Disc disease always has the potential to lead to lifelong neurological deficits or paralysis. Therefore, patient assessment and treatment should not be delayed. The signs may be rapidly progressive, slowly progressive, or static. Recovery may occur only to have recurrence later. Recurrent attacks are typically more severe than those of the initial episode.
Recurrent attacks are usually the result of progressive extrusion at the same disc.
More than one disc can extrude in a lifetime, but is uncommon. Multiple disc extrusions at the same time are rare. Classical symptoms vary with the location of the disc extrusion, the rate of disc extrusion, the amount of disc extruded, and the direction of the extrusion. Dogs that extrude a large amount of nuclear material at a high velocity directly beneath the spinal cord can have complete paralysis within a matter of hours. Dogs that extrude a small amount of disc material may only show signs of pain, without lameness or neurological deficits.