Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Feline intervertebral disc disease in cats - signs and treatment
By Ebeling, Robin et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2025·LMU Small Animal Clinic, Germany·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Feline intervertebral disc disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of cats diagnosed with intervertebral disc disease (IVDD), which affects the spine, were reviewed to understand treatment outcomes better. Most of the cats had issues in the lumbar region of the spine, and many underwent surgery, while some were treated with medication and rest. Overall, about 85% of the cats showed improvement after treatment, regardless of whether they had surgery or conservative care. This suggests that IVDD in cats often has a good prognosis, but more research is needed to identify specific factors that could influence recovery.
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Abstract
ObjectivesFeline intervertebral disc disease (IVDD), historically an uncommonly described problem, is being increasingly documented in the current literature. The objective of this systematic review was to consolidate existing knowledge of feline IVDD, identify possible prognostic factors and assist by offering clearer guidelines when managing a feline spinal patient.MethodsA systematic search of two databases was conducted using keywords related to feline IVDD. Studies with cats diagnosed with IVDD, including treatment and outcome details, were reviewed. Prognostic factors were evaluated for their impact on overall outcomes.ResultsA total of 57 studies with 1113 cats were identified after the reviewing process and 23 studies with 93 cats remained for statistical analysis. Most cats (59%) had lumbar spine involvement, followed by thoracolumbar (31%) and cervical (5%) segments. Intervertebral disc extrusion was the most common diagnosis (65/93), followed by intervertebral disc protrusion (16/93) and acute non-compressive nucleus pulposus extrusion (12/93). Deep pain perception was preserved in 87% of cats. Surgical intervention was performed in 75/93 cats while 17/93 were treated conservatively, with 1/93 being euthanased intraoperatively. Overall, 85% of cats had a positive outcome, 11% had a negative outcome and outcomes were undetermined in 4% of cases. Possible influencing factors analysed included breed, sex, age (in years and life stage), weight, affected spinal segment, number of affected discs, micturition status, treatment choice, deep pain perception and IVDD type. No statistically significant prognostic factors (>0.05) were identified.Conclusions and relevanceAlthough no specific prognostic factors could be identified, the systematic review suggests that feline IVDD has a predominantly positive prognosis regardless of treatment choice. Given the low evidence level and small sample size, further multicentre, prospective studies with larger cohorts are required to establish reliable prognostic factors for feline IVDD.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41006947/