Intervertebral disc disease (IVDD) causes severe spinal pain and paralysis in thousands of dogs annually, with chondrodystrophic breeds at dramatically elevated risk.
IVDD causes acute and severe suffering. Dogs experiencing disc herniation show sudden intense spinal pain — crying out, refusing to move, hunching their back — often followed by progressive paralysis of the hindlimbs. Without prompt surgical intervention, spinal cord compression causes permanent paralysis. The emotional and physical suffering of a previously mobile dog losing limb function is significant. The root cause — selective breeding for extreme low-slung body conformation — is within the power of breed clubs and breeders to address through genetic testing and breeding away from extreme conformation. DNA testing for IVDD-associated markers is available for Dachshunds.