Mini Schnauzer with a tight stomach

Question
Hello,  My dog is seemingly different today. She has a very tight stomach, BUT has an appetite, has pee'd and pooped more than once today, she's growling and whining out the window, but cannot jump up and has issues climbing the stairs. Right now she is laying on the floor, and sleeping. She only seems to be in pain when i touch her lower abdomen.  Sometimes she whimpers when you pick her up.  Nothing too out of the ordinary happened in the last few days, shes eating normal things, but she has me concerned. i'd love to take her to the emergency vet, but they want 98 dollars just to see her. And then it only goes up from there. I just wanted to find answers online incase its just gas. Please help!

Answer
She does need to be seen by a vet, but you can probably just wait and see your regular vet in the morning. Personally, I would take her to a veterinary chiropractor as regular vets aren't all that good about finding the source of pain issues. Possibly she has pulled a muscle, or something has gotten out-of-alignment. http://www.avcadoctors.com/search_for_avca_certified_doctor.htm

Is her spine straight all the way to the end of her tail? Or is her body making the letter C? Is her tail off to one side at an angle? Can she do full yawns, or does she abort a yawn? Can she turn her head equally and fully to the right and to the left without resistance? (She should be able to touch her side with her nose; be careful manipulating her... do it slowly.) She should be doing full body shakes from her head to her tail, and she should be doing full stretches fore and aft; I would think from your description that this is not happening.

Run your hands very carefully (lightly) over her and see if you can find an area that feels warmer than the areas around it as you search for her problem area. Pain areas often heat up more. If you do find a warmer area, ice it for 20 minutes two-three times a day. Be sure to have a light piece of cloth between the ice and the dog's skin.

Also, my experience is that a dog will seldom demonstrate pain while at the vet, but she might show it to you if you go over every inch of her carefully as you poke and manipulate gently. (This is a safety mechanism as an injured dog/wolf would usually be set upon by packmates so they become very stoic in order to protect themselves from further injury or death.) Watch for signs of pain, such as rippling skin, tightened muscles, squinty eyes, pulling away, etc.

If you are one of those who does not have a veterinary chiropractor within reasonable driving distance, I would go to your vet and ask for X-rays. They won't show tissue damage, but might tell you something.