Dog moaning while just lying down

[geha]

Hi, I have a ten year old black lab/springer spaniel.  About two months ago she started moaning a lot while she was just lying down.  Sometimes it is loud enough to wake us up at night.  It really does sound like she is in pain, and she is not the type of dog to ever whine or cry, she is very tough.  Prior to this, the only time she has ever cried from pain was when I accidentally closed the door on her tail.  It's not a constant moan, but somewhat frequent throughout the night or in the evening when we are watching tv.  

While upright she appears fine and not in pain, she plays and runs as much as usual, so much so that people still think she is a puppy even though she is over ten.  

I've been to the vet probably ten times in the past six weeks or so.  She's had multiple xrays to see if she's swallowed anything and to check her organs.  Everything looked fine in the xrays, the vet said the 'wall' of her liver may appear a bit thin (I believe that was the wording used).  She has had all her blood work done and everything came back fine.  

Of note, she had pancreatitis when she was younger and the test for that came back fine.  They also did a liver function test where she fasted, had blood work, ate, then later had blood work taken again and it was fine.  

Her joints all seem fine when the vet works them, just in case, we started Cartophen injections just over 4 weeks ago and have not seen any improvement yet, so thinking it does not have to do with joint pain.  

As per food, nothing has changed, she has been on Medi-cal gastro from the vet since she was about four.  In case it was a 'bad' bag that started it, I bought another bag with a different production code on it and started that, no change.

Any advice anyone else has or if you have experienced a similar problem thank you for the help.

[Moira8]

Further update: Took him back on Tuesday as a follow up to the infection treatment. Although the infection has almost gone I have been informed he has a tumour on the gland. Quite annoyed as I think this should have been picked up when I first took him almost 3 weeks ago. He's having the tumour removed next Friday the 13th.Good job I'm not superstitious!!
No wonder he's been moaning and groaning.
I now realise if he's moaning/groaning then he's doing it for a reason, so please don't ignore it by passing it off as cute.

[Moira8]

Hi, an update on why my Lab was groaning. How wrong was I thinking it was his joints etc. A couple of days later I noticed his anal gland was swollen so took him to the vet and his gland was emptied. Not easy as he was crying in pain when the vet went near him. Two days later I noticed he had a red infection on his anal gland so took him back and was prescribed Loxicom for the infection which has worked wonders and Noroclav for the swelling. He is like a different dog since and has a good restful sleep. The infection is clearing and his groaning has stopped.

[Kudzoo]

Our labradoodle started groaning some time ago, a little at first, then more and more.  Now, every time he tries to re-position himself while lying down, he groans loudly.  He was diagnosed with pancratitis, which is now cleared up but the groaning goes on.  Barium upper-GI, no problems detected.  Extensive x-rays, all normal for a 10 year old dog.  His weight is good.  He is on Deramaxx for hip pain.  Tried Tramadol for any other pain, but no change in the groaning.  (I've used Tramadol and it really works well on my pain.  Numb from the neck down).  The Vet suggested mild Bronchitis and Pharyngeal paralysis as possible issues, but nothing definitive.  The groaning goes on despite all the investigations and meds.  Spent several thousand on the old boy so far with no real progress.  Oddly, be seems to prefer the hard, cold tile floor instead of a dog bed or sofa.  He has a few lumps, but Vet not concerned about them as yet.  
Looks like this mystery will go unsolved until a smart dog somewhere learns to speak human.

[Kudzoo]

Our dog yelped once due to pain from pancreatitis, not something they normally look for because the blood test is expensive.  Put him on a low fat diet (expensive food) and it cleared up in 6 weeks.  But, the moaning continues.

[Camy_Romero]

this is EXACTLY what my dog does. He is a black lab/newfoundland. He's a very large dog, around 140 pounds, and is the most stoic dog I have ever known. However at night, he moans very loudly whenever he changes positions or just lying there. I know that hes not sleeping because his eyes are open, and it just sounds like he is in tremendous pain. He's not dreaming or frustrated, he's just on the couch awake, moaning when changing positions or wakes up and moans then falls back asleep. I'm always worried about it so I get him excited to go for a walk to see if he has hurt himself but he gets right up as joyful as could be instantly, and walks/runs just fine. Then, when we come home he's back at it again when he decides to lay down. I didnt know if his joints or bones hurt or just something is not right because his moans sound miserable. If a human moaned like he did it would be "uuuughhhh" "UUUUGHHHH" (sorry that's my best description of it).

[Moira8]

Hi, my 9 yr old Black Lab started this groaning noise when he appears to be trying to find a comfortable resting spot on his memory foam bed. Once he is comfortable he goes to sleep and is contented. He started this towards the end of last year. I believe it is arthritic joint related and with the colder months joint problems affect humans so will affect our pets also.