poodle pain

Question
We have a 11 month old toy poodle.  She has always been very playful and jumped on the sofa and chairs with no problem.  About two weeks ago she seemed not to feel well and groaned or growled when we picked her up.  At first the vet here thought she might have meningitis and referred her to the Emergency Clinic, but all the tests showed no problem.  When she didn't improve, she was put on amoxicillin and a pain pill.  Although she seems OK in other ways, she still is afraid to jump and sometimes yipes when we pick her up.  Her personality has changed.  Any ideas?

Answer
Since she is so young, she is (as a child does) learning as she goes. She is unable to verbalize exactly WHAT caused her pain, but whatever it is is still fresh in her mind. I'd give her time to get over it.  It may have been a bit traumatic for her and she is going to take some time to get over it.  Just let her get over it in her own time. Pretend she's a hormonal teenager.......it should pass in awhile. She may be a bit different....but as she gets over this she will also be maturing a bit.  

It's funny (I do this too) but we tend to assume dogs have human characteristics.  Truthfully, she probably hurt a long time before you knew about it.  In the wild, if an animal shows pain/weakness, it is fair game for the pack to take it out...remember the adage "only the strong survive"?  Well, it's instinctual for them to hide pain.  She may have felt pain quite awhile before it got too much for her to bear.  You just need to give her time to get over it.  Love her and spoil her......she'll come around.

Good luck!

Kathy