Dogs with spinal cord injuries including disc extrusion and trauma can achieve significant welfare improvements through structured physiotherapy and rehabilitation programmes.
Spinal cord injury causes severe acute welfare compromise through pain and loss of motor function. Paralysed dogs face additional welfare challenges including pressure sores from recumbency, urinary and faecal retention requiring manual expression, and psychological distress from sudden mobility loss. However, with appropriate rehabilitation, many paralysed dogs achieve excellent welfare outcomes including independent mobility and good quality of life. Physiotherapy including passive limb mobilisation, hydrotherapy, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, and underwater treadmill therapy supports neurological recovery and prevents muscle atrophy during recovery periods. Wheelchairs provide mobility and psychological enrichment for dogs with permanent hindlimb paralysis. Welfare monitoring must be continuous — owners should use validated quality-of-life scales rather than projecting human assumptions about disabled life onto their dogs.