Help me help Rory recover

This is my best friend, Rory. We've been besties since April 15, 2015. Rory was a super active and fun-loving guy, obsessed with swimming. Monday July 24 he fell down some steps and injured his back pretty bad. X-rays showed narrowing in the T12/L1 intervertebral disc but this didn't explain all his symptoms: stiffness in front legs, R back leg paralysis and L side very weak, inability to urinate on his own. He was also stiffening and extending his neck.

We got a referral to a specialty clinic in Surrey, BC and we were going to leave right away to see them. I was waiting for him to pee (he had done so a couple times but it was because the bladder was totally full and released it's self) but he was unable to this tome. Not wanting to risk a rupture, we went to an emerg vet to have it drained and hit the road for the coast.

We got into Surrey and to the clinic around 11 PM and were seen quite quick.

To make this VERY long and complicated story less long:

-T12/L1 is not the issue (unfortunately).

-he has an injury higher up in his thoracic spine causing the front and back legs to be the way they are (Shiff-Sherrington syndrome), and causing the inability to urinate.

-we have no definitive diagnosis: could be a fracture, bulging/herniated disc, or bruising on the spinal cord (I'm hoping for this!)

For a better diagnosis he would need an MRI but since a $14,000 surgery and months of recovery care (me off work or hiring someone), then months of rehab are off the table they recommended not doing it.

Right now he is at Boundary Bay Veterinary Specialty Hospital being cared for (heavy pain meds and sedation). I wanted to see if he improves over a couple days (cheaper than an MRI) because if it is a bruised spinal cord we will see some improvement.

The MRI would give me peace of mind in making my final decisions for my best friend, I want to be as informed as possible as he is my life. We've been through so much together: my mom passed away this past January and this is one more devastating event.

So far the bills are totalling: approximately $2400. I have some coverage but they will most likely not cover much, and definitely not the MRI.