The Long Dog Hub

Back scoring and the research

What back scoring is, why it matters when choosing a puppy, and the science behind dachshund back health.

What is back scoring?

Back scoring is an X-ray screening program that helps breeders lower the risk of back problems (IVDD) in future litters. A dog is X-rayed, and a specialist checks the spine for calcified discs, which research links to a higher chance of disc problems.

Back scoring is a breeder's tool, not a diagnosis. A good score doesn't guarantee a dog will never have back trouble, and it can't tell you whether your own dog is sick. If you're worried, see your vet.

How it works in Australia

  • Best done when the dog is about 2 to 4 years old
  • The dog is sedated and the vet takes five detailed X-rays of the spine
  • The images are sent to a specialist spinal analyst, who scores them
  • Breeders use the results to judge a dog's own risk and its likely risk to puppies before breeding

The Dachshund Club lists a spinal analyst fee of $93.50 per dog (as of March 2026), plus the vet clinic's fee for sedation and X-rays, which ranges from about $400 to $650 at listed NSW clinics. Check current prices before booking. See the club's back scoring pages.

Buying a puppy? Ask about back scoring

Ask the breeder whether the parents have been back scored, and what their results were. Breeders who screen are taking active steps to lower IVDD risk, and many buyers now look for them.

Disc calcification and back scoring

These studies look at calcified discs seen on X-ray, the basis of back scoring, and how they relate to disc problems later in life.

2008Quantification of the association between intervertebral disc calcification and disc herniation in DachshundsJensen VF, Beck S, Christensen KA, Arnbjerg JLooks at: How strongly the number of calcified discs is linked to a later disc herniation.2001Inheritance of disc calcification in the DachshundJensen VF, Christensen KALooks at: Whether, and how strongly, disc calcification is passed from parents to puppies.2010Prevalence of radiographic detectable intervertebral disc calcifications in Dachshunds surgically treated for disc extrusionRohdin C, Jeserevic J, Viitmaa R, et al.Looks at: How often calcified discs show on X-ray in dachshunds that needed back surgery.2014Intervertebral disc disease in Dachshunds radiographically screened for intervertebral disc calcificationsLappalainen AK, Vaittinen E, Junnila J, Laitinen-Vapaavuori OLooks at: Back problems over time in dachshunds that had been X-ray screened for calcified discs.2023Interobserver agreement of computed tomography in detecting calcified intervertebral discs in comparison with radiography in a population of 13 healthy British Dachshund dogsFormoso S, Khan S, Lowrie M, Hughes J, Freeman PLooks at: Whether CT scans or standard X-rays are more reliable for spotting calcified discs.2023Evaluation of intervertebral disc degeneration in young adult asymptomatic Dachshunds with magnetic resonance imaging and radiographyReunanen VLJ, Jokinen TS, Hytönen MK, Junnila JJT, Lappalainen AKLooks at: Disc changes in young dachshunds with no symptoms, using MRI and X-ray.

Body shape, lifestyle and risk

These look at whether body proportions, desexing and everyday activity affect the risk of disc problems.

2013How long and low can you go? Effect of conformation on the risk of thoracolumbar intervertebral disc extrusion in domestic dogsPacker RMA, Hendricks A, Volk HA, Shihab NK, Burn CCLooks at: How a dog's length, height and size relate to the risk of a disc extrusion.2000Mechanical factors affecting the occurrence of intervertebral disc calcification in the dachshund: a population studyJensen VF, Ersbøll AKLooks at: Whether exercise, body shape and stair climbing are linked to disc calcification.2006Association between various physical factors and acute thoracolumbar intervertebral disk extrusion or protrusion in DachshundsLevine JM, Levine GJ, Kerwin SC, Hettlich BF, Fosgate GTLooks at: Which body measurements are linked to sudden disc problems.2023Thoracic to lumbar vertebral column length and length ratios in miniature dachshunds with and without thoracolumbar intervertebral disc extrusionFletcher CDA, Ives EJ, Kajin F, Seath I, Grapes NJ, Lopes BA, Knebel A, Volk HA, De Decker SLooks at: Whether spine length and proportions differ in miniature dachshunds that had disc problems.2018Neuter status as a risk factor for canine intervertebral disc herniation (IVDH) in dachshunds: a retrospective cohort studyDorn M, Seath IJLooks at: Whether desexing, and the age it's done, changes the risk of disc herniation.2014A comparison of thoracolumbar intervertebral disc extrusion in French Bulldogs and Dachshunds and association with congenital vertebral anomaliesLooks at: How disc problems compare between French Bulldogs and dachshunds, and links to spine shape defects.

Breeding and diagnosis

How breeders can reduce the risk, and what scans show once a dog has a problem.

2020Breeding schemes for intervertebral disc disease in dachshunds: Is disc calcification score preferable to genotyping of the FGF4 retrogene insertion on CFA12?Bruun CS, Bruun C, Marx T, Proschowsky HF, Fredholm MLooks at: Compares breeding using X-ray back scores with breeding using a DNA test (FGF4).2006Magnetic resonance imaging findings in dogs with thoracolumbar intervertebral disk disease: 69 casesBesalti O, Pekcan Z, Sirin YS, Erbas GLooks at: What MRI scans show in dogs of many breeds with disc disease in the mid to lower back.

Research list compiled from the Dachshund Club's research links. The "Looks at" notes describe each study's topic, not its results; open the study for the full findings.