Slipped Disc in Dogs (the complete guide)

My 10 year old dog suffered a "4A" injury. Back legs would not function, he could not urinate on his own, and would only have a slight reflexive reaction to a severe pinch to his hind legs. Steroids saved his life. Within 24 hours of his first dose, he began to urinate on his own again, and within 5 days, he was standing up and taking steps on his own. The sad thing is, I had to get a 5th opinion from a vet to even have steroids be suggested. Everyone told me that I needed to do a very expensive surgery, but I kept listening to my gut, which quite frankly, was telling me that these vets were looking out for their businesses more than for my dog, so I kept seeking out different opinions. It took me a while to find a worthwhile vet, but she finally suggested steroids, and we are never looking back!

My 4 year old daxie is going through this at the moment. She's been in intensive physiotherapy since Monday. She's really active and doesn't have any fat on her. Vet said the only reason she didn't lose the use of her back legs with the initial injury is due to her strong muscles. I miss her little face😢

I have a beagle, a month ago i found her unable to walk, no bladder control. Stage 4 with deep pain feeling in all 4 paws. A week later she could walk again. Caring for paralyzed pet is hard 24/7 job. But if you can do that there is hope without expensive surgery.
I pray for you. I know you're scared. I was too.

I had to take my dog to the ER tonight & found out she has grade 4. Surgery is 20K. I don’t know who has that kind of money 😢 I don’t. I’m waiting to see what the neurologist says tomorrow.

Can a slipped disc cause muscle spasms? My dog is suffering with those now

I had one that lost usage of her back legs and my vet gave her steroid shot and we kept her still for two weeks and she lived for years after. So don’t give up hope if you can’t afford surgery. Try, no demand the shots! It saved mine.

Our doctor let us know that our dog has a 95% of walking again. It has only been a couple days since surgery but when would I likely see more movement in her legs?

My dog is stage 1-2; he can walk, but walks slower and will yelp if he steps the wrong way. We're doing a conservative approach per our vet's recommendation, but he had told us to keep him walking on flat ground frequently. Should he only be walked to go to the bathroom/do longer walks exacerbate symptoms, or are longer walks better as long as it's slow?

We just went thru this, we had to put out our baby down due to lack of funds 😢 it was the hardest thing to do, FUCK DISC DISEASE WE MISS OUR FUR BABY SO MUCH.

My dog is week number 5 of not using his back legs… I spent a few hundred dollars at the vet to figure out how to properly care for him and they told me it wouldn’t be wrong to euthanize him… But they did not tell me anything about how to take care of him. They did not mention expressing bladders, or moving him so that he doesn’t get bedsores or any of the comfort care that you had mentioned.
I just ordered him a wheelchair and as you said, in this video, it did not work out very well. It looks like it was causing him pain so I took him out of it.
He is almost 11 years old and has bladder, cancer and thyroid cancer but he’s really happy and healthy for now except for his paralysis … Vca said just for an MRI. It would cost $5000 then of course surgery if I chose to go that route. So I’m guessing that would be around $10,000… I just treated his bladder cancer for $12,000 and don’t have this kind of money unfortunately. However, these videos are so informative. I don’t know why other vets can take a paralyzed patient and not know half of this information and yet charge you when I learn more on here. Thank you very much It is helping me understand my dogs situation a little better. ❤

My dad's dog just got stitches taken out from a growth removal on his bottom. He was walking just fine before the stiches were removed. Now his back legs are extremely unsteady, collapses, and he is falls from side to side. The vet said he will be sore for a while. I'm not sure about that. It seems like something else is wrong.

Native pet relief inflammatory supplements I bought on Amazon helped my shitzu recover without surgery.

My dog, 2 weeks ago, stepped off the patio, only 2" and ruptured 2 disks. He was screaming like i never heard before. He had emergency surgery but we knew his prognosis wasn't very good before surgery. So now the vet said we'll know for sure in another few weeks, but I don't think he'll walk again. He's a dachshund. We've always had doxies, this is our first time dealing with a back problem. 🙏

Strookes in cocee spaneil

Thank you for this video, I have a 13 year old Dachsund that suddenly became injured lastnight when jumping onto the couch, she let out a bark and was leaning on her back left leg strongly but the right leg completely limp. I took her to the hospital and they gave me the option to take only pain meds and stick to strict crate rest or to also have an x-ray taken. I knew I couldnt stand not having an x-ray done so I had them take one of her. The vet said there are no fractures and no notable slipped disc but that a tech would take a look in the morning and get back with me. The tech told me the same thing and said that they only see that a disc seems to be beginning to slip and just told me to continue following discharge instructions. I just moved my mother and her dog from out of state and am just so distraught. It seemed just hours after I took her to the hospital both of her back legs were no longer working and she is seeming so confused, she isn't expressing she needs to go to the bathroom and when i took her to potty she tinkled only slightly but no poop. She's drinking water but not having much of an appetite. She was so happy and full of life running with my two young pups before last night but i fear that she is only going to deteriorate further and suffer. My mother only makes 1k per month and vet said if surgery is the only choice it ranges from 10k to 15k and i know theres no where I can even come close to that 💔. How long would you say I should try and nurse her back to help as the discharge noted before knowing when the right time is to put her down? 😭💔

Surgery within 24 hours?? I can't even get a first appt with a specialist for almost 2 weeks!

our 4 yr old terrier mix has a body style similar to a daschund. She started off dragging one of her hind legs and pain panting to quickly not being able to stand at all. got her to an emergency animal hospital within a couple hrs where she spent the night and next day.
That was a 1700.00 visit and of course it happened on a Saturday night after hrs. Got her in to see a canine Osteopath on Monday afternoon. She was assessed as a 4a with still some deep pain response when you squeezed her toes hard
We were told by all how important it was not to wait for surgery if that was an option. The vet hospitals that have this equipment are 2-3 hrs from where we live.
The way it works is that am MRI is the first step-$4000.00 to locate and diagnose the severity of the problem, then an estimate is given on the required procedures needed to fix the problem.
This is when you have to decide if you want to spend what could end up being $15,000.00. with no guarantees for success.
We were willing to go this route if needed. After having my own personal experience with an osteopath that corrected issues with my back with one treatment that Years of Chiropractic treatments couldn't seem to fix I was hopeful this may help our sweet girl as well.

We have a large Horse facility and the Osteopath visits frequently to correct issues with our clients horses. They all see improvement after treatments as well.
Later that evening after the first treatment there was a noticeable difference in her ability to feel things in her back end so we decided we should wait to decide on surgery until after her second treatment. Another treatment 2 days later and more improvement. Our Vet/osteopath was impressed with the changes. If we waited any longer the chance of surgery being successful would fall greatly.

So here we are 1 week later with improvements everyday. She now has sensations to touch in all of her back end, pees on her own assisted with a towel for support, sits up for longer periods and has started wagging her tail again. She is confined to her pet bed and is not allowed to be active at all as the doc says. Either me or my wife is with her all the time to keep her needs met and inactive.

We also are using Gospel infrared light therapy that one of our horse clients lent us. it's also has impressive results.

Hope for the future is strong.

My 7yr old boy has had multiple episodes of IVDD which required surgery the 1st and 2nd times and made full recoveries. He is currently having another flare up and lucklily his flare ups are always grade 2 and below so he only does conservative treatment and goes on to a full recovery. He does not jump on/off furniture, go up and down the stairs or rough play. Do you have any tips for pets who have had multiple flare ups?

Hi, and thanks for this video, super useful. I have some questions about our dog who is experiencing maybe grade 1/2, do you offer remote consultations? If so please advise how, I am looking to learn more about how we handle our pup in his current state. Many thanks Dave

Thanks for all the info doc. Man this is so hard having my Dogue go through this. Vet just gave me pain killers, he seemed confident. But my Dogue is 10 years old and a giant breed, we all know what that could mean. I’ll just trust in the vet and hope for the best.

Also doc, I can’t believe you only have 50k subs, your channel is amazing. Hope you keep getting more subs! 😊

We are just going through this now. Sudden paralysis. We were told 10000 plus for surgery. I just don’t have it

Hey doctor! My dog was diagnosed with ivdd. He can't walk or stand but he can move his legs and tail. Our vet gave us some medication. He only suggested us surgery but we can not afford it. He can control his bladder. Its been 1 week and I try to have him still. My question is if he doesn't ever recove,r could he use wheelchair?

I recently took my dog the vet & she got diagnosed with stage 4, her back legs are paralyzed but her front our still working. She said sadly it’s been too late for her to do surgery. She gave us pain meds and other meds to see how she does after the meds. Any advice would be great to help her? She’s been resting the past 2 days

My dog is 4 and the diagnosis was not definitive. They gave us the option to get an X-ray but given that he only screamed out in pain on this once occasion, it seemed a bit aggressive to get an X-ray since those are often inconclusive. We were given some painkillers and told to keep him from jumping, going up/down steps, etc (which is hard). The Dr said that there is a possibility that he only had a Charlie Horse or another temporary ailment. We are crossing our fingers because we certainly don’t want to move into Stage 2 territory!

I have a American Pitbull that's going through this

What about chlorella, spirulina, and lion's mane mushroom to rebuild their nerves?

Very helpful video

Thank you

My dog has a fractured disc and my vet just gave us pain meds and said good luck, my dog doesn’t have a crate, he’s 3 so he loves nothing more than to run, jump, and play. It’s just him and I and I always pick him up when I can but sometimes he’ll jump up or down when I’m not looking and I’m terrified he won’t heal properly

My pomeranian was diagnosed through an emergency visit to a neurologist on the weekend. He is walking, eating, etc., so I opted for a conservative approach with meds and crate rest. How long before improvements. He still yelps when he stands suddenly or steps the "wrong" way.

I’m scared, this happened to my girl yesterday and we haven’t gotten her to surgery and we can’t get her anybody soon because there isn’t anybody available until the 24th….. I don’t want to put my baby down….. she’s only 6

My dog can’t walk on his two hind legs and did have to have his bladder expressed. Now he no longer needs his bladder expressed but he still can’t walk on his hind legs. What do you think his prognosis is?

My little dog is on its second surgery. He never walked normal after his first surgery now I don’t know how he will walk after his second surgery. 😞

in humans, a laminectomy or back surgery is successful a mere %5 of the time (in 2011 that was the success rate anyway). does anybody know what the rate is in the Veterinary world? my Goddog was recently dx. w a busted disc and im fearful his Mom may get him this sx. is my fear realistic? or has technology improved alot lately? anybody no?? 🤞

PS, My Vet has her on progesterone and muscle relaxers.

My 14 year old French Bulldog just got diagnosed with a slipped disc and my doc said she is too old to go through that kind of surgery. He didn’t mention a crate but said it was crucial that she not get excited and jump around. Anyone with Frenchies know that’s almost impossible. She’s still walking but wobbly. She’s using the bathroom fine. What I didn’t ask was can she come out of this and if the rest of her days is spent in a crate? She has so much energy, ppl think she’s a pup. I want to give her the best care and the best quality of life for as long as her quality of life is good. Any suggestions? Praying for all the hurt pups out there.

My baby dog which is three years old is coming home from her surgery tomorrow and I’m so excited to finally have her but I know I have to take care of her very much thankfully this video was very informative!

Thank you so much for this video, very informative!

My dog dachshund is also suffering from ivdd he cant move his rear feet...he can pee ,,but he cant poo...i need your advice sir ty

This just happened to our shih tzu recently and we have immediately took action and started to care and treat him at home with some pain relief pills and such, I was wondering that since we have been helping him recover every once in a while he actually moves his back legs which are the ones that lost the nerve to move, he moves his back legs quite a bit to try and scratch his ear even though he has this injury. Is that a good sign that he is gaining some strength to even lift or move his legs with this disease still active? And he also wags his tail a good amount when he get happy to see someone, I was just wondering if that is a good sign for recovery. Thank you!

Hi Doctor - thanks for that very informative video - our dog, a cockapoo, is coming home tomorrow after overnight at vets - diagnosis is damage to disc lower back. He is 2, beautiful animal but is hyper - hyperactive - makes mad lunges at the window at the slightest sound - mad lunges at the TV if any sign of ANY animal (or any sign of violence of any kind) on it. Anyway he is to have at least 4 weeks crate rest which being so hyper he is definitely not going to like - as for taking him to the garden to pee etc on a harness - if he sees the harness he goes totally loopy as that equates to a walk - if he even hears my car keys jangle the same thing happens because that means a drive to the field where he can run free like a lunatic. We love him so much - is there any possibility of giving such a hyper dog daily mild sedatives to get him through the crate rest weeks or is that out of the question? - I’ll ask my vet tomorrow but would really appreciate your advice.

Hi thank you for this, my little dog has just been diagnosed with this, she is still walking well wobbling, but has been on medication for 2 day's and improved a little, not in pain and standing better, but the minute I get her harness out she will go nuts, so I carry her to the garden and place her down, she wanders and does her business, is this ok, because the minute I get her harness she goes in to full jumping mode. Thank you for reading.

My cat just got diagnosed with this. But he has been in pain for years, we just never found the cause. It’s his lower back and he was always just a best to vets.. or so we thought. The only way I have to heal it are putting him in a large kennel and gabapentin. We have a chiropractor appointment in two weeks. Do you have any other suggestions?

Thank you so much for this video! So informative and helpful thank you ❤️❤️

Good information. Thank you

Just took my dog to the vet today and found out he has mild IVDD. We thought he was having abdominal issues but turns out it was his back. They said there is narrowing in his spine, and sent us home with gabapentin, methocarbamol, and meloxicam. Would this be enough to keep him comfortable if he is most likely grade 1? They did not say anything about a crate, just to make sure he is resting and not jumping since his legs were trembling a little from the pain. So odd to me that he was completely fine yesterday and today he woke up with pain. Thank you for the very informative video, very very helpful!!!!!!

thank you so much for the information.. i live in japan and i just brought back my dachshund to his regular vet, and i didn"t understand some of the medical term in japanese... your video is a lot of help.. my dog"s vet confirmed that my dog is only on level 1.. and don"t need any surgery... for the mean time i just need to keep my dog on crate for 5 weeks, a lot of pain killers, supplement, steroid and weekly laser on back... thank you so much!

Have you heard of gabapentin contributing to loss of back leg functions? Took him to vet and he could walk and then the next day after his first dose he could no longer walk

Our dog is 3 years old and 2 days ago he was missed diagnosed with inflammation of prostate. The next day our dog lost his sensation to his back leg, he was having a lot of pain. Took him to the vet right away and lucky we are financially stable at this time and we were able to get him to surgery. We are waiting to get an update. We will see him in 2 days. I’m hopeful for a full recovery. We will do anything to help him try to feel his back leg again. I know my chance but we will do our best! We were devastated when we heard the news and we are actually still grieving at this time. We appreciate all the informative knowledge you are giving out! 👍

My dog has slipped disc but she is 14 years old. She can still have the surgery despite her age? I don't know what to do...