I had the same experience with my English Mastiff (although it was knee surgery and not back surgery). We had to keep her tied to the end of our bed-post to limit her range of motion. All she could do was sit up and lay back down. And this was for 8 weeks, mind you. Not fun for us to watch her go through. Not fun for our other 5 dogs not having their pack-leader (Alpha) around. Not fun for her to have to go through it.
All in all, her quality of life increased positively tenfold, and if I had to do it again, I would.
You need to get a small crate, and crate the little guy 24/7, except to be let out to potty. As Karla (above me) said, you need to make a sling of some type to keep the weight off his back legs, and walk him around the yard that way.
Also, I'm truly SHOCKED that your vet didn't go over this with you. My Mastiff has a somewhat simple knee surgery (TPLO) and I still had to keep her down for 6-8 weeks. I would assume a back surgery would be just as long, and that the vet would have explained that to you as an aftercare method.
Contact your vet and see what he says. Post back his reply. I'd be interested what the moron has to say.
LMNO
Hello & welcome.....It all depends on the dog.....Some dogs start walking within days, some within weeks....
That said, your dog should NOT be dragging herself around! The protocol after surgery is at least 4 weeks strict cage rest....Only being let out to potty & eat....That's it....A safer bet is 6 wks.
Your surgeon should have explained all of this to you....You can wrap a sling around her waist to hold up her back end so she can go potty or walk around alittle....DO NOT let her off leash or out of the sling unsupervised....This can create a dangerous setback....
Please, call her Dr. for any followup questions.....All this will take time.....Let me know if I can help you further......Karla