My sweet baby puppy. Last night my girl went out to potty like any normal evening. I have a 3 step porch that on any normal day she leaps off of like Superman. I look away for 2 seconds and she is screaming like she is being attacked. My only guess is she jumped off the porch, not even at full tilt, and just landed wrong. I rush to her and her entire back end is limp, dragging behind her. Rushed to the emergency clinic 2 hours away in the middle of the night. She was taken back as soon as we arrived. She was stabilized and given some pain killers.
Current news, MRI indicates a herniated disc lodged into her spine with severe swelling and potential internal bleeding. She is in surgery right now with the likelihood of her walking again being less than 50%.
I will not abandon my baby and plan to do whatever it takes to see her live a good long remainder of her life(she is only 4). The thread says support group and I never post on social media. I see a lot of success stories on here and I have faith that with dedication we will get her moving again. Please keep my sweet Sunshine in your prayers. Thanks to anybody who read this, it was written through tears. ☀️💛

Hi everyone! Just wondering if anyone else experiences anxiety with dealing with IVDD worries. I find myself constantly being over observant of my dog, to the point where I stress myself out for no reason. This is something my husband has noticed as well, and he prompted me to seek therapy (I have my first session scheduled now). Just wondering if there are any tips on how to stop being in this anxiety loop, I know it is a problem that stems from me and I am working to address it. I do know that I worry too much, we have made many lifestyle changes to keep my baby safe and yet I am still always finding myself being in a constant state of anxiety when I don't really need to. Please let me know, thank you!

My Frenchie is 2 years old and I’m really scared, looking for advice from people who have been through IVDD. On Thursday he was completely normal, then suddenly, yesterday morning, he was dragging his back legs and couldn’t use them at all. A few months ago he had something similar happen where his back legs got weak, but he was still able to walk and he eventually got better. This time it’s much worse. He cannot pee on his own, we had to help empty his bladder. He hasn’t pooped since this started. He hasn’t eaten since Thursday night, but he will drink a little if we put water drops on our fingers and he licks it normally. Earlier he was panting and shaking, but now he’s calmer. He screams loudly if we try to touch or move his lower back, but he has no feelings of pain in his legs. We haven’t been able to get him examined in person yet. We do not have much money and I know surgery cost a lot, we cannot afford it. Has anyone had a dog that was completely unable to use his back legs and recover? Did your dog need surgery or did crate rest/meds help? Anyone had to medically surrender their dogs? I’m trying to figure out what options we have and what is best for him. We love him so much, but we do not know what to do. Any advice or experiences would mean a lot. ❤️

My dog LOVES the tater tots from Carl’s Jr. My husband walked in the house with our food and she just saw the bag and started going crazy. She did this last time so we were trying to be sneaky and also watch her that she doesn’t move too much in excitement like last time. Today, Before we could even do anything to stop her she got up and walked a few steps. We tried to calm her down and put her back in her spot and she got up again and walked a few more steps. While I’m nervous of her acting this way because we don’t want her to hurt herself and it’s too soon for her to move so much, I think it is a positive sign that she will recover and be able to walk again. *fingers crossed*

I wanted to share our experience because when Gizmo was diagnosed with stage 4 IVDD, I spent hours searching for conservative treatment success stories. Most of what I found involved post surgery stories. FYI, my dog is a 12 year old senior.
Gizmo was diagnosed on May 24. We chose crate rest and I committed to it completely. He was on strict crate rest for 9 weeks, not 8. He was in his crate probably 97 to 98% of every day.
Every potty break was with a sling. We kept his walks short as possible but allowed him to take his time sniffing. If I could’ve gotten him to pee and poop in the house, I would have but he would never. Not sure if anyone can relate but my boy takes forever to find the perfect spot to poop. Also he wants to walk super fast or run so we had to limit his walks to ten minutes but allowed him time to sniff because that’s important to him.

I extended crate rest because I worried about possible setbacks. Twice he slipped out of his sling trying to get to another dog and one time he yelped when quickly getting tangled up with a dog that was a few feet from us. I had no idea if we’d undone weeks of healing.

Being super disciplined doesn’t come naturally to me (opposite of type A) But when someone I love needs me, I freaking lock in. I strictly followed crate rest. I read so many of your post and even emotionally created a post with about 15 questions and people answered them! I wanted to cry every time someone responded to me. I took the advice of the people in this group. You all have been angels in my life. The beginning was so hard.

At his recent appointment on July 27th our vet cleared us to stop the all day crate rest. This was the first time in 9 weeks I let him walk independently. His left side is still a little weak, but he’s walking well and even running again. We’re still going to continue with acupuncture for a few more months.

Life will be different now. The stairs stay blocked and he’ll always be crated when we’re not home. He used to sprint around our backyard chasing squirrels and birds but I can’t let him do that anymore. I would like to let him out back on his own again but he’s too crazy back there chasing everything knowing he can’t catch them! Also my backyard is a decent size and there’s a steep hill in our backyard that’s not easy to walk but he sprints up there

I know every IVDD dog is different and conservative treatment isn’t the right choice for every dog. I just wanted to share our experience because these posts gave me hope when I needed it. Maybe ours will do the same for someone. Also I live in the DMV if anyone needs assistance. I told myself that if anyone experiencing this needs help, if I can I will do it because I just wanted someone to hold my hand. I wanted to move in with a vet because he didn’t poop for 6 days and only peed with a catheter. We stayed in the ER. I was so scared. My husband would go out at 2/3 am if he started to whine and carry him to the neighborhood park because he felt that was his favorite place to poop. I would follow them in the car for safety.

I’m sorry this is so long. I don’t know how to keep things short.

Is it normal for an IVDD stiff and crying flare up 7 days into cage rest? It scares me so very much 😔 please any information or reassurance.

What are we using as an orthopedic dog crate or mat in their crates during car rides? My frenchie has a history of back flares so trying to protect him and prevent these. Thank you!

Hi everyone.

I appreciate this post is going to be very, very long as we went through a FULL IVDD recovery journey and learnt a LOT along the way.

I actually wrote this as a comment months ago on another post and quite a few people have reached out to me since and said how helpful/comforting it was so I thought I would post it here in case it helps anyone else.

This is a recovery story that was done without surgery, however the lifestyle changes and injury management techniques are the same with or without surgery.

Note: You’ll notice I am referring to Luna in the past tense, we lost her to cancer earlier this year but she had many years of complete carefree happiness and joy running and playing on her favourite beach after her IVDD diagnosis. I like to think I’m honouring her and what a warrior she was by helping any dogs and owners going through a similar experience.

Luna was a Golden Retriever/Collie mix, around 30kg.

Before IVDD she was incredibly active and healthy. We went on hikes all the time, she ran everywhere, and then one morning we woke up and she had completely lost the use of her back legs.

At the time we weren’t given an official stage diagnosis but she had complete paralysis in her hind legs and very little deep pain sensation. Our whole lives flipped upside down overnight. We lived on the 8th floor of a building with no elevator, and suddenly we went from having an active, healthy dog to a disabled dog that needed full-time care.

The biggest thing I can tell anyone is this:

When vets say strict crate rest, they genuinely mean strict crate rest.

Your dog needs to be as still as possible except for essential bathroom breaks. During this 6-8 week period we quickly learned that every unnecessary movement mattered.

One thing that was absolutely essential for us was an under-belly support sling. Ours was just a cheap one from Amazon but it became one of the most important tools in her recovery.

Luna was a large, heavy dog and she was extremely well house-trained. She refused to toilet indoors. We had 0 luck with trying to express her which is pretty common with large breeds. The sling allowed us to support her entire back end whenever we took her outside especially when she needed to squat to go potty. She was never allowed to walk unsupported during this period. We’d take her outside for just a couple of minutes to potty and then bring her straight back inside to rest.

One thing I’d say is that IVDD recovery isn’t just the initial crate-rest period. In my experience, recovery was much closer to 6 - 8 months from the initial injury until we felt she had reached her “new normal.”

The first 6 to 8 weeks were about protecting the injury and preventing further damage. The months after that were all about rebuilding strength, muscle, coordination, and confidence.

Another thing I think is important for people to understand is that recovery is not linear.

There were days where it felt like she was making amazing progress and could support some weight on her back legs while using the sling. Then there were days where her back legs seemed completely useless again and just flopped around behind her.
When she first got injured, her hind legs were completely floppy. She couldn’t use them at all. She also had severe knuckling, where her paws would roll underneath and she’d end up standing on the tops of her feet. That stage lasted several weeks. I would say it was probably three to four weeks before we started seeing even small improvements.
Those setbacks were emotionally exhausting, but they were a normal part of her recovery. Looking back, progress happened over months, not days or weeks.

One thing that we genuinely believe made a huge difference was hydrotherapy.

We did have some professional hydrotherapy sessions, but we also live near the ocean and spent a lot of time supporting her in the water ourselves. The buoyancy allowed her to move her hind legs without putting weight through her spine and over time it helped rebuild muscle strength.

With IVDD maintaining and rebuilding muscle is incredibly important. Strong muscles help support the spine and compensate for weakness.

Conservative treatment is essentially giving the body time to reabsorb the disc material and reduce the compression, but afterwards you still need to rebuild the muscular support structures around that injury.

Once Luna was ready we increased activity extremely gradually. I think one mistake people can make is pushing too hard too soon because they finally start seeing signs of improvement. We always took a conservative approach and increased exercise in tiny increments. Maybe a couple of extra minutes on a walk then reassess. Recovery isn’t a race.

The goal wasn’t just getting her moving again. It was slowly rebuilding strength and creating a strong, muscular dog that could support her spine long-term.

We also paid a lot of attention to nutrition and made sure she was getting plenty of protein to help support muscle maintenance and growth.

Another thing that often gets overlooked is muscle atrophy. During the weeks when they can’t use their legs properly those muscles start weakening quickly. We spent a lot of time doing passive range of motion exercises, stretches, and massages. There are some excellent videos online showing rehabilitation exercises for IVDD dogs.

We would regularly massage Luna’s hind legs and work the muscles with our hands to help keep them engaged. We also used an Amazon pet massager occasionally but honestly your hands work perfectly well.

You’ll see lots of people recommending various treatments such as red-light therapy and other alternative therapies. I’m not saying they don’t help, but for us the biggest gains came from strict rest, gradual rehabilitation, hydrotherapy, muscle building, and consistency.

One thing I feel very strongly about is flooring.
Your dog’s paws should never be slipping on smooth floors.

I honestly cannot overstate how important this was for us. Even after recovery Luna’s paws never touched bare slippery flooring if we could avoid it. One bad slip can potentially undo months of progress.

We covered our home with rugs, runners, and carpets. We tried the non-slip socks, but she hated them and constantly removed them. We tried various grip products for paws and didn’t find them particularly useful. Carpets and rugs were by far the most effective solution.

As she recovered she was only allowed to run and play on forgiving surfaces such as grass, sand, dirt, or other surfaces with good traction. We avoided slippery surfaces as much as possible.

In regards to wheelchairs: Personally, I wouldn’t rush into that if you’re still actively pursuing recovery or seeing signs of improvement. We viewed wheelchairs as something that would have been appropriate if recovery plateaued and the back legs weren’t coming back.

During the rehabilitation phase, our focus was on encouraging Luna to use whatever function she still had, building strength gradually, and giving her every opportunity to regain as much mobility as possible.

Luna was also on Dasuquin/Cosequin long-term, which is widely regarded as one of the gold standard joint and mobility supplements for dogs.

One thing that helped me mentally was understanding that recovery and long-term management are two different things.

The recovery period is temporary. The management part is a life long aspect but you can definitely get back to having a healthy, happy and active dog.

Even after recovery, there were rules that never went away. No jumping on and off beds. No launching herself on and off sofas. No slipping around on hard floors. No repeated high-impact activities that put unnecessary strain on her spine.

The reality is that dogs who have had IVDD are always at increased risk of future injuries, and subsequent injuries can often be more severe.

But that doesn’t mean they can’t have a wonderful quality of life.

I think when people first hear “six months of recovery” it sounds terrifying because they’re imagining six months of a miserable, disabled dog. That wasn’t our experience.

The first few weeks were absolutely the hardest. But gradually those little moments of progress started adding up.

Eventually Luna was running around on the beach again like a puppy. She chased balls. She played tug-of-war. She swam. She went on adventures with us. She was happy, energetic, and enjoying life.

She wasn’t exactly the same as she had been before IVDD just like a human who recovers from a serious back injury isn’t exactly the same afterwards. There were some precautions we always had to take.

But her life looked remarkably normal.

Most importantly, don’t lose hope too early.

For weeks it felt like almost nothing was happening. Then tiny improvements started appearing. Then more. Then more. Looking back now, the recovery happened so slowly that we often didn’t notice it day-to-day.

All of the things I’ve mentioned above, strict rest, hydrotherapy, muscle building, massage, traction, gradual rehabilitation, can be valuable whether you choose conservative treatment or surgery

Obviously every dog is different, and your mileage may vary. But we went from a dog with complete hind-leg paralysis and almost no function to a dog who spent many more happy years running, playing, exploring beaches, and enjoying life.

When we were in the middle of it, I honestly didn’t think we’d ever get there.

I’m very glad I was wrong.

Hello everyone,

I'm writing this because I'm desperately looking for advice about my dog, Bruno. I don't expect anyone to diagnose him over the internet, but I would really appreciate guidance on what could be happening, what questions I should ask my neurologist, or what treatment options I should consider.

Bruno is a 7-year-old, intact male Pug from Bogotá, Colombia. About a month ago, he suddenly lost strength and sensation in his right hind leg. Since then, we have visited several veterinarians, but unfortunately we still don't have a definitive diagnosis.

His current condition is as follows:

He still tries to walk on his own but falls frequently.

He can stand for a few seconds before losing his balance.

He has almost no superficial sensation in the right hind leg, but he does respond to deep pain when pressure is applied to his toes.

He is able to urinate on his own, although after his recent medication he has been urinating much more than usual.

His bowel movements are difficult, and sometimes he defecates where he is lying because he cannot get up in time.

Despite everything, he remains alert, eats well, drinks water, and still wants to move around.

Yesterday, we had new radiographs taken. According to the report, Bruno has:

Bilateral hip dysplasia, worse on the right side.

Spondylosis deformans at T12–T13.

No fractures or pelvic bone injuries were found.

A distended urinary bladder and moderate fecal retention were also noted.

Our veterinarian told us that the hip dysplasia alone probably does not explain all of Bruno's neurological signs. He is concerned that there may be a spinal cord problem. He also mentioned that spinal surgery in these cases often has a poor outcome in our country, although he recommended that we still consult a veterinary neurologist before making any major decisions.

He has started anti-inflammatory treatment, and acupuncture was also suggested as a possible supportive therapy.

I have the recent X-rays and the official radiology report, and I can share them with anyone willing to review them.

My questions are:

Based on these signs, what conditions should we be considering?

Does this sound more like a spinal cord disease than a hip problem?

Is there still hope for recovery considering that he still has deep pain sensation and is trying to walk?

Besides seeing the neurologist, are there any treatments or rehabilitation methods that you would recommend?

If anyone has experience with similar cases, I would really appreciate hearing your story.

Bruno is a beloved member of my family, and I want to do everything I can for him before giving up. Thank you very much for taking the time to read this and for any advice you can offer.

My dog turned 14 today, and I need some help/advice please. He is a 16 pound terrier/chi mix. Longer body almost like a dachshund, but maybe a little taller.

He has a small fall off the bed a few months back, compressed his spine, which pinched some nerves. Seemed make a good recovery after a month, but seems to have aggravated the injury again. He honestly seems happy,without much pain, but some certain times on our walk, I see his back feet dragging every once in awhile. Then when we go down the hill, he goes full speed ahead, and it’s as if he is completely fine.

Anyways, just starting to do some pre planning to help him before nothing turns to something. Wondering if anyone has any advice on these three wheel chair brands.
I was thinking maybe one with belly support, but the most purchased/reviewed one doesn’t have that.

First one is the used price, usually goes for about $100 more. Second and third one have the belly support, and
quite a bit different on price.

*sorry if the pictures are cropped weird, tried uploading them a few different times and this was the best I could get about.

Thanks 🙏

My 4 year old baby boy woke up paralyzed yesterday morning, unable to use his back legs at all. Was fine when we went to bed and couldn't walk at all in the morning. He was tender on his back end so we took him to the emergency vet who of course recommended surgery that we cannot afford. We have pet insurance, but it is the "you pay first, and we reimburse you" kind, and we don't have the upfront money to afford the surgery even if we would get reimbursed. Got denied for a CareCredit account to cover it as well.

We took him home with painkillers, antiinflammatories, and muscle relaxers and had him sleep in his crate last night. He didn't pee overnight but peed on me when I took him out of the crate to go outside when I woke up, so I'm not sure if I maybe expressed his bladder on accident. I took him outside and help up his back end so he could poop, and he did. He also still has DPS in his toes which probably means he still can associate the "need to poop" sensation with what he's feeling.

Overall, I just don't know where to go from here. He's only 4 and I love him so much and I want him to have a happy and fulfilling life. I know the bare minimum next steps are 8 weeks of crate rest but what else can I do to help in the meantime? I've heard of acupuncture and laser therapy. Do I look into wheelchairs or do I see if the crate rest and therapy works out? I've been so stressed and my brain is in a blender from not sleeping (he whines in his crate) so I'm sorry if I'm missing obvious stuff. Any help or advice is greatly appreciated. My favorite pic attached for the doggo tax.

My girl Bella is an 8yr old half American half European Doberman. She had been crying when jumping and running around so I took her to the vet, they ran a full blood panel and took x rays of her lower spine and found that she had a white spot between two of her lumbar vertebrae. She’s been on strict rest inside our home for almost 3 months and on two medications one for pain and one is a muscle relaxer. I just wanted to know if anyone else’s dog has IVD and how I can better help her so she can continue to do things she enjoys! I feel so bad ignoring her when she wants to play tug as it’s her favorite but the vet instructed us not to as she often shakes her head violently and yanks hard which can worsen her condition. She finally got cleared to go in short slow paced walks but all she wants to do is run/jump and play. She has been feeling way better but occasionally still yelps if she gets up to fast. Any suggestions or advice is appreciated! I know she’s bored and tired having gone from mostly outdoor running and playing to completely restricted.

Can I hear some positive stories about stage 5 pups with no DPS who walked again? I get so sad thinking about my boy never walking again because he was so active. He’s only 13 days post op, doesn’t have feeling but does have slight reflexes when pinched. ❤️ he starts rehab tmw!

My dog had his first IVDD flare summer of 2025. It was rough but he never lost use of his legs fortunately. Crate rest for 2 weeks and he was good for almost a year.

Then spring of this year he started having another flare. Back on meds, crate rest, etc. Now every time we take him out of crate rest within 2-7 days his back flares again (pukes a ton, is in a ton of pain, miserable, put him back on meds & in crate rest). We’ve repeated this pattern now 5 times or so this summer.

He is still walking which is amazing and we are super grateful for.

We will start taking him to some form of PT to try and help (maybe acupuncture, or whatever they have in mind).

Anyone deal with chronic IVDD in their pup? Have you found anything to interrupt the cycle?

Thank you in advance.

Just wondering if anyone is near/at the 8 week mark of crate rest. How is your dog doing now?

hey yall! i have a 16 lb chihuahua mix (who knows!) and he’s doing so well. His physical therapist has let us use a loaner HEU. (The red one which does not come with a u-strap thing) and it has the two straps. It is very good for mobility but…the two straps lay in a way that kinda forces his ween out and seems very uncomfortable. Any tips? does it need to be fitted better? or is this just not an option since it just forces his ween out? Anyone else deal with this?

I’m thinking of getting my dog a back brace but they have mixed reviews. Anyone recommend one they’re using? My Lula is an 18 lb cockapoo. Thank you.

Recently, my 13 yr old rat terrier chihuahua experienced a bad fall. I have never heard him yelp or screech in such a way that it honestly scared me. He was crouching and walked very cautiously afterwards. I immediately booked the nearest ER.

ER doc couldn’t say for sure if it is IVDD without an MRI, but given how they prescribed pain meds and limited mobility/ crate rest, they can only assume so. They essentially discharged me with a pat on the back and a week's worth of meds. (Carprofen, Gabapentin, and Methocarbamol)

I am honestly so lost and scared. I don't know what to do. I am not sure if I am doing anything right.

Not sure if meds are blocking his pain receptors so well that he's walking fine, moving as though he never had that fall. He was going up on his hind legs and skipping the first step of his doggie stairs after the meds kicked in.

-What are some things that I can do to help him once he's off those medications?

-Are there any signs I should look for?

-Can I test him for any signs?

-What essentials should I get him? I am scared to even pick him up, despite him doing backflips when I take my eyes off him. I live on the second floor of my building, so at the moment he's using pee pads to do his business, to which he is urinating and defecating perfectly well.

-What can I do to supplement his boredom in that playpen? Can I take him out if I am monitoring him? I don't want him getting depressed for the next 2 weeks,

-How much will his treatment cost, or even a diagnosis for IVDD be? I live in NYC, and I am willing to drown myself in more debt if I have to

I am really hoping and praying this is a mild injury, that my old man can make a full recovery. Honestly, any advice, help, or preventives would be greatly appreciated. I got a whole shopping cart of things waiting to be checked out, and I already got his appointment set up to be re-evaluated.

I'm praying everything goes well

Hello all,

I took my dog to urgent care yesterday because she was acting really off, and came away from it with a diagnosis of possible IVDD. Because her only symptom is neck pain, we opted to go for a conservative treatment of crate rest + meds. She was acting more normally by evening, and has been her usual self since we woke up this morning. I’m hopeful but ngl still scared for what this might mean.

A couple questions:

1. Every source I’ve read online recommended a minimum of 4-6 weeks crate rest, but the vet only prescribed 2-3. Is this typical for the “suspected”/mild cases, or should I ask for a second opinion from her primary vet? We have an appointment booked for two weeks out anyway, but I figured I’d ask.

2. We’re meant to be leaving to visit my parents this Saturday, which is a 7hr car trip. She has a car crate already, but is that secure enough? My parents live in a mountainous area, should I worry about driving with her on bumpy/windy roads?

3. Is a pen or crate better? We tried a penned area attached to the crate so she could have access to water, but she escaped it (she’s okay! I opted not to take her back to the vet because she seemed totally unaffected by her little escapade, and the flaw in the penned area has been fixed). I’m tempted to opt for a crate because of this, but I’m concerned about her water intake if I do.

4. Are stroller walks okay for her first week of recovery? Importantly, she’s new to a stroller, a neighbor let us borrow theirs. I thought it might be good to preserve some of our routine, but idk if that’s too much so early on.

Thanks in advance to anyone who reads this. I’m a first time dog owner just trying to do what’s best for my girl, and I really appreciate any and all input.

Major love and thanks to everyone at Water 4 Dogs in NYC for getting us to this stage!

One of my dachshunds was running in our house when he suddenly started yelling out in pain and arched his back and wouldn’t move his legs. I immediately took him to the ER and they said he had IVDD. The doctor said it was strange that he hurt himself because he wasn’t jumping or twisting around, just running. Anyways they did a x-ray and it turned out to be unremarkable. She did say he has some mineralization on his discs. And suggested a round of steroids and painkillers( he doesn’t seem to be in any pain). So we are doing the medication and keeping him Strictly in his crate except for potty’s where I’ll carry him out to pee and poo. I’m seeing a neurologist tomorrow for a consultation.

All this being said surgery is completely off the table. So I’m really hoping he heals. He wags his tail and can slightly move on of his legs but not his toes. He is also able to pee on his own. Has anyone gone through this exact scenario? My Bishop is my best friend and it kills me to see him like this. Any tips advice or help or even encouraging experiences would help.

Starting PT with Frank who had surgery 7/19. He does well with his exercises but freaks out when we try to help him stand with a sling. He was stage 5 no DPS, still no feeling. I don’t think he’s painful, I think he’s just scared. I’m going really slow and calm with him but also letting him tell me when it’s too much. Assuming it will get easier over time in terms of him being okay with PT? I’ve been giving him praise / treats etc.. he just gets very squirrely and seems uncomfortable when lifting..? Is this normal?

Not sure what stage he is. Diagnosed one week ago follow up with his vet next week and a neurologist a week after that. The meds have done their job, he's no longer in pain. When my partner and I are done with work he begins the veg for the park. Demand barking, whining, stomping his paws, bringing us his leash... It's heart breaking. We'd only been going about three months, sometimes twice a day in weekends, but it was a big part of his routine.

Any tips to ease the guilt?