back pain?

Today Scully my dog (husky mix, 9 yrs old) was laying down having a go at an itch on her thigh, and I instantly thought it was time to bathe her in case of fleas. She suddenly stood up, yelped, turned around and sat down again. Since then her head has drooped and she has seemed lifeless. Periodically she paces the floor, nose to the ground, then slumps down again, taking short breaths. Sometimes she whimpers and walks to us, leaning against us like she is afaid or in pain. She has not eaten since the change, about 8 hours ago now. She seems to lean to one side as if it makes her uncomfortable to straighten. Her tail appears to be bending/leaning to one side most of the time. She acknowledges us and tries to react to her name but something, perhaps pain, is repressing her normal exuberance. Yesterday my sister's two dogs came to visit. I suppose it's possible she caught something from them (they are healthy and received booster injections - scully has already had her shots), but her change was sudden as I said. It's possible she hurt her back as she cleaned her thigh. She had been depressed after we lost our other two dogs last year from natural causes, but recently she was enjoying more being the only dog.

We live in a rural area and making an appointment with the Vet, takes a few days. I would like to give her some pain medication but I don't know what would be appropriate. Are there any I could give her? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

You can give her a buffered baby aspirin for the pain. I would try to contact your vet. This may be considered an emergency and you could get a quicker appointment. It sounds like he is in pain.

Agree with copperbelle - explain sudden onset of symptoms to your vet as they could be very serious and I expect he/she wll fit you in. I doubt very much your dog caught something from the other dogs as the symptoms have developed too quickly.

Thank you. I left a voice message with the Vet saying it was an emergency. :fingerscr

sounds to me like she/he possibly pulled something when she had her neck cranked around biting?? Its like when you get a sprained or kink in your neck. Did you try feeding her out of your hand? Maybe it hurts to lower her head and chew.