For dogs that still feel deep pain, decompressive surgery has an excellent track record, with the large majority walking again. For dogs that have lost deep pain, published outcomes are genuinely mixed, with roughly half or fewer regaining walking even with prompt surgery. That line, deep pain, is why the examination matters more than any average.
Averages set expectations; your dog's examination sets the odds. The two facts that matter most are the neurological grade right now and the time since it changed. That is why a genuinely useful second opinion on IVDD is fast, and why we prioritise these cases: the window in which an independent read can change the decision is sometimes measured in hours.
A rapid independent read on the neuro findings and the plan. From $250.
A dog that walks, toilets and lives happily with a slightly drunken gait is a success story by any honest surgical measure. Failure means ongoing compression, deterioration or no return of function, and each of those has its own next conversation.
Preventive fenestration divides good surgeons: it reduces recurrence at treated discs but adds surgical time. Either choice can be defensible. It is a fair question to ask, and a fair thing to have reviewed if recurrence has happened.
An independent written opinion on the diagnosis, the technique and the quote. From $250.