kind of reactions? Thank you for any suggestions you might have.

Answer
This dog needs to have his spine xrayed. He sounds as if he has a very stiff spine and a lot of pain associated with it. This is the hallmark of a dog that barks like that.

At his age, he could very well have a spinal spondylosis or some sort of stenoses of the spine. I would ask your vet to evaluate his spine and his hips. Neck pain is a major issue with older dogs.

Another thing he could have is some central nervous system issues, which will make them hold their head off to one side or down.
Heart pain, heartworms, these can also cause pain in the chest that will cause yelping. Have his heart checked too.

I don't know what plants he could be eating so unless you tell me what kind of plants are around you I don't know about that. Some dogs get into the spray residues when a pest control place sprays and that will cause CNS issues also.

That is about all I can tell you Neal. I hope that he is okay. Please let me know what you find out.