Emergency
A hunched back, a yelp when you lift him, then the back legs start to wobble. With a slipped disc the hours count, and so does how you carry him to the clinic.
Emergency. A dog who cannot walk on his back legs, drags them or leaks urine: do not let him take a single step, put him in a crate, carry him with his back straight and ring your vet or an out-of-hours clinic with surgery now. No medicines from home.
Call your own vet or the nearest clinic with an emergency service now, and set off. Do not ask a group what to do: every answer you wait for there is time lost for the dog.
Use this page to know what to observe, what to note and what to ask at the appointment, not to treat at home. If you still have doubts after a consultation, ask another vet or a specialist (dermatologist, internist) for a second opinion, not a group. And if you do not have a regular vet yet, find one now, while your dog is healthy: how to choose a veterinary clinic.
Last night your five-year-old dachshund jumped off the sofa, gave a short yelp and has been sitting hunched up ever since. He is trembling. He screams when you pick him up. This morning his back legs are wobbling and one foot knuckles over when he steps. Or your French bulldog set off for a walk perfectly normal and came home dragging his back legs.
The most likely culprit is a slipped disc. Between the vertebrae sit small cushions, the discs, and one of them has burst or bulged and is now pressing on the spinal cord. It is an emergency where hours count, and how you hold and carry him on the way to the vet matters just as much. Below is what to do now, what the vet will do and how to prevent it.
| What you see | What it usually means | How fast |
|---|---|---|
| Hunched back, trembling, cries when lifted, will not do stairs, but walks normally | Disc pain; the cord is not yet badly compressed | Vet the same day |
| Wobbly walk, back legs crossing, feet knuckling over | The cord is compressed | Now |
| Drags his back legs but moves them a little when lying down | Severe compression | Now, to a clinic with surgery |
| Back legs do not move at all, leaking urine | Paralysis | Top emergency |
| No reaction even when a toe is pinched hard | The cord is badly damaged | Top emergency, hours count |
The last row is for the vet to check, not you. If you see paralysis, do not wait for the morning.
In large dogs, sudden weakness in a single leg, without pain, can come from a tiny plug of cartilage blocking a blood vessel in the spinal cord. In older dogs, weakness that creeps in over months, also without pain, may be a degenerative disease of the cord. Rarely, a tick that has been attached for a long time causes weakness that climbs up from the legs. All of these need the vet, and the vet tells them apart.
Ask the vet plainly what your dog's chances are with surgery and without. And ask what the rest actually involves: where he sleeps, how he goes out, for how long.
Some breeds are born with discs that age early: dachshund, French bulldog, beagle, Pekingese, shih tzu, corgi, bichon, cocker spaniel. In these breeds disc problems often appear between 3 and 7 years old, frequently out of the blue. You cannot change the genetics. You can take a lot of load off the spine.
An overweight dog loads his spine harder with every step and every jump. In the at-risk breeds, you should feel the ribs easily under your palm.
Put ramps or steps by the sofa and bed, or keep him off the furniture altogether. Jumping down is riskier than jumping up. Lift him in and out of the car rather than letting him leap from the boot. A young, fit dachshund can manage the stairs a few times a day. One who has had a disc problem before gets carried.
Always one hand under the chest and one under the hips, back level. Never under the armpits with his bottom hanging down.
A harness beats a collar, especially for dogs who pull and for those who have had neck pain.
Daily walks at a steady pace over varied ground keep the back muscles fit. Choose sports with jumping, sharp turns and repeated sudden stops carefully for the at-risk breeds. Nose games and long sniffy walks are good exercise for them: plenty of work for the nose, very little load on the spine.
If you go for an at-risk breed, ask the breeder whether the parents have had back problems. Some countries run X-ray screening schemes for dachshunds.
If a dog from an at-risk breed cries when you lift him or suddenly stands hunched, treat it as a possible slipped disc from the start. Rest in those first hours and a prompt vet visit are the simplest things that change how it ends.
What dog owners search for most often on the internet about this problem, with the short answer. The answers are a guide only: the decision belongs to your dog's own vet, after an examination.
Most often, especially in dachshunds, French bulldogs or beagles, because a slipped disc is pressing on the spinal cord. It can also be a tiny plug of cartilage blocking a vessel in the cord, a degenerative cord disease in older dogs, an injury or, rarely, a tick. All of them need a vet the same day, often within the hour.
First comes pain: a hunched back or a stiffly held neck, trembling, crying when picked up, reluctance to climb or jump. Then a wobbly walk, feet knuckling over, back legs dragging and, in severe cases, paralysis with loss of bladder control. The signs can get worse within hours.
In dogs who can still walk and whose pain can be controlled, often yes: strict crate rest for four to six weeks, pain relief chosen by the vet and then a gradual return to exercise. Stick to the rest even if he looks fine after a few days. In paralysed dogs or dogs who are getting worse, surgery usually gives better odds.
Many do, particularly those who still feel deep pain in their toes and are operated on quickly. Recovery takes weeks or months, with physiotherapy and sometimes hydrotherapy. Dogs who have lost deep pain sensation have lower odds, and for them the time to surgery matters most. Ask your vet what your own dog's chances are.
Keep him lean, put ramps by the sofa and bed, lift him in and out of the car with one hand under the chest and one under the hips, and use a harness rather than a collar. Daily walks at a steady pace keep the back muscles fit. You cannot change the genetics, but you can take a lot of load off his spine.
The information on this page is educational and does not replace an examination. For full details and a diagnosis, consult your dog's own veterinarian.
They often come together: the same causes, plans that complement each other.
A paw on tiptoe after training, slow to get up in the morning, a leg held in the air. Three levels of urgency, and none of them is fixed with a pill from your cupboard.
Runs with his back legs together, is stiff getting up in the morning, sits crooked. Dysplasia is inherited, but weight and the right exercise change a lot.
You can no longer feel his ribs, the waist has gone, he pants after three flights of stairs. Fat creeps on and hides up close, but your hands find it in two minutes.
Up in two stages, refusing the stairs, bunny-hopping at a run. Joint pain shows in what the dog stops doing, long before he whimpers.
Call your own vet or the nearest clinic with an emergency service, say what happened and when, and set off. A call made from the car saves minutes on arrival.