Intervertebral disc disease (IVDD) is a leading cause of acute spinal pain and paralysis in dogs, particularly in chondrodystrophic breeds, with significant welfare implications.
IVDD causes acute suffering that is often underestimated in its severity. Disc herniation compresses the spinal cord and nerve roots, producing pain described by veterinary neurologists as among the most intense in clinical practice. Dogs in acute disc crises vocalize, refuse to move, and show extreme muscle splinting. The window for surgical intervention to restore function is narrow — typically 24–48 hours from onset of paralysis — creating urgent welfare pressure. Dogs treated conservatively without adequate analgesia suffer unnecessarily. Post-surgical recovery is lengthy and requires physiotherapy and careful management. For paraplegic dogs, incontinence and the inability to express natural locomotor behavior create ongoing welfare challenges requiring dedicated owner commitment.