strange

Question
My Yorkie started biting off her nails.  Now that she has done that she licks them.  She will all of a sudden look depressed and have her head lowered.  At nite she acts like she can't get settled on the bed and then gets off the bed and goes under it.  She crys and sounds like she is in pain.Then she seems alright -but then it happens again.  If the vet wasopen at this moment I would take her--but will have to wait till Mon. She is still drinking and eating..  What do you think??

Answer
Nancy,

When you say biting off her nails do you mean all the way off?  If not then there is probably nothing to worry about.  I have never had a Yorkie trim their own nails but I have had large breed dogs who chewed their nails down.  As long as she is not bleeding I don't think that biting her nails is part of the problem.  

Her acting like she can't get settled and making crying sounds does concern me.  Dogs do not show pain as a rule unless they are in a lot of pain.  Is it possible she has eaten something that she cannot digest?  If you feel her belly is it soft or hard?  A hard belly can be a sign of trouble.  There are a lot of possibilities including a bowel obstruction.  Is she going to the bathroom regularly and are her bowel movements hard (like she is constipated) or does she have diarrhea?  Most veterinarians have on call hours for emergencies and there are also vet hospitals that will see you on the weekends.  If money is the concern (which I understand completely) then there is really not much you can do until you get her to the vet.  Obviously I cannot diagnose her but if you check the things I asked it should give you a good idea if an emergency trip to the vet is called for.  If you want to answer the questions I asked and send it back to me I will try to be more specific about what your options could be.

Sincerely,

Melinda