Intervertebral disc disease and trauma can cause spinal cord injury in dogs, leading to paralysis, pain, and significant welfare challenges requiring careful management and rehabilitation.
Spinal cord injury creates acute and chronic welfare challenges. Pain during the acute phase can be severe, and paralysis causes profound functional impairment including inability to walk, urinate, or defecate independently. Dogs with incomplete injuries may experience dysaesthesia (abnormal, distressing sensations) during recovery. Long-term welfare depends heavily on owner commitment to nursing care — preventing pressure sores, maintaining bladder health, and providing mobility assistance. Dogs adapt remarkably well to wheelchairs and can maintain positive welfare states if pain is controlled and their social and cognitive needs are met. Euthanasia may be warranted when pain cannot be controlled or the level of care required is unsustainable.