TL;DR
- Sudden hind end weakness or collapse is an emergency. Keep your dog still and call your vet now.
- Odds depend on deep pain sensation: about 90% walk again with surgery if it remains.
- Mild cases may need 4 to 6 weeks strict crate rest, plus bladder care and physiotherapy.
The intervertebral discs, the cushions between the bones of the spine, can swell or rupture over time, and that rupture damages the spinal cord by compressing and bruising it.1 If your dog's back end went wobbly or gave out suddenly, treat it as an emergency and call your vet now. For the wider picture of what can go wrong in a dog's back, see our overview of spinal problems in dogs.
What causes spinal injuries in dogs?
Breeds with long backs and short legs (Dachshund, Pekinese, Beagle, Lhasa Apso) account for the vast majority of disc ruptures, with the Dachshund alone making up 45 to 70% of cases.1 French bulldogs and Pembroke Welsh corgis also fall into this group,2 though any breed can be affected.2 Signs usually start between 3 and 6 years of age in these breeds, while larger dogs such as Labradors and German Shepherds usually present between 5 and 12 years.1
Obesity and repeated knocks can raise the risk of disc disease in predisposed breeds.3 A spinal stroke, also called an FCE, is another cause: a small piece of disc material enters the bloodstream and blocks the vessels feeding the spinal cord,4 most often in large breeds, typically between three and seven years old.4 There's more detail in our guide to spinal stroke in dogs.
Not every weak back end is an injury. Degenerative myelopathy, a disease of the spinal cord itself, causes slowly progressive hind limb weakness and paralysis,5 most often in dogs aged 4 to 14.5 Spinal injuries, tumours and lumbosacral stenosis, a narrowing of the spinal canal in the lower back, sit on the same list of possibilities.5
How to tell if your dog has hurt their back
With a ruptured disc, nerve damage follows a fairly predictable order: back or neck pain and a refusal to move around, then a "drunken sailor" walk with the hind feet crossing as the dog steps, then complete loss of hind limb movement, usually alongside losing the ability to urinate normally.1
Hind paws may knuckle over so the dog walks on the tops of them, and feet that scrape the ground while walking are an early sign of degenerative myelopathy, sometimes leaving the tops of the feet hairless and irritated from the repeated rubbing.5
What to do in the first hours
Keep your dog still and get to a vet straight away. Sudden paralysis is time sensitive: a ruptured disc is generally considered a true surgical emergency, and the outlook depends heavily on how much function remains when your dog is examined and treated.1 Confine your dog to a crate or small room, support the back and hips as one unit when you lift, skip walks and stairs entirely, and go.
How vets diagnose and grade the injury
Your vet starts with a hands-on nerve exam. Pinpointing which region of the spine is affected guides which tests and surgeries are worth offering.1 X-rays may show obvious signs, but working out the extent of the damage and planning surgery needs more advanced scans,2 and an MRI scan is the gold standard for diagnosing disc disease.2
One of the key things the vet checks is whether your dog still has deep pain sensation, meaning whether they can still feel pain in the back end, because dogs that keep pain perception have far better odds of walking again (about 90% regain limb use with surgery, versus 50 to 60% of dogs that have lost pain perception).1 Severe damage can lead to complete loss of pain sensation, which carries a poor outlook depending on how long it has been absent.1
Treatment: crate rest or surgery
Mildly affected dogs are often managed without an operation, with 4 to 6 weeks of strict crate rest, confined to a crate, playpen or small room except for leash trips outside to toilet.2 Surgery is typically reserved for dogs that are unable to walk, have pain that medication can't control, or haven't improved with rest.2
Odds matter here. For dogs who still feel deep pain, surgery lets about 90% regain use of their legs, and strict medical management 60 to 80%; for dogs with no pain perception, surgery gives 50 to 60% and medical management under 10%.1 Recovery usually spans weeks to months.1 Our guide to IVDD walks through each path in more detail.
Nursing your dog at home
The daily work is bladder care, skin care and safe movement. Dogs who can't urinate on their own need their bladder expressed, or gently squeezed empty, several times a day, and they're at higher risk of long-running urinary tract infections and urine scald, the skin irritation caused by wet fur.1 Dogs who can't turn themselves can develop bed sores, and soft, well padded bedding helps prevent them.1 Put rugs down on slick floors, keep nails short, and use a towel or sling under the belly for potty trips.
Rehab that actually helps
With a spinal stroke, once your vet has ruled out other causes of weakness, encouraging activity with a sling or support harness beats keeping your dog confined, since early assisted movement helps restore mobility and limits muscle loss.6 Physiotherapy is a critical part of recovery with or without surgery, and may include massage, hydrotherapy and gentle moving of the limbs through their full range to prevent muscle loss.3 Rehabilitation may also include assisted standing and walking.4
Where a rear support wheelchair fits in
A cart is for the stage after the emergency, when your vet has cleared your dog for controlled activity and the back legs are slow to come back or won't. Assistive devices, including a walking cart, can help restore mobility early,6 and a wheelchair is listed among the options for supporting the hind limbs.7
The OldPal Rear Support Dog Wheelchair comes in five sizes covering rear leg heights from 3 to 27 inches. The padded harness carries weight through the hips and chest rather than the spine, the back legs hang free or lightly brush the ground, and dogs can squat to toilet while in it. Sizing uses one measurement: rear leg height, hip to toe pad. Take it with our measuring guide and fit finder, or email a photo and your measurement to help@oldpalpets.com. Start with short sessions on flat ground and build up.
Living with lasting weakness
With good supportive care and rehabilitation, many dogs with a spinal stroke return to a good quality of life even if some nerve-related problems never fully clear.4 Alongside a wheelchair, a sling or harness for support, booties to protect scuffed paws and ramps or steps all help, along with rugs or yoga mats on slippery floors.7 Keep an eye out for urinary infections and book regular rechecks.
Preventing a second episode
Getting your dog to a healthy weight and keeping them there supports recovery and an active life.3 Stairs, jumping on and off furniture, off-leash chaos and roughhousing are linked to higher risk of disc herniation, and ramps help dogs who are used to jumping on furniture.2 Use a chest harness rather than a neck collar, which spreads pressure more evenly along the spine.2 About 25% of dogs that have disc surgery herniate another disc later in life.1
Frequently asked questions
Can a dog recover from a spinal injury?
How can you tell if a dog has a spinal injury?
What are the stages of IVDD in dogs, and what do they mean?
Nerve damage progresses in a set order: pain first, then a wobbly hind end with crossing feet, then complete loss of hind limb movement usually alongside loss of normal urination, then loss of pain perception, which signals severe cord injury with a guarded to poor outlook.1 Where your dog falls on that scale shapes the treatment offered and the odds of recovery, since mild cases may be managed without surgery while dogs that still feel pain regain walking about 90% of the time after an operation, compared with 50 to 60% for those that have lost pain perception.1
How long can a dog live with a spinal cord injury or ongoing back problems?
Will my dog ever walk again if the back legs don't improve?
After a spinal stroke, most improvement happens within 3 to 4 months, though every dog is different,6 and recovery is often slow, gradual and eventually plateaus.6 Some dogs that have lost deep pain perception still regain the ability to use their legs, with roughly 50 to 60% walking again after surgery; see our guide to spinal walking.1 A cart keeps them moving meanwhile.
Is a wheelchair bad for recovery, or will it weaken the back legs?
How do I help my dog pee after a spinal injury?
Ask your vet or vet nurse to teach you hands-on bladder expression before you try it at home. If a dog loses the use of its back legs and cannot urinate on its own, owners will need to express the bladder several times a day, and these dogs have a higher risk of long-running urinary infections and urine scald.1 Keep the back end clean and dry. If the dog's nerve function improves, the ability to urinate may return.1
Related guides
- What IVDD means for your dog
- Spinal stroke (FCE) in dogs
- Spinal walking: when dogs walk again without full nerve recovery
Sources
Sources (7)
- American College of Veterinary Surgeons. Intervertebral Disc Disease. acvs.org
- University of Illinois Veterinary Medicine. Aging Dogs Get Disc Disease. vetmed.illinois.edu
- VCA Animal Hospitals. Cervical Intervertebral Disc Disease in Dogs. vcahospitals.com
- Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. Fibrocartilaginous embolism (FCE) in dogs. vet.cornell.edu
- VCA Animal Hospitals. Degenerative Myelopathy in Dogs. vcahospitals.com
- VCA Animal Hospitals. Fibrocartilaginous Embolus (FCE) in Dogs. vcahospitals.com
- Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. Degenerative myelopathy. vet.cornell.edu
