Intervertebral disc disease (IVDD) is a common cause of spinal cord injury in dogs but is uncommon in cats, and the MSD Veterinary Manual notes that clinical signs of disc disease are rare in cats. Because published feline series are small, the numbers below come from a handful of referral-hospital studies and should be read as indicative, not as population rates.
Key facts
Intervertebral disc disease at a glance- Species and system: cat; spinal cord and vertebral column.
- Cause: degeneration of the disc with extrusion (acute rupture of the nucleus) or protrusion (bulging of the annulus) into the vertebral canal.
- Frequency: 0.24% of cats seen at one hospital (De Decker) and 0.44% at two referral centers (Amey).
- Typical site: the lumbar and lumbosacral spine; L6-L7 was the commonest level in the surgical series.
- Classic presentation: spinal pain, then difficulty walking or pelvic limb weakness.
- Zoonotic or reportable: no.
What's inside
12 sections in the full guide- Key facts
- How the NAVLE tests this
- Cause and pathophysiology
- Signalment
- Clinical signs
- Diagnosis
- Differential diagnoses
- Treatment and management
- Prognosis
- Quick review
- Test yourself
- References
The full guide also has 5 tables, 3 self-test questions and 5 references, available to NAVLE members.
Read the full study guide
The full guide is part of every NAVLE plan, with diagnosis and treatment tables, figures, a quick review and self-test questions. Start a free trial to try the question bank, or log in if you are already a member.