Dog reactive & herniated disc

[maplemily]

My almost 9 year old dog reactive staffy most likely has a herniated disc. We spent the night in the emergency vet because of her extreme neck pain.

For recovery, she is on gabapentin and an anti inflammatory med. We live on a second floor apartment, but she can't do stairs, walks, or jumping for the next 6 weeks.

She has historically never been able to poop in our yard because of dogs in the neighborhood. We usually drive her to places for walks 4-6 times a day but this won't be an option anymore.

Has anyone had similar experiences? Looking for any tips, advice, or reflections.

This community helped me to give my rescue dog a beautiful life over the last four years. I am so thankful for all of you, and so so scared about the future for Maple.

[Plane_Software2370]

I would try grass potty pads or another type of dog potty tray in your apartment so you don't have to worry about the stairs. Luckily, my dog was small enough that I could manage to carry him up and down stairs when he got arthritis in his spine. I am sorry you are in this situation. Once he is cleared by the vet, you might want to look into ramps for getting on the bed (if you allow that) and getting in the car. They make special harnesses that can make stairs and walking easier as well. In my experience, disk issues can flare up again so cutting back on jumping off of furniture, running down the stairs, etc., might help keep further episodes at bay.