What Are Signs of Neck Pain in Dogs? | Southeast Veterinary Neurology

When pain arises after some sort of traumatic event, it is easy to identify. However, neck pain in dogs often occurs without any obvious trauma. Therefore, signs of neck pain can be difficult to recognize in dogs, but it’s our job as pet parents to look for clues. Is your dog holding its head low or yelping when touched? You may need to see a veterinary neurologist.

Signs of Neck Pain in Dogs

Promptly recognizing the following signs of neck pain can affect your dog’s prognosis:

• Lowered head when standing
• Stiff neck or reluctance to turn head to side
• Neck muscle spasms
• Unwillingness to jump on/off furniture or go up/down stairs
• Yelping when touched or spontaneous whining
• Walking slowly or carefully
• Reluctance to eat or drink from a bowl on the floor

Causes of Neck Pain in Dogs

There are several possible causes of neck pain, such as injury, infection, cancer, and a host of neurological diseases.

Aside from a straightforward injury, neck pain in dogs is often caused by a neurological condition called cervical disc disease.

Cervical disc disease can be common in dogs as part of the aging process, but certain breeds are more prone to be affected earlier in life. Examples of predisposed breeds include:

• Dachshunds
• French Bulldogs
• Chihuahuas
• Beagles

Sadly, some of the breed traits that make our furry friends so lovable can also make these dogs more susceptible to neck pain.

What is Cervical Disc Disease in Dogs?

Cervical disc disease is intervertebral disc disease (IVDD) that only occurs in the cervical spine (the neck) of a dog.

IVDD occurs when the once spongy, shock-absorbing discs between the bones of the spine dry out, harden, and rupture. You may have heard the condition in humans referred to as:

• Bulging disc
• Slipped disc
• Herniated disc
• Ruptured disc

The result is pressure on the spinal cord, causing an array of symptoms ranging from neck pain to paralysis.

Symptoms of Cervical Disc Disease in Dogs

Clinical signs of cervical disc disease can range from mild to severe. Neck pain is the most common sign of cervical disc disease in dogs. However, a variety of other clinical signs may develop.

In some cases, this condition can cause weakness in all four limbs, the holding up of a thoracic (front) limb, or in severe cases, inability to move the legs. In extreme cases of cervical IVDD near the shoulders, dogs may even have difficulty breathing.

A grading scheme of 1-5 is used to assess the severity of cervical disc disease symptoms:

• Grade 1: The dog is only experiencing neck pain. While there is variability in the severity of pain, there are no neurological deficits, and the neurological exam is normal.
• Grade 2: There is weakness in all four limbs, but the dog remains able to walk. When walking, the patient may appear drunk and wobbly, cross or splay its legs, or knuckle its paws under, but is able to walk.
• Grade 3: The dog is too weak to walk, but can still move its limbs.
• Grade 4: The dog is paralyzed in all four limbs, but still has feeling in its toes.
• Grade 5: The dog is paralyzed and CANNOT feel its toes.* 

*Although Grade 5 is the most severe stage, it is highly uncommon with cervical IVDD and much more common with IVDD in the thoracolumbar spine (mid-back).

Treating Neck Pain in Dogs

Dogs can recover from cervical disc disease, but without timely treatment, it can progress quickly and cause irreversible spinal cord injury. The sooner neck pain in dogs is attended to, the better the prognosis.

Depending on the severity of clinical signs and the treatment option elected, prognosis for recovery can be as high as 95% at Southeast Veterinary Neurology.

We strongly recommend visiting a veterinary neurologist as soon as possible to give your dog the best chance of recovery and to rule out several other neurological conditions that can look like cervical IVDD. Atlantoaxial (AA) instability, meningitis, discospondylitis, syringomyelia, wobbler syndrome, and tumors can all cause signs of neck pain in dogs, but have very different treatment protocols and prognoses.

Southeast Veterinary Neurology is open and neurologist-staffed 365 days a year to accurately diagnose and expertly treat neck pain in dogs! Call one of our locations in Miami, Boynton Beach, Jupiter, or Virginia Beach today for more information.