You are ALL wonderful!
As for your questions...
Layla just turned 5 last month. This all started for us in April of this year.
We got a cart because Layla lost complete use of her back legs. She was on crate rest for about 10 weeks after her surgery (longer because of an issue with some vet techs that may have caused more damage, so we wanted to be safe). She had been using a cart in rehab and really took to it well, so we researched a lot of companies and ordered the one we liked best.
We actually don't use the cart a whole lot. Layla has been able to scoot around the house quite well lately. We will use the cart when we're outside in the yard, and it's enabled us to go for walks again. If she's going to be on concrete or asphalt where she can hurt herself, she is in her cart. But otherwise she is just as happy to scoot around and be able to lay down when she gets tired!
Layla took to the cart really well, but she also has no feeling in her back end so I don't think she really understood what was going on other than she could run a lot easier! The yoke part that goes over her shoulders can make her sore, so when we were first getting her used to it we'd just ease her in with 5 minutes a day... then 10 minutes a day... just small walks around to get used to it.
I think we have tried EVERYTHING possible with Layla. Rehab has been great, although we have cut back on it now. She does the underwater treadmill and lots of strength training exercises. We also have been getting electro-acupuncture to stimulate her nerves. We tried laser light therapy but didn't see much of a difference to be worth the money we were paying for it, but a lot of people swear by it! We even tried Reiki! But in the end it all adds up, and a lot of things can be done at home.
When Layla went down I could barely find any information on IVDD and just today I've seen two posts here on two different yorkies with this disease! It's kind of sad that we're not alone in it, because I don't think any dog should have to go through it. In fact, it seems like Layla may be going through another flare-up tonight. But I'm glad we are able to help.
If you ever have a LOT of time to spare, my whole ordeal with Layla can be seen here:
http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/sic...out-layla.html