Signs of IVDD in Dogs: What to Watch For and When It Is an Emergency

Intervertebral disc disease (IVDD) is a common source of back pain in dogs, especially in older dogs but also in younger dogs of predisposed breeds, and the severity can range widely, from mild discomfort to paralysis.¹ The common signs are pain and loss of function: a dog who suddenly avoids jumping on furniture they usually hop onto, arches or hunches the back like a cat, limps, looks drunk while walking, or refuses to eat because it hurts.²

If you want the wider picture of the condition itself, start with our overview of what IVDD is and how it affects dogs. This page is about what it looks like from the outside, and what to do about what you are seeing.

The early signs of IVDD in dogs

Alongside limping, dragging the legs and a hunched back, dogs often have difficulty getting into position to poop.²

What that looks like at home: hesitating at the bottom of the stairs, crying out when picked up around the middle, a tense belly, shivering, low head carriage, and a dog who suddenly sleeps all day. One moment a dog can be playing and jumping, and the next they may suddenly cry out in pain, because the force of the movement damaged a disc and put pressure on the spinal cord.² Sometimes the dog's personality changes because they can no longer do what they enjoyed. In other cases, dogs wake up one day in pain with no obvious injury.²

Signs of IVDD in dogs as it progresses

As pressure on the spinal cord worsens, pain is joined by nerve problems: partial pressure can cause pain and nerve damage, while complete pressure leads to paralysis.² A dog with a spinal disc problem may walk with a wobbly gait and appear to be battling weakness in the rear, and if the disc disease is severe, the dog could be paralyzed, unable to get up or use the rear legs at all.¹ The dog may also be incontinent.¹

In between, owners notice swaying or crossing back legs, paws that turn under so the dog walks on the tops of the feet (knuckling), scuffed nails on the hind paws, and feet that drag on pavement. Pressure on the spinal cord can also make it difficult for dogs to urinate or have a bowel movement.²

What the grades mean, in plain English

Where your dog falls on that range, from mild pain to an inability to walk, drives how fast you need to move. Any of these signs calls for immediate veterinary attention, but a dog who cannot walk is an absolute emergency, because without prompt treatment the damage can become irreversible.² A step short of paralysis is the dog who is still up and walking but moves with a wobbly gait and looks weak in the rear.¹

In dogs whose back legs are paralysed by a disc rupture in the mid or lower back, the most important clue to the outlook is whether the dog can still feel deep pain below the injury, which a vet checks by pinching a toe or the tail and watching for a response such as a bark or a turn of the head.³

Neck IVDD looks different from back IVDD

Which discs are affected changes the signs you see, since symptoms vary depending on where the problem is along the spine.¹ About 65% of IVDD problems involve the thoracolumbar region (the mid and lower back), while about 18% are in the neck alone.¹ The main sign of a neck disc is neck pain, with stiffness and muscle spasms, and there may be front leg lameness or weakness in all four limbs.³

A dog with a neck disc may avoid turning their head one way, or walk to the food bowl and just look at it, then eat happily if you lift the bowl to a more comfortable height.¹ Neck IVDD is especially concerning because damage that high in the spinal cord affects more than the hind limbs.²

Which dogs get it, and at what age

Chondrodystrophoid breeds, meaning dogs bred with short, dwarf-like legs and a long back, such as the Dachshund, French Bulldog, Beagle, Shih Tzu, Lhasa Apso and Pekingese, are most commonly affected, with Miniature Dachshunds having a lifetime prevalence of around 20%.³ Pembroke Welsh Corgis and other dogs built the same way belong in that group too.² Dachshunds alone are estimated to account for 40 to 75% of all IVDD cases, and may be clinically affected by 3 to 6 years of age.¹ If you have a doxie, our guide to spotting trouble early in dachshunds goes deeper.

There is a slower version too: large-breed dogs can develop fibroid disc degeneration as they age, which leads to a slowly progressive disc bulge, with signs typically developing after about 5 years old as gradually worsening wobbliness and weakness.³ Any dog can develop IVDD, but some breeds are predisposed because of their anatomy.²

What to do today

Stop all jumping, stairs and furniture access right now, confine your dog to a crate or a small pen, and call your vet the same day. When you lift, support the chest and the hips together so the back stays level, never under the front legs alone. If you notice limping, dragging or a hunched back, bring your dog to the vet immediately to avoid further injury or loss of function.²

Treat sudden paralysis, a dog who cannot stand, severe pain or loss of bladder control as an emergency and go now. If surgery is recommended, do not wait: the longer you wait, the greater the chance the spinal cord degenerates to the point where it might not recover.¹

What else looks like IVDD

Other conditions can cause the same sudden hind end weakness or paralysis, which is why dogs are examined and tested by a vet to rule those causes out.⁴ The main one to know is degenerative myelopathy (DM), an inherited spinal cord disease that typically affects dogs around eight years or older, causing gradual muscle wasting and loss of coordination in the hind limbs, progressing to an inability to walk after six to twelve months.⁵ The red flag is that it is painless and slow, whereas a disc rupture often causes neck or back pain.³

Fibrocartilaginous embolism (FCE), in which a small piece of disc material enters the bloodstream and blocks the vessels supplying the spinal cord, is another.⁶ FCE occurs suddenly, the dog typically cries out, the pain usually subsides within a few minutes, and weakness or paralysis develops quickly.⁴ Signs typically affect one side of the body more than the other.⁶ Lower back and tail base disease also mimics IVDD: it is most common in large breeds, especially German Shepherd Dogs, with signs usually beginning at 3 to 7 years of age and including difficulty using the back legs, hind limb lameness, tail weakness and incontinence.³ During testing your vet can tell whether the problem is disc degeneration or something else, such as a cancerous growth.¹

How the vet confirms it

The first step is a thorough physical exam, which is often all that is needed for a mild case, although X-rays may be done as well.¹ X-rays alone cannot settle it, because they are not precise enough for a definitive diagnosis, which requires a detailed scan such as an MRI or CT.³ For dogs with more than mild pain, referral to a veterinary neurologist may be recommended.¹

Recovery, nursing and when a wheelchair fits

Mild cases are often managed medically, at least at first, with restricted activity along with pain medication and sometimes muscle relaxants.¹ Dogs with pain and minimal to moderate nerve problems often recover with 2 to 3 weeks of cage rest.³ Pain medication without cage rest is counterproductive, because more activity may push more disc material out.³

Week to week, that means a confined space with good bedding, carry-outs to the grass with a towel sling under the belly for potty breaks, keeping the back end clean and dry to prevent urine scald, and turning a down dog often. Dogs who become incontinent need help from their families to empty the bladder.² As recovery progresses, rehab may include laser therapy and underwater treadmill work, with home exercises and a gradually increasing program of walks.¹

A cart comes in alongside that plan, not instead of it. Published management advice for degenerative myelopathy, which causes hind limb weakness, includes rugs, carpets or yoga mats on hardwood and tile, ramps or steps, a sling or harness to assist walking and standing, booties for scuffed paws, and considering a wheelchair to support the hind limbs.⁵ If the front limbs are strong enough, a vet may recommend a mobility device such as a cart.²

The OldPal Rear Support Dog Wheelchair is built for exactly that stage. The padded harness carries weight through the hips and chest rather than the spine, every strap adjusts, the back legs hang free or lightly brush the ground, and dogs can squat to go to the bathroom in the chair. It comes in five sizes covering rear leg heights from 3 to 27 inches, and sizing needs one measurement. Check your dog's rear leg height on the measuring and fit guide, or email help@oldpalpets.com with a photo and that number and a person will size it with you.

Lowering the chance of a repeat

Clinical signs come back after non-surgical treatment in 30% to 40% of cases.³ Keep your dog trim and fit, minimise stairs and jumping on and off a deck, bed or sofa, and plan sensible activities: walking is safe for any dog, leaping for a thrown toy much less so.¹ Long-bodied, short-legged dogs who are overweight may be at elevated risk because of the added pressure on the spine.² Use ramps, put runners on slick floors, keep nails short, walk on a body harness rather than a neck collar, and keep a short diary of any yelping or wobbly days so you can show your vet a pattern.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

• What IVDD is and how it affects dogs
• Catching the earliest signs in dachshunds
• How to measure your dog for a wheelchair

Sources