Awww, that is a lot of scary stuff to take in all at once. I think that you are going to have to just take it one thing at a time and concentrate on getting your little Mo the best bed rest you can manage in hope that this will help him to heal. Do you have a crate for him? Except for potty breaks, Mo is in ICU in a tiny cage for now. Just big enough to stand and turn around in. Potty breaks are on leash, and you carry him out to the spot. Got it? Mo is not to jump up on anything and sure is not supposed to jump off of anything. You give the meds as prescribed, take him out to potty every few hours, and have him in a cushioned bed in a cage that he cannot get out of the rest of the time.

With great luck, the meds and rest will work and you won't have to be thinking about what to do next. Concentrate on keeping him quiet. For a Jack Russel to stay quiet for three weeks, you are going to have a lot of care to do. You can't trust to put him on a pillow next to you. He could jump off and get hurt worse. If his crate is too big, use a box to make it smaller so that it is just big enough to turn around in. If he is being too active, call the doc and let her know. She may want to sedate him.

So you will take care of your baby this way for three weeks and we will be sending you our thoughts and prayers that he improves. During that time, you can take an honest look at your situation. Is there anybody who wants to treat your dog to $6000 of care? Do you have enough friends to donate that much? If not, write a list of questions to ask the vet. Things like - is he in pain? - can he live like this in a doggy wheelchair?

If she says no, then you will know that you did your very best in giving Mo the very best care you could for those three weeks. You gave him the chance to get better with all reasonable care. You could not provide extraordinary care, but most pet owners cannot do that. You gave him the medicine and the bed rest and all the love you had during his three weeks of bed rest. You gave him a chance, but he could not get better, and you also gave him an end to his suffering.

You will be able to give him mercy and grace if that is what Mo needs. Come back here and talk to us any time. We will support you through this. Maybe someone else here knows more than these basic things that I know.

when you say "short legged", do you know what he is crossed with? could he possibly have welsh corgi in this cross? your description of how he is better on carpet, etc., makes me wonder if you could be dealing with degenerative myelopathy. do a google search and see if his symptoms match. if this came on over a period of time, i would suspect DM. if it's an acute injury, the steroids should help.

i totally agree with everything nancy said and i do so hope this is simply a minor injury that will just take time and bed rest to heal!

he is crossed but I don't know what kind. He is on the pills but is not getting better yet. He eats normally and it over all happy but just can't walk properly. This was not gradual but sudden. When the vet touched him between 10-13 on the spine it hurts him, and he is in pain when he does not take his pain meds. I don't know what to do, except to get a 3rd opinion once he finishes his meds and if he is still not better. Thank you both for your support and understanding, it helps to talk to others.

So sorry to hear about your pet.

My Mom had a cocker spaniel that happened to. He was finally paralyzed from the waist down and couldn't control his bowels. He had to be put down.