About IVDD Companion

Why this site exists

IVDD Companion was created for dog owners who are trying to stay organized during suspected or confirmed Intervertebral Disc Disease. The public site provides plain-English education, safety reminders, and practical tracking ideas. The optional app helps owners keep daily recovery notes in one place.

The project is intentionally cautious. It does not diagnose IVDD, determine stage, recommend surgery, recommend medication, or replace a veterinarian. It is designed to support the owner side of care: remembering instructions, logging changes, preparing questions, and noticing when something should be reported.

Many IVDD families are overwhelmed in the first days after symptoms appear. A calm checklist, a clear disclaimer, and reliable links can help owners move from panic to organized communication with their care team.

What you can find here

The public education pages cover IVDD basics, symptoms, stages, crate rest, recovery timelines, conservative care, post-surgery recovery, medication tracking, and questions to ask your veterinarian. The resources page links to veterinary and owner-support references so readers can continue learning carefully.

The private tracking app is optional. Dog owners can use it to record appetite, potty details, medication timing, pain observations, mobility notes, milestones, and recheck questions. The app keeps those notes organized but leaves medical decisions where they belong: with the veterinary team.

What IVDD Companion does not do

IVDD Companion does not determine whether your dog has IVDD, assign a stage, evaluate deep pain, interpret imaging, recommend surgery, recommend medications, or tell you when to end crate rest. Those decisions require a veterinarian who can examine your dog and understand the full case.

The app is intentionally limited to organization. It helps owners remember what happened and when, which can make veterinary conversations more productive. It does not replace urgent care, neurologic exams, medication instructions, discharge instructions, or rehabilitation guidance.

The educational content is reviewed for cautious wording and owner safety. If you find wording that seems unclear, overconfident, or potentially unsafe, please use the contact page so it can be corrected.

Who maintains this resource

IVDD Companion is maintained as an independent educational and organization website for dog owners. It is not affiliated with Google, AdSense, veterinary hospitals, veterinary schools, product vendors, or community groups linked from the resources page.

External resources are included because they may help owners prepare better questions, but IVDD Companion does not control those sites and does not guarantee that every external page will remain current. Your veterinarian's plan remains the source of truth for your dog.