New Treatment Offers Hope for Dogs with Herniated Disks

by Nevena Nacic

Published: July 20th, 2025

New Africa/Shutterstock

If your dog suddenly yelps for no reason, starts limping, or, worst of all, begins dragging their back legs, your mind goes straight to panic mode. You Google, you call the vet, and the word surgery comes up faster than you can say “walkies.” It’s terrifying, and not just for your dog.

But there’s something new stirring hope at Texas A&M University: a promising clinical trial using a special enzyme injection to treat herniated disks in dogs. No surgery. No long hospital stays. Just a targeted injection and the potential for a new chance at life.

“This could change how we treat spinal injuries in dogs,” says Dr. Nick Jeffery, the neurologist leading the study at Texas A&M’s College of Veterinary Medicine. “We’re using a naturally derived enzyme to dissolve the herniated material that’s pressing on the spinal cord. It’s quick, minimally invasive, and so far, the results have exceeded expectations.”

Herniated disks, technically known as intervertebral disk disease, or IVDD, are heartbreakingly common, especially in small breeds with long backs: think dachshunds, beagles, French bulldogs, and corgis. One wrong jump off the couch, and suddenly your happy-go-lucky pup can’t walk, can’t stand, and might be in serious pain.

Traditionally, surgery has been the only real option. But it’s costly, carries risks, and recovery can be rough. Not every dog is a good surgical candidate, and not every family can pay a multi-thousand-dollar vet bill, even if they desperately want to.

That’s where this trial comes in, and it already has promising results.

Oscar, a five-year-old dachshund, is living proof. One morning, he just couldn’t walk. “He tried to get up and collapsed,” recalls his owner, Ashley. “He looked confused and scared, and I was a wreck.” Her vet referred her to Texas A&M just in time. Oscar received the enzyme injection less than 48 hours after his symptoms began, and within days, he was wagging again.

According to the study, which involved 54 small-breed dogs, the success rate has been remarkable. Nearly all the dogs who still had feeling in their back legs recovered mobility quickly. Even a few with more severe symptoms showed significant improvement. And so far, no dog has experienced any major side effects.

Of course, there are caveats. Timing is everything; dogs need to receive the injection within about three days of symptoms showing up. The trial is currently limited to small dogs, and it’s only happening at Texas A&M’s teaching hospital for now. But if the results continue to be this strong, there’s real potential for wider availability in the near future.

“It’s not a magic fix, but it’s the closest thing we’ve seen,” Dr. Jeffery says. “We want owners to know that if their dog shows signs of back pain or weakness, time matters. Getting to a vet right away can make the difference between a simple injection and a much more complicated road.”

The treatment, called chondroitinase injection therapy, works by dissolving the gel-like center of the slipped disk that’s putting pressure on the spinal cord. Think of it like deflating a balloon that’s gotten stuck in the wrong place. Once the pressure is off, the spinal cord can start to recover, and so can the dog.

And while it’s still early days, the results are exciting. Less invasive care, lower costs, shorter recovery time, and a whole lot less trauma for everyone involved. For dog lovers, that’s huge.

For now, the team at Texas A&M continues its work, hoping to expand access and gather more data. But the message for pet parents is clear: if something’s off, don’t wait.

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Nevena Nacic

Nevena is a freelance writer and a proud mom of Teo, a 17-year-old poodle, and Bob, a rescued grey tabby cat. Since childhood, she had a habit of picking up strays and bringing them home (luckily, her parents didn't know how to say NO). When she's not writing for her fellow pet parents, Nevena can be found watching Teo sleep. To her defense, that's not as creepy as it sounds!

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