Intervertebral disc disease

Discs cushion the bones of the spine. In chondrodystrophic breeds such as the Dachshund, French Bulldog, Beagle, Shih Tzu, Lhasa Apso and Pekingese, the discs degenerate early in life and can bulge or burst into the spinal canal, often suddenly and sometimes severely¹. Insurance data on 665,000 Swedish dogs put the yearly incidence of disc-related disease at about 0.3 percent overall, with the Miniature Dachshund, Standard Dachshund and Doberman Pinscher far above the rest². A longer, lower body raises the risk, and so does being overweight, so a lean body condition matters most in the breeds built long and low³.

Signs range from a hunched back, a tense belly, reluctance to jump, or crying when picked up, to wobbling, dragging the back feet, or losing the ability to stand¹. Sudden weakness or paralysis of the back legs is an emergency: the sooner a dog with a severe disc extrusion is seen, the better the odds.

For a senior with a history of back trouble: keep weight down, use ramps instead of jumps, and keep stairs to a minimum.

This is general information, not a diagnosis. Your vet knows your dog.

Sources

1. Degenerative Diseases of the Spinal Column and Cord in Animals. Merck Veterinary Manual. Accessed 2026-09-22.
2. Incidence of intervertebral disk degeneration-related diseases and associated mortality rates in dogs (Bergknut N et al.). Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 240(11):1300-1309, 2012 (peer reviewed). Accessed 2026-09-22.
3. How Long and Low Can You Go? Effect of Conformation on the Risk of Thoracolumbar Intervertebral Disc Extrusion in Domestic Dogs (Packer RMA et al.). PLoS One 8(7):e69650, 2013 (peer reviewed). Accessed 2026-09-22.