I am happy to report back that after a few days of carrying Dani up and down stairs she is now doing them, albeit slowly, on her own.  It's kind of hard to tell with an older dog sometimes.  She doesn't eat a lot and loves to sleep, well, the past few days that is super obvious because I'm watching her more intensely.  Her last poo was Tuesday before lunch, so that's something I'm definitely watching for now.  Go figure, one is loose and the other is bound up.

I have only been gone for short periods so no need for her to go back into her crate at any point this week.  I am not loving the need for that to happen again and I bet she will also not be interested.