Deep pain sensation and IVDD
“Deep pain positive” and “deep pain negative” are terms owners may hear in severe spinal cord injury. They refer to a veterinary neurological assessment of whether conscious pain perception remains — not simply whether a leg reflexes or pulls away.
Why veterinarians discuss it
In dogs that are unable to move affected limbs, conscious pain perception is one of the factors used to describe injury severity and discuss prognosis. Loss of pain perception is associated with a more severe spinal cord injury and generally a poorer prognosis than paralysis with pain perception intact.
A reflex is not the same thing
A limb may withdraw through a spinal reflex without the dog consciously perceiving the stimulus. Clinicians therefore look for a behavioural response indicating conscious perception and interpret it alongside the rest of the neurological examination.
Does “deep pain negative” mean recovery is impossible?
No single finding allows an internet page to predict an individual dog’s outcome. Dogs without deep pain perception have a more guarded prognosis, but recovery can occur. Importantly, a peer-reviewed standard-care review found no evidence supporting a rigid 48-hour cutoff after which locomotor recovery becomes impossible. Time, severity, imaging and the veterinary team’s assessment all matter.
Questions to ask the neurologist
- How confident are you in the neurological grade?
- Is deep pain perception present in every affected limb?
- What does the examination mean for my dog’s individual prognosis?
- What treatment options are reasonable now?
- What complications should we watch for?
Prognosis must be individualised by the treating veterinary team. Aubenord does not provide remote neurological grading.