fell off stairs and on crate rest for potential ivdd :(
Hi, so I have a four year old havapoo, we have a stairs connected to our bed, which he goes up and down during the middle of the night to go room to room. About 2 days ago, we woke up to him falling, not sure how , but we awoke to noises. The following day, he was experiencing trouble/refusal to laying down, shaking, hesitancy to go up the stairs, and he would walk and then pause with his tail down. I regret so much not knowing what ivddd was because we thought he was just sore, we even went on a small walk but my boyfriend came home and he got excited and all of a sudden he was dragging his back legs and making noises as if he was in pain. Immediately, took him to the ER and they said that there wasn't neurological deficits yet but his right leg is slower with proprioception but he tries to correct it. The doc ordered us strict rest, Meloxidyl and gabapentin. The meloxidyl gave him 3 separate episodes of diarrhea which I told could be an effect and to discontinue and call the doctor, which I did and was told to hold for 24-48 hours , administer a probiotic and continue it. I am scared to do so because I could clearly see him so uncomfortable yesterday and on top of the back pain, having GI upset 😞 I was wondering if anybody else has had this problem? My dog was crate trained when he was a puppy but eventually became free to roam around, so we threw it away ages ago. Knowing my dog, I dont think a crate would be beneficial as he is a natural jumper and I know he would not lay down at all. He has a bed and he hasn't been having the desire to walk as well due to the pain. We get up only for bathrooms and that's about it. I have been sleeping next to him, and nearby since everything happened but when I go back to work in a week and a half I'm definitely gonna need a crate, which means I have to retrain him. He did have a moment where my dad sat on the couch yesterday and he excitedly got up and did one jump on his hind legs to try to hop up on, and I have yet to forgive myself for that as the whole day we went without any sudden movements. This morning, he refused to eat or drink at his usual time and I was so scared but didn't want to keep forcing so we went back to bed and later he ate his meal. I'm assuming maybe due to gabapentin wearing off and immobility, plus the GI sensitivity. My heart breaks for him as he is so young and I know this is a lifelong thing to consider for him . Any tips on the Meloxidyl, gabapentin, crate training, entertaining, potential GI upsets? Thank you so much and this community is saving my sanity right now.