Intervertebral disc disease is a serious condition that is affecting 1 in 4 Dachshunds. It is thought to be hereditary and sadly there is no cure. In some cases crate rest can be sufficient in getting your Dachshund back up on their feet but other more severe cases require surgery for a good prognosis.

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What does this mean?

Intervertebral discs are cushioning pads of fibrocartilage that sit between most of the vertebra of the spinal column. Imagine these as shock absorbers taking every bash and bump that your Dachshunds do while enjoying daily life. The discs have an outer layer of tough fibrous tissue and a center that is more of a gel-like substance.

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Unfortunately, intervertebral discs are subject to degeneration, bulging outward, and even bursting or rupturing. When something goes wrong with a disc, the material inside escapes into the spinal column, pressing against the spinal cord or nerve roots, which causes pain, nerve damage, and sometimes, paralysis. This is the condition known as intervertebral disc disease or IVDD.

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IVDD is one of the most common neurologic disorders seen in dogs.  Most aging dogs have some degeneration of intervertebral discs, which commonly results in a condition known as spondylosis. Most of the time, spondylosis doesn’t cause pain or weakness and doesn’t progress to intervertebral disc disease. Dachshunds tend to go down with IVDD of the lumbar area between the ages of 4 and 6 years old. If all dogs were tested and when partnering a dog with a low number of calcifications (and in different areas) we could possibly start to control this disease.

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Depending on the location of the damaged disc, problems can occur anywhere in the Dachshunds body from the neck to the rear limbs.  In humans, the condition is sometimes called a slipped disc or a herniated disc.

 

Back problems, specifically Intervertebral Disc Disease (IVDD), are thought by many people to be a result of the long backs creating mechanical problems, but Dachshunds actually have short legs, not long backs. The situation is more subtle than that and is, in part, due to the mutation that causes the short legs which also causes an abnormality in the biochemistry of the intervertebral discs.

For more detailed information on IVDD please visit the Dachshund IVDD website.

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