My Papillon Yelps when I touch her neck

My papillon just started yelping and trying to warn me when I touch her neck - at least I think it's her neck. I can play with her ears and all is fine. Her ears are down and now she doesn't want me near her.

This just came on all of a sudden. No warning. She was playing fine 20 minutes ago. What should I look for? When should I take her in to be seen? She didn't want a treat or play with her toys. That is HUGE.

We took her for a long walk today and she did pull on the harness a lot today.




Hi
If she's walked a fairly long way today and pulled on her harness, and has been playing hard too, she may just have strained or pulled a muscle in her neck or shoulders, and that's why she's yelping.

She's scared because it hurts and she doesn't understand why, and that's why she doesn't want you near her or to touch her. That's normal.

I would suggest giving her a few hours and see what happens. Don't try to pet her or play etc., just let her do whatever she wants and she will relax.

If it doesn't seem to bother her when she's walking, lying, sitting and so on, she probably hasn't done any serious damage. But if she seems to be holding her head strangely, walks differently or seems stressed (panting, pacing, general anxiety etc.), then it could be something more serious.

In the first instance, I would try tomorrow to pet her and see if things have improved, if so all is well. If not, take her to your vet. And in the second instance, she needs to be seen by a vet right away. If she's damaged her neck in any way, you want to make sure to prevent it from getting worse.

Hope this helps put your mind at rest. Best of luck with her.