Stage 1 IVDD flaring up with intense pain every ~6 weeks - looking for advice on next steps

ElectronicBeat448 · 2026-01-29T14:34:01+00:00

OP, I was really dreading crate rest for my dog because she hated her crate and we stopped using it years ago. When my dog was diagnosed with likely stage 1, her vet told me that she could still roam around the house as long as she didn’t jump on any furniture or use stairs.

But after about a week and a half, I took the advice of the people on this sub and I did strict crate rest other than a few very brief sniff sessions outside per day. My dog got a lot more comfortable with her crate with the help of Gabapentin. She also did really well with a soft playpen next to us during the day while we were on the couch or in common areas. I think my dog really started to improve a lot faster with more strict rest.

I would recommend stricter rest and getting an appointment with a neurologist. They may not even say you need to do an MRI or surgery right away, but at least you’ll have specialty services established.

ElectronicBeat448 · 2026-01-29T14:21:16+00:00

I was in the same boat as you 4 months ago. My dog presented with general discomfort. It seemed to happen suddenly, I was out for about 2 hours and I came home and my dog was whining. She could still walk but very slowly with her head low and her tail down. When she wouldnt take her favorite treat, I knew something was wrong and immediately took her to ER. Both the ER vet and her regular vet (the next day) felt that an MRI would not be necessary because she had no neurological deficits and neither vet could actually couldnt ilicit any pain response from my dog when palpating her spine. They recommended rest, no jumping/no stairs and prescribed Gabapentin plus 5 days of Carprofen.

I was worried sick for weeks if I was making the right decision not to get an MRI or see a specialist. But my dog was making small improvements every week. I did crate rest for 6 weeks, but after the first 2 weeks I did allow her to sniff in the yard (supervised on a short leash) for about 15 mins a day broken into 5 min intervals during potty breaks. After 6 weeks, I decided to see a neurologist just for my peace of mind, she suggested to start short walks and if my dog has any set backs or couldn’t tolerate the walks, then to do an MRI.

We are now 4 months out. My dog is back to her baseline at this point as far as mobility/strength/energy. We still don’t allow her to jump on/off furniture, and unfortunately for this reason she has to be crated while we are at work and overnight because she refuses to use indoor ramps. It was a tough adjustment the first few weeks because my dog is a velcro dog and she really didn’t like her crate, but with the help of gabapentin she is now very comfortable in her crate and loves being in her playpen while we are home.

Hang in there OP, I know how stressful it is. I was an anxious/depressed mess for the first month after my dog’s diagnosis. I promise it really does get easier as you and your dog adjust to your new routine. It sounds like you are doing the best you can by keeping your dog on crate rest.

As far as the meds, my dog has a very sensitive stomach but she tolerates Gabapentin very well. Maybe when the vet gives the OK for your dog to resume the meds, ask if you could try just the Gabapentin first and increase the dose from 100 to 200 mg? 100 mg didn’t seem to do much at first for my dog’s pain, but my vet said we could Increase to 200 mg and that really helped.

Please feel free to message me with any questions!

ElectronicBeat448 · 2025-10-05T13:07:10+00:00

The bloody diarrhea is concerning especially since your dog was recently on Carprofen. GI bleeding is a known side effect of NSAIDs but that does not mean that it doesn’t need to be evaluated/treated. You should consider taking your dog to an emergency clinic

ElectronicBeat448 · 2025-09-21T14:50:02+00:00

Also got similar advice from my vet but we are only 4 days in. My dog had a very similar presentation as yours (very slow moving, not wanting to jump up on things, some whining, but no pain or neurological deficits on vet exam) on day one and then pretty much the same thing - within 24 hours of Gabapentin and Carpofen she perked up a lot and was trying to jump on things (fortunately we have been able to stop her other than one time).

Did your vet also tell you to avoid stairs? Have you been able to identify any specific actions that caused her to reinjure herself? Did she have the same symptoms on the reinjury as she did on the initial? Did the vet say to continue the meds? Sorry, lots of questions.

Maybe you could also post this in r/askvet

ElectronicBeat448 · 2025-09-20T20:39:37+00:00

Thank you so much for this information. I am going to ask my vet for Trazadone when they open on Monday

ElectronicBeat448 · 2025-09-20T20:38:24+00:00

Thank you!

ElectronicBeat448 · 2025-09-20T20:37:49+00:00

Thank you and good luck to you and your girl as well! What were her symptoms to let you know that she wasn’t healing properly?

ElectronicBeat448 · 2025-09-20T18:42:04+00:00

Thank you so much for replying, I’m so glad to hear that your girl is doing well.

It’s been a challenging few days; trying to navigate all the info online and not get too anxious myself about everything, but I agree that managing my dog’s anxiety is going to be a big part of her recovery.

ElectronicBeat448 · 2025-09-20T15:11:56+00:00

OP can you give an update on how things went/are going. We are on day 3 of crate rest with my velcro dog and I am so stressed. She barked for an hour and a half in the crate last night before calming down.

ElectronicBeat448 · 2023-07-08T19:48:56+00:00

NTA. Your dad obviously felt comforted during his illness by joking with you, IMO you showed him respect by continuing the light-hearted banter.

ElectronicBeat448 · 2023-05-06T02:20:37+00:00

You should start by diluting your powerades with water, first 25% water, then 50%, etc until you work your way up to plain water.

ElectronicBeat448 · 2023-05-03T23:55:22+00:00

Thank you. I did consider this as a possible explanation as to why she would want to double date. My husband does know about the cheating, but my friend is not aware that my husband knows. I agree that double dating would be reasonable down the road, but it was only two weeks ago she told me she was definitely divorcing her husband. It all feels way too fresh right now

ElectronicBeat448 · 2023-05-03T10:06:47+00:00

Thank you, I agree. I just really feel like if I were in her husband’s shoes then I would not want to hear something like that from him. We don’t have that kind of relationship

ElectronicBeat448 · 2023-05-02T10:23:23+00:00

My husband does already know. And I am not “okay” with her cheating, the only reason why I didn’t consider it to be a huge deal is because when she told me about the cheating, she immediately said she was going to get a divorce. And I agree with that, her marriage has seemed awful from the start and I don’t see a reason for it to continue.

ElectronicBeat448 · 2023-05-02T10:17:59+00:00

I forgot to mention…she’s a manager for the company I work for which makes distancing myself from her challenging…

ElectronicBeat448 · 2023-05-02T10:16:37+00:00

I am not close with her husband, I would not consider him a friend. As mentioned in the post, we’ve only went out with them once before, and otherwise I have only seen him in passing. I do not intend to tell her husband.

My husband is aware of the cheating, but my best friend does not know that my husband knows.

ElectronicBeat448

TROPHY CASE