Question

Hello! My St. Bernard suddenly lost almost of his mobility in both hind legs - the right leg seems to be affected more so. We think he slipped on our laminate stairs - he did not fall - on Saturday. Prior to Saturday, he had a bit of a sore right leg - i.e. it appearred to be stiff. We took him to our vet who checked for a cruchiate ligament tear - he is fairly certain that this is not the problem. Our vet also took x-rays of Kauai's spine - no fractures or blatant problems. He prescribed Rimadyl and rest and said Kauai probably has IVDD. Kauai was still able to move his hind legs on Monday morning but required a towel sling to get up and walk. His hind leg movement has not improved, if anything, the hind legs are moving less and less. He is also "knuckling" on both hind legs which the vet indicated points toward neurological problems - probably IVDD. This condition appearred very suddenly. The vet indicated that surgery to relieve compression may be an option. Thoughts?