IVDD in dogs: recognising a spinal emergency before it's too late

Intervertebral disc disease (IVDD) is the most common spinal emergency I see, and it is the condition where owner recognition most directly changes the outcome. A dog treated at the wobbly stage usually walks again; a dog that arrives without deep pain sensation faces much longer odds.

The discs between the vertebrae can degenerate and herniate, compressing the spinal cord. Chondrodystrophic breeds — Dachshunds, French Bulldogs, Corgis, Pekingese, Beagles — are predisposed, and discs can herniate in these breeds as young as two or three years old. Any breed can be affected.

Early signs are subtle and easy to dismiss: reluctance to jump on the sofa, a hunched back, a tense abdomen, yelping when picked up, or a neck held low and rigid. Progression can be frighteningly fast — wobbliness in the hind legs, then dragging, then complete paralysis, sometimes within hours.

What to do: if your dog suddenly can't walk properly or cries out in pain, confine them immediately (a crate or small room — no stairs, no jumping) and go to a vet the same day. Do not wait overnight to see if it improves. Do not give human painkillers.

Diagnosis usually requires advanced imaging — MRI or CT — and treatment splits into medical management (strict crate rest plus medication) for mild cases, and decompressive surgery for severe or deteriorating ones. Grade matters: dogs that retain deep pain sensation have a good surgical prognosis; those without it are a surgical emergency measured in hours.

Prevention for at-risk breeds: keep them lean (every extra kilogram loads the spine), use ramps instead of jumping on furniture, walk with a harness rather than a neck collar, and take any back pain episode seriously rather than waiting for it to recur.