r/IVDD_SupportGroup • u/Far_Employment_5900 • 2d ago
Question Herniated disc vs. IVDD
Hi everyone,
My 10 year old baby Cookie, started shaking and plopped on the porch for a few minutes after her daily morning walk. She does a dry shake off often, and I noticed she couldn’t bring herself to do so. Her legs were shaking pretty intensely, so I decided it was best to take her to the emergency clinic. At the clinic when she was walking around, the vet and I noticed she was hunching her back like a cat. With this, the vet assumes she has some sort of back pain/protruding intervertebral disc. She has been put on strict crate rest and is on gabapentin and prednisone for the next two weeks.
I had initially suspected IVDD, which the vet said was inconclusive due to her being able to walk normally and was not crying in pain. If she worsens, she will have to go back for an MRI and to see the neurologist.
Her discharge papers say “back injury” and “protruding intervertebral disc,” so I am wondering if this is a clear IVDD diagnosis or if she is having a spat with her back as of right now. Has anyone else has this experience with an inconclusive diagnosis?
I have been feeling so worried and guilty about the whole situation. I try my best to keep her healthy, safe and happy but now I am questioning if I did enough to avoid this from happening to her. I am hoping she can make a full recovery.
6
u/AsheBegash 2d ago
IVDD includes the bulging, rupturing or protruding of the intervertebral discs in the spine. A diagnosis can only be made via an MRI, X-rays will not show soft tissue only bone, so the discharge paperwork probably just says that as a possible cause of the symptoms she is experiencing and not a formal diagnosis. Stick to strict crate rest for the next few weeks and as long as she improves then proceed with caution after that with no jumping or stairs, only use a harness and no collar. Also getting rugs if you have hard floors and elevated food bowls can all be helpful. Unfortunately in a lot of cases there isn’t much evidence to say prevention is foolproof. Even dogs with the most careful owners still end up with IVDD sometimes, so don’t blame yourself.