Pets
A Closer Look at IVDD
• J.R. Richardson
A Closer Look at IVDD
Understanding IVDD and Changes in Mobility
For some dog owners, the first introduction to IVDD comes after weeks or months of noticing that something just isn't quite right.
Maybe their dog has become reluctant to jump onto the couch. Stairs aren't as easy as they used to be. There have been episodes of back or neck discomfort, stiffness, or changes in movement that eventually lead to a veterinary evaluation.
For others, the introduction can feel like it happens overnight.
A dog who seemed fine earlier suddenly appears weak or unsteady. A back leg isn't working normally. The hind end may begin to wobble or, in more severe cases, the dog may suddenly be unable to use the back legs.
Very different experiences can eventually lead to the same four letters:
IVDD.
So what exactly is happening?
First, Meet the Intervertebral Disc
The spine isn't one long bone. It's made up of individual bones called vertebrae, with intervertebral discs positioned between many of them.
Those discs help provide flexibility and absorb some of the forces created as a dog walks, runs, jumps, turns, and generally goes about the important business of being a dog.
Each disc has an outer fibrous layer surrounding an inner center.
When a disc degenerates, its structure and properties begin to change. Depending on the type of disc disease, material from the disc may protrude or extrude into the spinal canal.
That's where IVDD becomes more than a problem with the disc itself.
The spinal cord and spinal nerves are very close neighbors.
If disc material enters the spinal canal, it can compress or injure those delicate neurologic structures. Where that happens, how it happens, and how severely the spinal cord or nerves are affected all help determine what the dog may experience.
IVDD Doesn't Always Tell the Same Story
One of the confusing things about IVDD is that two dogs with disc disease may look very different.
Some dogs primarily show pain.
They may hold the neck differently, seem reluctant to move, tense their muscles, change posture, or suddenly decide that jumping onto furniture has lost all appeal.
Other dogs develop neurologic changes.
Their steps may become uncoordinated. The back legs may cross or wobble. Paws may drag or turn under. Weakness can progress until the dog has difficulty standing or walking.
In severe cases, paralysis and loss of bladder control may occur.
The location of the affected disc matters, too. Disc disease in the neck can produce a different collection of signs than disease affecting the middle or lower portion of the spine.
That wide range is part of why IVDD isn't something that can be identified simply by watching how a dog walks. Other orthopedic and neurologic conditions can create some very similar changes, and veterinary evaluation helps determine what's actually happening.
Sudden Signs Don't Always Mean a Sudden Beginning
This is one of the more interesting pieces of IVDD.
Sometimes the clinical signs are dramatic and appear very quickly.
But the changes within the disc may have been developing long before anyone knew they were there.
In some dogs, particularly in breeds with a known predisposition to certain forms of IVDD, degeneration of the intervertebral discs can begin surprisingly early in life. A disc may change over time before an extrusion suddenly produces pain or neurologic signs.
Other forms of disc degeneration tend to develop differently and may produce a more gradual progression of clinical signs.
In other words, the moment IVDD becomes visible to us isn't necessarily the moment the story began.
And there isn't one timeline that describes every dog.
Why Are Certain Dogs More Prone to IVDD?
IVDD can occur in many different dogs, but certain breeds have a higher genetic predisposition to some forms of disc degeneration.
Dachshunds are probably the breed most famously associated with IVDD, but they aren't the only dogs that can be affected. Several other chondrodystrophic breeds have also been associated with increased IVDD risk.
In these dogs, genetic factors can influence how the intervertebral discs develop and degenerate. Those changes can begin when dogs are quite young, even though clinical signs may not appear until later.
Larger dogs can develop disc disease, too, but the underlying disc changes and typical progression may look different.
So while age and breed can be pieces of the picture, IVDD isn't simply an "old dog back problem."
When Movement Becomes Information
Because IVDD can present in so many ways, changes in movement can sometimes be an important part of the story owners bring to their veterinarian.
A dog who suddenly seems unsteady isn't necessarily experiencing IVDD.
Neither is every dog who stops jumping on the bed or hesitates at the stairs.
But those changes are information.
So are dragging paws, weakness, unusual posture, difficulty standing, changes in coordination, or signs of neck or back discomfort.
And when a dog suddenly loses the ability to stand or walk normally, develops significant weakness or paralysis, or experiences a rapid neurologic change, veterinary evaluation becomes especially important.
With IVDD, the severity of neurologic impairment can influence both treatment decisions and prognosis.
Diagnosis Is More Than Finding a Sore Back
A veterinary neurologic examination can provide important clues about whether a problem may involve the spinal cord or nerves and can help localize where along the nervous system a problem may be occurring.
Imaging may then be needed to determine what's causing it.
Although radiographs can sometimes show changes associated with disc degeneration, advanced imaging such as MRI or CT is often used when a definitive diagnosis and precise location of disc herniation are needed.
From there, treatment depends on the individual case.
Some dogs with milder signs may be managed medically under veterinary supervision, including strict activity restriction and appropriate medications. Dogs with more severe neurologic deficits or significant spinal cord compression may require surgery.
There isn't one IVDD treatment plan because there isn't one IVDD patient.
Mobility After an IVDD Diagnosis
An IVDD diagnosis can change the way owners think about movement.
During treatment and recovery, the veterinary plan comes first. Activity restrictions, rehabilitation, medication, surgery, environmental changes, or other recommendations may all be part of that plan depending on the dog.
Over the longer term, the bigger mobility picture still matters.
Body condition, appropriate activity, nutrition, home environment, rehabilitation when recommended, and ongoing veterinary care can each play a different role in supporting the individual dog.
For some families, that may mean changing how their dog gets onto the couch. For another, it might mean approaching stairs differently or working through a veterinary rehabilitation program.
And for the dog?
They're probably much less interested in the name of the diagnosis than they are in getting back to the parts of life they enjoy.
The Same Four Letters, Many Different Dogs
IVDD is a single abbreviation for a condition that can look remarkably different from one dog to another.
It may enter the conversation after a gradual change in movement or after a frightening neurologic event. It can affect young dogs as well as older ones. Some dogs experience primarily pain, while others develop weakness, incoordination, or much more serious neurologic deficits.
Understanding what's happening beneath those four letters doesn't make every IVDD case predictable.
But it does make the diagnosis a little less mysterious.
And when movement changes, understanding the story behind it can help owners have a more informed conversation with the veterinary team caring for the dog.
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References
- Merck Veterinary Manual. Updated April 2025. Degenerative Diseases of the Spinal Column and Cord in Animals.
- Merck Veterinary Manual. Updated September 2024. Disorders of the Spinal Column and Cord in Dogs.
- Olby, N. J., Moore, S. A., Brisson, B., et al. 2022. ACVIM Consensus Statement on Diagnosis and Management of Acute Canine Thoracolumbar Intervertebral Disc Extrusion. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine.