Bones, joints & movement
IVDD (Disc Disease)
Acting fast on a disc emergency, the surgery-or-rest decision, and rehabilitation.
6 stages · 35 guides from PetsLikeMine
Who can help near you
- Your vet1 kind
- Specialists2 kinds
- Therapists4 kinds
- Emergency care1 kind
Listed by distance from you. Nobody pays to be listed.
Is this an emergency?
Stage 1 · 7 guides from PetsLikeMine
Is This an IVDD Emergency? The Red Flags That Mean Act NowA dog that has suddenly gone wobbly, started dragging a back leg, or cried out in pain needs an answer fast, not a biology lesson. So here it is, straight away.8 min read · on PetsLikeMine IVDD in Dachshunds: Why Your Breed Is at Risk (and What the Genetics Really Say)"Dachshunds get back problems." Every dachshund owner has heard it, usually delivered with a knowing nod and a remark about their long backs. The real story is more…10 min read · on PetsLikeMine IVDD in Dogs: What It Is and Why Discs Go WrongIVDD, intervertebral disc disease, is a common spinal condition in dogs, and the letters alone can be unsettling when a vet first mentions them, especially since a quick…9 min read · on PetsLikeMine
The big decision: surgery or rest?
Stage 2 · 7 guides from PetsLikeMine
IVDD Grades 1 to 5: What Your Dog's Grade Actually MeansThe grade is the single most important number in this whole condition, and your vet or a neurologist has just handed you one. If "grade 5" was the word in the room, that…13 min read · on PetsLikeMine IVDD Surgery vs Conservative Treatment: How to DecideSurgery, or strict rest? For most owners facing intervertebral disc disease, this is the hardest call they will have to make, and it usually arrives tangled up with…14 min read · on PetsLikeMine What IVDD Treatment Costs in the UKMRI, surgery, weeks of medication, hydrotherapy: intervertebral disc disease can be one of the most expensive things that ever happens to a dog. Far too often, owners…10 min read · on PetsLikeMine
The recovery: crate rest and home care
Stage 3 · 7 guides from PetsLikeMine
Strict Crate Rest for IVDD, Done Properly (and How to Survive It)Weeks of strict rest is the centrepiece of conservative treatment for intervertebral disc disease, and it is quite possibly the most daunting thing your vet has ever…13 min read · on PetsLikeMine How to Express Your Dog's Bladder, Step by StepWhen a dog has lost the ability to wee on its own, perhaps after a spinal injury or during IVDD recovery, helping to empty its bladder by hand, what vets call expressing…10 min read · on PetsLikeMine Preventing Pressure Sores & Urine ScaldA dog that cannot move freely, whether through strict crate rest, recovery from spinal surgery, or longer-term hind-limb disability, faces a quiet problem on the skin…10 min read · on PetsLikeMine
Rehabilitation
Stage 4 · 5 guides from PetsLikeMine
Rehabilitation After IVDD: The RoadmapOnce a dog has come through the frightening acute phase, the surgery or the first weeks of strict rest, the natural next question arrives: what now? How does a dog that…7 min read · on PetsLikeMine Hydrotherapy for IVDD: Does It Help, and When to Start?Hydrotherapy comes up a lot when a dog is recovering from a spinal injury, and you can see why. The idea of a dog that can barely walk on land moving freely in water is…6 min read · on PetsLikeMine Home Physiotherapy: Safe Exercises by Recovery PhaseThere is a great deal you can safely do at home to help a dog recover from a spinal injury, and most of it takes the form of gentle, guided physiotherapy that supports…7 min read · on PetsLikeMine
All 5 guides in this stage
Living with lasting effects
Stage 5 · 4 guides from PetsLikeMine
Life on Wheels: Choosing and Using a Dog WheelchairA dog that cannot use its back legs can still live a happy, active, genuinely full life. That is the most important thing in this whole article, and it sits right at the…10 min read · on PetsLikeMine Managing Long-Term Incontinence with DignityLasting bladder or bowel problems after a spinal injury are, for a lot of owners, the part of the road ahead that feels most daunting, practically and emotionally. The…9 min read · on PetsLikeMine Adapting Your Home for a Mobility-Impaired DogA dog left with lasting mobility problems, whether using a wheelchair, dragging the back legs, or simply weak and wobbly, suddenly finds the home it knows full of small…9 min read · on PetsLikeMine
All 4 guides in this stage
Prevention and the long view
Stage 6 · 5 guides from PetsLikeMine
Breeding & the Genetics of IVDDNearly everything written about IVDD deals with coping once it has already happened: the emergency, the surgery decision, the weeks of crate rest. This article turns and…8 min read · on PetsLikeMine Will It Happen Again? Reducing the Risk of RecurrenceAfter one IVDD episode, with all the fear and effort it involved, one question tends to loom over the whole recovery: will it happen again? It is a natural worry, and…6 min read · on PetsLikeMine Protecting an At-Risk Dog: Weight, Ramps, Harness, and the EvidenceDachshunds, French bulldogs and a handful of other breeds carry a built-in tendency to disc problems, and if yours has not had an episode yet, the natural wish is to…7 min read · on PetsLikeMine
All 5 guides in this stage
Find care near you
Your ivdd (disc disease) care team
These are the practitioners this condition can call for, from your everyday vet to specialists and therapists. Enter your postcode to see who's near you at each step.
- Your vet (primary care)
Veterinary neurologist ·Referral hospital
Veterinary physiotherapist ·Hydrotherapist ·Hydrotherapy centre ·Rehabilitation centre
Emergency / out-of-hours vet
Understand the condition
Clinical background on vetcanon, the ConciergeVet reference library. Vetcanon is published by Concierge Vet LTD, which also operates PetCare Atlas.
Rehabilitation for ivdd (disc disease)
Hands-on rehabilitation is a big part of recovery. Browse providers by area and see what qualifications to look for.
With PetsLikeMine
Read the whole journey on PetsLikeMine
Every ivdd (disc disease) guide, in order, sits in its own space on PetsLikeMine, written by owners and vets who have been through it. We show the first few here and link to the rest.
Read every ivdd (disc disease) guide