A long life, without the back pain: IVDD in dachshunds, explained

IVDD (intervertebral disc disease) is a breakdown of the discs that cushion the bones of the spine. In dachshunds, a disc can harden early in life and later burst, pushing material into the spinal canal. When it presses on the spinal cord, the result can be anything from back pain to wobbly legs to paralysis¹.

Most dachshund disc problems happen in the middle or lower back, not the neck².

It's in their genes. The breeding that gave dachshunds their short legs also changed their discs. A variant of a gene called FGF4, on chromosome 12, makes the soft center of each disc turn to cartilage within the first year of life³. One copy is enough, and nearly all dachshunds carry it⁴.

Those hardened discs often show up on X-rays as calcified discs from 6 to 18 months of age⁵. Dachshunds with more calcified discs at around two years old are more likely to have back disease later^6,7.

Body shape plays a part too. Across breeds, a longer back relative to height was linked to a higher risk⁸. In UK studies, smooth-coated dachshunds were affected most often^9,10.

Studies find that 18 to 31% of dachshunds develop disc disease, depending on the country, the dogs' ages and how cases are counted^6,7,10. The Dachshund Breed Council puts it at about 1 in 4¹¹.

That's far more than in other breeds. In Swedish insurance records for 665,249 dogs, miniature dachshunds had the highest rate of disc disease of any breed, more than 8 times the rate for dogs overall. Standard dachshunds came second, at about 5 times¹².

Usually between 3 and 8 years old. In the DachsLife survey of over 2,000 UK dachshunds, the average age at diagnosis was 5.4 years, and cases before age 2 were rare⁹. The discs start changing much earlier, in the first year, which is why the signs can seem to come out of nowhere.

The risk builds with age: about 4 in 10 of the surveyed dogs aged 8 or over had already had IVDD⁹.

The first signs are often pain, not weakness. A dachshund with a sore back may yelp when picked up, hunch, carry its head low, or refuse to jump, climb or lower its head to eat. Back pain is sometimes mistaken for a sore tummy¹³.

When your dachshund can't walk, drags its back legs, can't pee, or gets worse over a few hours. Paralysis, or wobbling that gets worse quickly, should be treated as an emergency^13,14.

For pain or mild wobbling, see a vet within 24 hours. Until then, keep your dog in a crate or a small pen: no running, jumping or furniture¹³. If you need to move a dog that can't walk, use a flat board or a blanket¹⁵.

Vets also check for "deep pain": whether the dog can still feel a firm pinch of the toes. Losing it is the most serious sign, and it changes the odds of recovery¹.

Most dachshunds recover, especially if they can still feel their toes. Treatment is either strict rest with medicine, or surgery to remove the disc material pressing on the spinal cord¹.

Strict rest means at least 4 weeks in a crate or a small room without furniture, with anti-inflammatory medicine, and no off-lead walks, jumping or stairs¹.

Newer research is encouraging for rest alone. In a 2024 Cambridge study of small dogs that couldn't walk but still felt deep pain, 96% walked again within 12 weeks without surgery, after a median of 11 days¹⁶. For dogs without deep pain, surgery gives clearly better odds^1,17.

About 1 in 4 dogs have another disc problem later in life¹⁴, so the habits below still matter after a full recovery.

Not completely, because it's mostly genetic. But some habits are linked to lower risk, and breeders can screen for it. Most of this evidence comes from owner surveys, where dogs with back trouble may simply live differently, so treat these as sensible steps, not guarantees⁹.

• Keep them moving. Dachshunds exercised for more than an hour a day had half the odds of IVDD. Under 30 minutes a day came with 2.5 times the odds⁹.
• Ask your vet about neutering age. Neutered dachshunds, especially those neutered before 12 months, had a higher risk¹⁸.
• Keep them lean. Extra body fat was linked to disc problems across breeds⁸, though not yet shown in dachshunds alone⁹. You should be able to feel the ribs easily, but not see them.
• Walk on a harness. A harness hasn't been shown to prevent IVDD⁹, but it keeps the pull off the neck, and vets recommend one for dogs with back problems¹⁴.
• Rest fully after an episode. No study shows that normal stairs or jumping cause IVDD in healthy dachshunds. After a back episode, vets advise no jumping or stairs for at least 4 weeks^1,9.
• Pick a puppy from screened parents. X-rays at 2 to 4 years count calcified discs, and dachshunds with five or more were many times more likely to have a disc herniation later^6,7. In the UK, the Royal Kennel Club runs a screening scheme¹⁹.

The DNA test for the FGF4 variant doesn't help with a pet dachshund: nearly all of them carry it^4,7.

Longer than most dogs. In a UK study of 584,734 dogs, miniature dachshunds had a median lifespan of 14 years, compared with 12.5 years for dogs overall²⁰.

That's a long time to carry a long back. Knowing the early signs, and acting on them fast, is the best way to make those years comfortable ones.