Tools & Practical Help

Practical IVDD Tools, Downloads & Support

Use this resource hub for the practical tools around IVDD care: emergency planning, recovery tracking, bladder and toileting logs, home-safety checklists, caregiver handovers, appointment preparation, costs and support.

Open the free IVDD tools

IVDD caregiver checklist and practical recovery resources

Emergency planningIVDD Emergency & Referral PackCapture the timeline, medications, mobility changes and questions before an urgent referral. Recovery trackerIVDD Daily Recovery TrackerRecord broad daily trends without repeatedly testing your dog. Bladder & toiletingBladder Expression & Toileting LogKeep the veterinary plan, toileting pattern and meaningful changes together. Home setupIVDD Home Recovery ChecklistReview flooring, stairs, bedding, handling routes and practical safety. Caregiver handoverIVDD Caregiver Handover PackGive family, friends or sitters one clear written routine.

Each tool can be printed or saved as a PDF from your browser. Fill it in by hand after printing, or use it as a prompt while preparing your own notes.

Emergency planning

IVDD Emergency & Referral Pack

Use this to organise the facts an emergency or referral team may ask for. It does not diagnose or grade IVDD.

Dog & referral details

Dog's name: ______________________________

Primary vet: ______________________________

Referral / emergency hospital: ______________________________

Owner contact: ______________________________

What changed?

When did you first notice a change? __________________________

Can your dog stand / walk? _________________________________

Wobbling, knuckling or dragging? ____________________________

Severe or worsening pain? __________________________________

When did your dog last urinate normally? ____________________

Medication & history

Current medicines / dose / last given:

___________________________________________________________

Previous IVDD / spinal episodes or surgery:

___________________________________________________________

Known allergies / other conditions: _________________________

Before you leave

Call the receiving clinic and follow its transport advice.
Take the medication list and relevant records / imaging if available.
Keep movement controlled and do not repeatedly test walking.
Take insurance details and a method of payment if required.

Questions for the referral team

What does the neurological examination suggest? ____________________________________________

Is MRI or CT recommended, and why? _______________________________________________________

What treatment options are being considered? ______________________________________________

What should we expect over the next 24–48 hours? __________________________________________

What are the discharge restrictions, medicines and urgent warning signs? _____________________

Recovery tracker

IVDD Daily Recovery Tracker

Use one consistent daily entry to record broad trends. Do not use the tracker to repeatedly test walking, reflexes or deep pain.

Recovery plan

Dog: __________________ Vet / specialist: __________________ Review date: __________________

Current activity restriction / rehabilitation plan: ______________________________________________________

Daily observations

Date	Comfort / pain	Mobility within approved activity	Eating / drinking	Urination / bowel	Medicines / notes

Meaningful progress

What has become easier or more consistent?

___________________________________________________________

Questions / changes for the vet

___________________________________________________________

Bladder & toileting

Bladder Expression & Toileting Log

Record the plan your veterinary team has given you. Bladder expression should be taught hands-on by a veterinary professional.

Veterinary instructions

Can urinate independently? __________________ Expression required? __________________

Recommended routine / frequency: __________________________________________________________________

Specific skin / hygiene instructions: _________________________________________________________________

Toileting log

Date / time	Urinated / expressed	Approx. result / pattern	Bowel movement	Accident / bedding	Skin / other notes

Contact your veterinary team about a meaningful change

Examples include inability to urinate, repeated straining with little or no urine, blood, marked pain, a suddenly different bladder routine, difficulty expressing when it was previously manageable, or a broader neurological deterioration.

Home setup

IVDD Home Recovery Checklist

Review the routes and routines your dog actually uses, then follow the restrictions set by your veterinary team.

Recovery area

☐ Secure, level recovery space

☐ Supportive, dry bedding

☐ Water reachable as advised

☐ Medicines and records organised

Floors, stairs & furniture

☐ Non-slip route to essential areas

☐ Stairs blocked where required

☐ Sofa / bed jumping prevented

☐ Ramps used only where appropriate and secure

Toileting & hygiene

☐ Controlled toilet route

☐ Pads / washable layers ready

☐ Wet bedding changed promptly

☐ Skin checked and kept dry

Handling & mobility

☐ Household knows approved lifting method

☐ Harness / sling fitted correctly if advised

☐ No unsupervised rough activity

☐ Emergency transport plan ready

Home-specific notes

Rooms / routes to block: __________________________________________________________________________

Equipment to ask the vet / rehab team about: _________________________________________________________

Other changes: ____________________________________________________________________________________

Caregiver handover

IVDD Caregiver Handover Pack

For a family member, friend or sitter who has already been shown the care tasks they are expected to perform.

Contacts

Dog: __________________ Owner: __________________ Primary vet: __________________

Emergency hospital / number: ______________________________________________________________________

Restrictions & handling

Activity / crate-rest instructions:

___________________________________________________________

Lifting / support method:

___________________________________________________________

Stairs / furniture restrictions:

___________________________________________________________

Medication

Medicine / dose / time / food instructions:

___________________________________________________________

Toileting / bladder-bowel routine

___________________________________________________________

What is normal for this dog?

___________________________________________________________

Daily handover

☐ Medicines given exactly as written

☐ Food / water as instructed

☐ Toileting routine completed

☐ Bedding dry / area secure

☐ Changes recorded for owner

Emergency plan

Seek veterinary advice for sudden or rapidly worsening weakness or paralysis, severe or uncontrolled pain, new inability to urinate or loss of bladder control, collapse, breathing difficulty or another sudden deterioration.

Transport / insurance / practical notes: ______________________________________________________________

These tools are for organisation and education only. They do not diagnose IVDD, replace veterinary advice or tell you how to perform a clinical care task. Follow the plan given by your veterinary team and seek urgent veterinary help for sudden paralysis, severe or uncontrolled pain, rapid deterioration or inability to urinate.

More planning tools

Keep the extra tools that are useful to you

The five core printables above are the main Aubenord toolkit. These additional downloads remain available for medication tracking, appointment preparation, rehabilitation questions and local support planning.

Track medication & symptoms

A short written record can make handovers and veterinary conversations much clearer. Record each medicine, dose and time exactly as prescribed, then note meaningful changes in pain, mobility, sleep, appetite, urination, bowel movements and general comfort.

Write down questions or unexpected changes rather than trying to interpret every fluctuation yourself. Do not change or stop prescribed medication without veterinary advice.

Download Medication & Symptom Tracker

Keep a recovery diary

If you prefer the older diary format, keep one consistent daily entry for broad trends: comfort, ability to settle, appetite, toileting, mobility within approved activity and rehabilitation milestones.

For a quicker seven-day overview, use the new Daily Recovery Tracker above.

Download Recovery Diary

Prepare for a vet appointment

Before an appointment, note when symptoms started, whether they changed suddenly or gradually, current medicines, previous imaging or treatment, and the practical problems you are seeing at home.

Download Questions to Ask Your Vet →

Find an IVDD specialist

Plan rehabilitation questions

Ask when rehabilitation is appropriate, what the goals are now, which movements or exercises should be avoided, how often sessions are needed, and what progress should realistically look like.

Download Rehabilitation Questions →

Go to Recovery & Care

Build a local care network

Build a small support network around your primary vet, an appropriate referral service, rehabilitation support where advised and trusted people who may help with day-to-day care.

Download IVDD Local Support Plan →

Find pet sitters & caregivers

Costs, Insurance & Caregivers

More practical support

IVDD Costs — UK

Understand common areas of cost and questions to ask providers.

View UK costs →

IVDD Costs — USA

Understand common areas of cost and questions to ask providers.

View USA costs →

Pet Insurance & IVDD

Understand common insurance considerations around IVDD.

Read insurance guide →

Caregiver planning

Need more detail on finding and preparing safe backup care?

Pet sitters & caregivers →