My dog was hit by a car a few days ago. I took him to the vet immediately and the X-rays showed that he has no internal injuries (organs) but he has a spinal injury and he has lost function in his back legs. We have him on an anti-inflammatory med and a pain med. Every day we see a new small improvement in him, but we can't get him to eat anything and he he only drinks 3 or 4 laps of water per day. When he was hit he bit clear through his tongue so I imagine the idea of eating isn't appealing to him, but what can we do? How can we get him to eat?

You really should consult with your vet again, they may need to have him on IV fluids. What have you tried feeding him? I would start with a soft, wet food if you have none on hand, use warm water and mash some hard kibble. I usually would never suggest hand feeding a but in your case it's worth a try. I wouldn't stress out, or force feed. A sick/injured dog should never be force fed. I would really try getting him to drink more water. Even if you have to add beef or chicken stalk to it to make it more appealing.

I hope your dog pulls through. Sounds like he has a pretty bad go. Sometimes pain meds effect their appetite, and it may be a few days after the pain meds are done that his eating returns to normal.

I have tried his dry food, then his wet food, then I tried his dry food w/dog gravy on it, when those failed I tried lunch meat which is his favorite. I'm thinking it's the pain in his tongue because I've noticed he tries to drink but pulls back and flinches when his tongue touches the water. I'm not sure how to get around that. The vet said absolutely NO car rides once we get him home because jostling his spine will cause further damage and he needs to move as little as possible. It's a 30 minute drive to the vet and I am petrified to have him in the car for that long especially since he finally started twitching his tail just this morning. I don't want to undo any progress he has made. I will definitely call the vet as soon as I have reception, we live in the country and the reception is deplorable here.

You need to call your vet and discuss your concerns with them.. Like Bella said, they may need to give him fluids.. They can send fluids home with you and you would be administering SubQ fluids (fluids under the skin just like a shot). They can also give you some prescription food that is easy to mix into a liquid and you may have to syringe feed him until he is able to eat on his own.

There is no way around it. You need to call the vet. You need to talk to them about ALL your concerns, including the drive with your dog. They will have good advise for you..

Also.. sometimes pain meds can cause stomach irritation. When my dog had her surgery, all of her meds had to be taken with food... I fed her raw hamburger... Just a ball of it with her pills in it. It kind of stimulated her appetite, nothing was good until the doctor told me to stop the pain meds...

Which is why you need to talk to your doctor! In order for your dog to heal in a timely manner, he needs nutrition.

Thank you for all the advice... finally got in touch with vet. She says I have to force feed him. She said the anti inflammatory meds are making him nauseous so he will refuse everything. I'm supposed to put some canned food and water in a blender, make a "fine gruel" and give it to him in a large syringe 3 times daily. Cross your fingers! I really hope this works!

Good luck! Please keep us posted.

Good luck. If he hasn't eaten for a few days just give him a very small amount at first (a teaspoon at most) to make sure he doesn't bring it back up.