Jennifer, welcome to the Forum, we are glad you've joined us all. We’ve got valuable information we’ve gleaned from the vets Dodgerslist consults with and our own experiences with IVDD since 2002 to share with you!
Many vets know IVDD and some are new to it. You really can play an instrumental role in working with the vet you have hired when you bring the best command of this disease to the table. For the now we'll point you to the important info for the "now."
There is still hope for Oscar to self heal his nerve damage now that you have started the single most important care of 100% STRICT rest 24/7. All the very important details are waiting here for you to read to make sure you giving Oscar every single possibility to be able to heal those nerves:
IMPORTANT READING make sure you print out the Conservative Roadmap to avoid any more dangerous detours: dodgerslist.com/2020/05/14/strict-rest-recovery-process/?highlight=roadmapPAINOscar's pain meds are not yet correct. As the eyes and ears for your vet, please phone your vet ASAP to report your observations yelping when lifted so meds can be adjusted. Advocate for any of the pain meds be given 3x/day (every 8 hours) for round the clock coverage, dose to dose coverage.
— Methocarbamol works on the pain of muscle spasms.
— Tramadol is the general pain reliever.
— Gabapentin works on nerve pain.
There should be no sign of pain from one dose of meds to the next. Have no patience with pain as it does hinder healing. Look for your dog to be acting their normal, perky self when pain is fully under control round the clock.
BLADDER CONTROL? Determine if Oscar will need to have his bladder expressed by you.Overflowing bladders need to be expressed to avoid UTIs. If he leaks on you when lifted or if you are finding urine leaks in his bedding he likely has lost bladder function. You will get more out of a hands-on-top-of-your-hands type of expressing lesson by first reading and viewing the video at this page: dodgerslist.com/2020/05/05/bladder-bowel-care/ STRICT REST Please confirm that we're on the same page as to conservative care.
The hallmark component of conservative treatment is the very STRICT crate rest part (no PT, little movement). With little blood supply discs are much slower to form good scar tissue than it takes a blood rich broken bone to heal. Those weeks of a cast for a broken arm to heal is similar to the recovery suite being a kind of cast for the disc. 100% STRICT crate rest 24/7 for 8 weeks provides limited movement to allow good strong scar tissue to form.STRICT rest means: ◼︎no laps ◼︎no couches ◼︎no baths ◼︎no sleeping with you ◼︎no chiro therapy WHYs: dodgerslist.com/2020/04/22/chiropractic/ ◼︎no dragging or meandering at potty times. ◼︎no PT for conservative dogs during 8 weeks to heal disc ◼︎At home laser or acupuncture for severe neuro damage is best. Transports are always a risk to the disc of too much movement. Vet visits must be weighed risk vs. benefit for dogs with little to mild neuro diminishment.POTTY TIME strictness if determined Oscar still has bladder control. That is he can sniff an old pee spot outside and then decide to mark or pee there. Carry your dog to and from the recovery suite to the potty place and then allow a very, very few limited footsteps. Using a sling (long winter scarf, ace bandage, belt) will save your back and help to keep a wobbly dog's back aligned and butt from tipping over. A harness and 6 foot leash is to control speed and keep footsteps to minimum as you stand in one spot. An ex-pen in the grass is an excellent alternative to minimizing footsteps with the physical and visual to indicate there will be no sniff festing going on! 
A sling is used as back up to catch a wobbly dog's butt and prevent twisting the back. Any sling needs to be accompanied by a front harness and leash to control speed to the very slow minimal footsteps at potty time especially during conservative treatment or the post-op crate rest period.
If your dog's legs are paralyzed and has bladder control then the type of sling with holes for the back legs will give needed rear support at potty time without fear of hiking up the mid back. Always try to keep the back horizontal to the ground as much as possible.
1) DIY sweatshirt sling...can be used for front or the back legs. Use same concept with cut out leg holes in a long strip of towel:
www.lyonpuffpetsit.com/htmlslp/sling.html2) A figure 8 DIY sling works especially well for the male dog anatomy at potty times.
Jennifer, please fill us in on all the details about Oscar. Use dates, exact names of meds, etc. This kind of detail helps us better to assist you and Oscar.
TWO QUESTIONS1. How much does your dog weigh?
…A Please list the exact names of meds currently given, their doses in mgs and times per day given.
…B 1) If on a steroid….what was the start date & dose? Date of steroid taper?
2) If on a NSAID, for how many days has it been prescribed for?
…C PEPCID AC: Ask if your dog has any health issues to prevent use of Pepcid AC (famotidine)? (doesn’t need it, we wait til there is problem…are NOT answers to your question!) If you get a “no health issues” answer, then go to the grocery store to purchase over the counter Pepcid AC containing one single active ingredient (famotidine).
NOTE: Pepcid AC (famotidine) for dogs is 0.44mg per pound, 30 mins before the anti-inflammatory and thereafter every 12 hours for as long as your dog is on the anti-inflammatory.
www.1800petmeds.com/Famotidine-prod11171.html 
2. Currently can your dog move the back legs at all such as to reposition himself in the recovery suite? Or wag the tail when you specifically do some happy talk?
◼︎At home laser or acupuncture for severe neuro damage is best. Transports are always a risk to the disc of too much movement. Vet visits must be weighed risk of too much movement during a vehicle transport vs. benefit for dogs with little to mild neuro diminishment. Things like med adjustments can be taken care over the the phone. For example things like expressing warrant the risk of a transport to get a lesson on expressing the bladder.
LIFTING and CARRYING - alway keep back horizontal to the ground
Knowledge is the power to fight the IVDD enemy and win!! The very best thing you can do for YOU, the caregiver, and for your dog is to get up to speed on IVDD soonest possible. Begin absorbing the must-have overall sense of meds, care and how the treatment works. Your dog will be depending on your ability to learn
➤ excellent video series here:
➤ Home Care TiPS:
dodgerslist.com/nursing-care-during-the-disc-episode/➤ Medications used during a disc episode:
dodgerslist.com/meds-used-during-disc-episode/➤ Healing the disc, 4 phases of healing:
dodgerslist.com/healing-the-disc/At the MAIN Dodgers WEBSITE, use the orange SEARCH bar feature to easily access the treasure trove of more IVDD information. You will feel so very empowered to help your dog!
dodgerslist.com/ FYI EMAIL ALERTS
Please do set up email alerts as timely interaction/communications is needed when helping your dog. How to set up: dodgerslist.boards.net/thread/7353/register-bookmark-dogs-post-thread.
Please keep us posted on what your vet Rx'd over the phone to fully cover pain. If Oscar did loose bladder control, how did the expressing lesson go? To transport Oscar, pad out the crate with a rolled up blanket/towel snug up to his body to prevent shifting of his back/neck as you corner or come to stops.
