Matt's Frankie as of 8/15 (?) crated for conservative

So im new to this forum, and all the information it gives so bear with me. Also forgive me if this is off topic, but how often could a painful event, or situation really be just a strained or pulled muscle? Are there any tell-tale signs?

I have a 7 y/o mini dachshund that began wincing during certain position changes that honestly seem random. Sometimes while laying in any position he will wince getting up. Other times he won't. But for my dog that's where the symptoms kind of stop. They didn't go away on their own so I did visit my vet rather quickly who stated they believed it was just a muscle strain. He was given [8/10] 12.5mg of Carprofen every 12 hours. All night he did ok, but then tried to scratch his ear first thing in the morning and yelped at that. He seemed to have a lot of discomfort at the time so I got him right in to the vet, and the diagnosis didn't change. They performed X-rays which didn't show anything unusual. We were also sent with Gabapentin 100mg every 8-12 hours. I scheduled a neurology consult preparing for the worst but have not gone way of the ER to expedite that route. My vet didn't seem concerned with the physical assessment.

[MED LIST/HISTORY- Moderator's Note. Please do not edit
12.6 lbs  7 y.o.
Carprofen as of 8/10:  12.5mgs 2x/day for ? days, then a test taper for: _pain / _neuro
gabapentin 100mgs  3x/day
needs GI tract protector, Pepcid AC, on board w/CARPROFEN! ] 

At the appt on 08/10 she pressed down the muscles on his back noting 1 spot where his only reaction was sitting down, on 08/11 after scratching his ear she did the exam again and noted he had no negative reaction at all while pressing on the muscles. While we have completely limited his mobility, he is not on crate rest, although due to separation anxiety issues he is much more calm, and rests much better near us.

☆ 1 Is there still currently pain?
He will still wince occasionally for the same reasons above, we will be switching the gabapentin to every 8 hours to help with that.

☆ 2 He weighs 12.6 pounds at last visit. Again 12.5mg of Carprofen every 12 hours, as well as 100mg Gabapentin 8-12 hours. 30 day supplies of each.

☆ 3 -- Definitely doing both of these well. He wakes me up at around 7am for breakfast, and looks forward to dinner time as well. Potty breaks have been normal other than limiting outside time to just his business.

☆ 4 Mini Dachshund, his name is Frankie, mine is Matt.

☆ 5 DNo diagnosis of IVDD, but knowing the history of these dogs Id rather just assume the worst and be extra cautious.   The vet is a DVM, with an ACVIM neurology consult scheduled for 08/19

☆ 6     8/10 was the initial vet appt. Definitely limiting his movement, but strict crate rest was not recommended.he is a very high energy dog, that would need sedation to truly crate rest.
      
☆ 7 His bladder and bowels fully controlled by him
☆ 8 His walking appears to be fully normal. Tail wagging knowing it's breakfast/dinner time. He may have a slightly Arched back, however he seemed to always have that since we got him 6 years go. I have been watching 3xtra closely for signs of deficit and can't say for sure it's any different. He will also downward dog stretch, as well as extend out and kick each back leg to finish the stretch with no issues. That was also apparent before being on meds. He appears to be his normal self.