whimpering every time she gets up

[krystier]

I have an American Bulldog. She is about a year and a half old and has never had any health problems before. This morning when my fiance and I got up from bed she was sleeping on the couch which is strange because she is normally our alarm clock. When he put his hand out to pet her she started whimpering and shyed away from him. She is normally very attached to both of us. When she finally did get off the couch to go outside when she got up she whimpered some more and then walked slowly outside. Once she was out there she seemed to be ok and her bowel was pretty normal maybe a little diarrhea. Now she's been lying around all day but when she does get up she whimpers at first and walks a little slower than normal. The only time she cries more than just getting up is if we pat the end of her at the beginning of her tail on her back. I don't have any money to take her to the vet today so if any of you know what this could be or have experienced it yourselves please respond with any ideas I hate seeing my princess in any pain.

[Robert Judd, D.V.M., DABVP]

it does sound like your dog is in pain.  Unfortunately, there can be multiple reasons she is acting in this manner and without a veterinary exam, it is impossible to determine the cause.  It is likely she may have injured her back and the pain could be from the vertebrae in her back which could be serious.  She also could have abdominal pain from an organ in her abdomen like the pancreas which could also be serious.  I would recommend you get her to your vet for a exam as soon as possible