Intervertebral Disc Disease (IVDD) in Dogs - Causes, Diagnosis, and Treatment

Intervertebral disc disease (IVDD) in dogs can be described as a slipped disc, ruptured disc, herniated disc, or bulging disc. This condition mostly affects French Bulldogs, Dachshunds, Shih Tzus, Pekingese, and Beagles. Whether your pet suffers from trauma to the spine or has abnormalities due to their breed, the gel-like center of the intervertebral disc may turn dry and brittle, rupture through the fibrous outer layer, and push on the spinal cord. This may cause severe pain, limited mobility, or even paralysis.

Watch Snowflake recover after his IVDD diagnosis!

IVDD Surgery Aftercare

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00:00 Introduction
00:23 Anatomy
01:27 Clinical Signs
02:45 Diagnosis
03:49 Treatment
04:39 Postoperative Care
05:38 Prognosis

[nonalizasoriano]

I lost my dog yesterday due to IVDD and it pains me to know how painful his condition was. I miss him so much. I wish I have fought for him more.

[kdsryd]

Out of no where my 3 year old Frenchie showed these signs & symtoms last night. Her breathing heavily, pacing, limping & crying to touch on her right side of body got us to the ER. Today is day 1 of strict rest & pain meds. Thank you for this video! Straight to the point with facts! Praying my baby makes a full recovery. Blessings to everyone going through this...

[desireeaguilar]

This is one of the saddest days of my life.. I had to put my boy Goldie down today due to IVDD. His symptoms came on suddenly and progressed rapidly. I wish I had more time with him, but I am so grateful and blessed for the 4yrs I had with him. He was a terrier mix rescue and I can honestly say that he RESCUED me. I love you and miss you so much my precious Goldie. You will forever be in my heart. RIP my sweet boy..😔😭💔🌈🐕

[marieinak]

My baby Lilly has IVDD. I'm trying to save her. It's a horrific disease. She isn't a normal dog and only 4 years old. I pray I can help. MRI has already occurred and the surgeon appointment is on Monday. I love my baby girl. Pray for her.

[PICANTESOCIETY]

I’m not a vet but I hope this helps ..My dog jumped off my bed and was a grade 5. i took him to the vet and they tested his reflex and he wasn’t able to move at all. he wasn’t able to put his back feet fully on the floor. They said I had to get an emergency surgery ASAP or in the next weeks or he will be paralyzed. I asked the vet if I can give him pain medicine and anti inflammatory medicine until his surgery date. I also gave him CBD dog OIL.. I tried everything from having him do water therapy in my tub to deep massages. I honestly left him in the (crate trained with extra cushion)crate 24/7 for 2 weeks straight and picked him up to go to the bathroom and right back into the crate. I took time and really researched what or how he can get healed they scheduled a 10k surgery which It was out of my budget and it wasn’t guaranteed if he’ll make it .. on the day before his scheduled surgery he was able to walk. And he’s been running and jumping around ever since. I met some guy who experienced the same and he put his dog down cus the cost of surgery. He was upset because he tryed everything and he meant he Try every every thing. He did not try the crate training. I also lit a candle 🕯️ and still do to this day because my prayer was heard but I hope this helps you and your pup

[joekiser]

Just started going through this with my 4 year old Boston Terrier. I would say he’s a grade 2/3. Just started steroids and pain meds. If anyone has any advice I would love to hear it. He is my first dog and I never thought I’d love an animal like my boy. Sad but hopeful. Prayers to everyone in the comments that have lost their friends. It’s hard to watch

[LisaSap]

My Frenchie had surgery on his neck about 2 months ago for this condition. I’m happy to report that he is doing really well so far. The trick will be remembering that he can’t go back to roughhousing the way he used to

[sherlymosessian]

Excellent video. My dashound/beagle mix got IVDD 5 months ago stage 4. We woke up middle of the night to him having fallen/jumped from the bed and was paralyzed in hind legs and in severe pain. Very scary and heart breaking. He was in a lot of pain. We took him to urgent care to manage his pain and got him surgery the next day. In 2 weeks he gained ability to wag tail and then slowly gained strength in his hind legs. He was able to control urination and defecation after a few weeks. We had to adjust his pain meds since his prescribed meds were not working well. In 3 months he gained ability to kick his legs back. He is doing much better now and around 85% back to his pre IVDD with great quality of life. It takes time but don’t lose hope.

[aldhn]

Thank you to all the doctors and everyone who works in the veterinary field they gave her a chance to walk again !

[Blippity_Bloop]

Very informative video. Our 13+ yo Beagle/Dachshund mix was going full-bore after a squirrel two days ago and lost his back legs mid-run. After a visit to the emergency vet, she pretty much suspected it was this. They offered the MRI and a possible surgery option. We actually do have insurance, but, unfortunately, our pup also has CHF and, while he's been soldiering through that (with meds) for over a year pretty well, we just don't want to risk the anesthesia. Plus, we don't want him to go through all that, only to have the CHF possibly take him a few months later.

So, for now, we're doing crate rest and have pain killers/anti-inflammatory meds. He's still got an appetite and goes potty outside with us supporting his back legs.

One thing I would say - do whatever you can to keep your at-risk breeds from jumping down from stuff. I know it's difficult and they can move before you know it, but I'll always wonder if, had I'd been more careful, he'd still be going after the squirrels.

[byronbandit]

My dog went from running happily one day to paralysed in the rear legs in a few weeks. I put him down after 1 night of me having to carry him out on the lawn.
I always promised my family and myself to do so and not to drag things out. He died peacefully and looking content.

[XRoyalStampedeX]

My dog was put down due to ivdd it got so bad that he could no longer walk. I had him for 12 years and was my best friend I’ve ever had it’s been a month since he died and I’m still trying to deal with the loss.

[cpierce]

Very well done and helpful. I think it is worth emphasizing that if IVDD is suspected, an ASAP trip to the emergency vet is essential.

[danielsan]

We were running outside two days ago after he finished using the bathroom. The grass was wet and he slipped. He screamed, and my dad had to take him to the vet. Turns out he has IVDD now. He's taking medication, but he can't even move his back legs now. All I feel is the guilt and the regret for running that day, which we always do in our routine. All I feel is the blame and both of my parents being against me. I have faith for my dog's recovery, even if my dog's back legs aren't at their best. If he has to be put down, all I'll feel is guilt and anger. All my family will do is hate me for what happened, but all I can do is pray.

[_jesusisking]

My dog is suffering from ivdd and is in 2 and 3 stage.
It started a week ago. He is 13 and we are in beyond pain to see him like this.

[Sully]

Thank you, my beloved just slipped a disk on thursday and we are trying to assess where to go. we're at grade 3 and this was incredibly helpful

[martinguerre]

My dog went from being perfectly fine yesterday to wobbling like a drunk this morning, dragging his back legs

[PaintSlinger]

We've got this same issue going on. The Vet here in South Florida estimated 2k for imaging, 4k for surgery and 1500 in meds/followup work. So that's 7, 500 dollars to get my 8 year old dog back to normal. I have a 4 year old child and a newborn and just cannot bring myself to spend that much money as we are a middle income family. I wish someone could do this process for my 3, 500 budget. Makes me very sad. Currently she is under strict crate rest, she is wearing the 'lil backer' back brace, and taking a supplement rich in Chondroitin called Vetri Disc. I am trying to look for other vets that could complete the surgery closer to my budget. Vets are expensive here because of all the old retired millionaires. I am not going to give up on her easily

[Kristain-wv]

My dog had IVDD due to a spinal cord injury in his neck. He had Paresis on his right front and rear leg which meant he could not walk on his own. His front paw was knuckling severely and his rear leg was to the point where his leg was crossing over the other leg. This made it even harder to maneuver him. He was on pain meds including opiates and anti inflammatories which caused him to not be able to urinate by the way (that’s a while other subject). I just could not put him down though. So I decided to look for alternative healing methods. I found a lady online that had cured her little poodle of complete paralysis due to IVDD in her rear legs by sheer accident. She gave the dog a supplement called iHercules. I had never heard of this. It’s not made for dogs but this lady decided it was worth a try to give it to the dog to see if it would help. She gave the dog three doses per day and after two weeks the dog began moving her hind legs on her own. This lady’s dog also had to wear diapers and couldn’t go to the bathroom by herself due to her paralyzed hind legs. I decided it was worth a try for my dog. So I ordered it and within two weeks my dog began improving as well. Within 15-20 days he was walking again at 80% and after a month he is now 95% better. He runs around the yard now, even hiking his leg to pee. He couldn’t move before. I had to hold him up with harnesses to take him outside. I still do not let him jump off steps or the couch and I watch him like a hawk so he doesn’t re-injure himself but I am so amazed he has recovered so well. It is an absolute miracle. I also gave him licorice extract and a hemp chew with MSM, glucosamine and chondroitin and changed his diet to better food. Who knows if it’ll work for your baby or not but it was worth a try for me and I have my boy back now. So grateful.

[destinyreturns]

I lost my beautiful Husky Boy Smokey last month and am still searching for answers to what happened. This was not diagnosed, but I've wondered if he might have had a slipped disk or perhaps a ruptured disk, as he had trouble walking and was in much pain when he did try to walk. It all came on so suddenly too. After reading several of the responses here some of it sounds so familiar, as I was hand feeding him, rotisserie chicken one day then ground beef and rice the next, and steak yet another day. I had to act like I was going to eat it first for him to take and eat it. He was then having problems pooping and then started having problems peeing, so we thought it might be UTI, which all results came back negative. Seeing this makes me think I could have done more for him, but I didn't want him to suffer. I have been the one suffering each day since, and miss him so very much. He was my very best friend.