Why won't my dog eat after taking antibiotics for a broken nail?

I would call your vet to see if it could be a side effect of the medications prescribed. Remember, if no food goes in, there won’t be stool to come out, so I think the biggest problem is not wanting to eat/nausea. Some medications can cause this to happen. Or there could be a second issue causing the poor appetite. You can try bland human foods like boiled chicken breast and cooked white rice to entice Lucky to eat.

Antibiotics can sometimes cause upset stomach, and the underlying illness may also cause Appu to lose his appetite. You can try offering bland foods, such as boiled rice and chicken, his regular diet moistened to make it easier to eat, or even canned dog food watered down into a sort of paste to make it a bit easier to digest. If he continues to refuse all food, or can't keep any food down, it is also a good idea to let your veterinarian know in case they need to switch medications, or have Appu come in for IV fluids and other treatment.

Many times after surgery, an animal's appetite can be decreased / absent as well as being lethargic / sedated. If it has been less than 24 hours, I would give it at least 24-48 hours before contacting the veterinarian that performed the surgery. Once the appetite returns, you will have an easier time getting King to take the pills. If it has been longer than 24-48 hours, I would recommend contacting the veterinarian for the most appropriate recommendations. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. You can also feed a bland diet as outlined below and see if this helps. GENERAL INFORMATION A bland diet is a diet that is soft and highly digestible. It is low in fiber, fat and protein and is high in carbohydrates. Bland diets are generally composed of a single carbohydrate source and a single lean protein source. The most common bland diet is boiled rice and boiled lean chicken breast, without skin and bones. Since bland diets are low in fiber, stool production slows and defecation is less frequent. Bland diets are fed to rest the gastric system and to help promote normal stool formation. Animals that are physically sick should not be fed bland diets as a method of treatment. PRIOR TO FEEDING A BLAND DIET Pets should be fasted for 12 to 24 hours. Young animals should not be fasted for more than 12 hours. Fasting will allow the intestinal system to relax and minimize acid secretions that may irritate and inflame the intestinal lining. During the fast small amounts of water or ice chips may be provided. Never fast a sick animal, it may cause disease progression and death. BASIC BOILED RICE AND CHICKEN BLAND DIET RECIPE CARBOHYDRATE SOURCE: Boiled white rice LEAN PROTEIN SOURCE: Chicken breast, no skin and bones BOILED RICE: 1 part white rice with 3 parts water boiled for 20 – 25 minutes or until the rice is easily crushed. BOILED CHICKEN: De-fat chicken breast and boil in water for 10 – 15 minutes or until the chicken meat is easily pulled apart and cooked all way through. MIXING INSTRUCTIONS: Finely chop the lean protein and mix 2 cups carbohydrate source and ½ cup lean protein source. STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: Bland diets can be premade and stored in the refrigerator for a maximum of 48 hours. The bland diet can be cooked in a batch and frozen in feeding sized portions to minimize preparation time. Thaw and warm the frozen diet prior to feeding. PERMITTED LEAN PROTEIN SUBSTITUTIONS Pork loin, egg whites, low fat cottage cheese. 7% low fat hamburger, plain low fat yogurt. PERMITTED CARBOHYDRATE SUBSTITUTIONS Boiled potatoes, boiled spaghetti, Minute rice. PERMITTED COMMERCIAL BLAND DIETS Science Prescription Diet I/D, Eukanuba Veterinary Diet Low Residue, Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Intestinal HE. FEEDING INSTRUCTIONS Estimate 25% of your animal’s diet and feed that amount of the bland diet every 6 – 8 hours. Smaller animals will require less and larger animals will require more adhering to the same carbohydrate to lean protein source ratio. The bland diet should be fed for 4 -5 days with no treats or other food sources until stools are firm. TRANSITION BACK TO A NORMAL DIET Never transition back to a regular diet rapidly. Transition back to the regular diet over a 1 week period. Start by adding 25% of the regular diet to 75% of the bland diet and feed that combination for 2 days. If stools continue to be firm then continue substituting the regular diet in 25% increments and feeding the combination in 2 day time intervals until the diet is 100% regular diet. Minimize treats for 1 week after moving the diet back to 100% regular diet

It depends what type of pain killers she is taking, as it is every 8 hours i assume it is an opioid which is fine to give even on an empty stomach. antibiotics can also be given on an empty stomach, although not ideal as this can cause nausea. try giving her some boiled chicken, treats or a canned food called a/d from Hills.

It may be painful and disturb his appetite. Antibiotics can also cause an upset stomach and affect their appetite. You can try to feed boiled chicken and rice or baby food to help. You can skip her night time medicine to see if makes a different then contact the vet about a different medication or a recheck

I'm sorry to hear that Nicco hasn't been feeling well, but I'm glad to hear that you've already sought veterinary care. It is most commonly recommended to give antibiotics with food since this will lessen the chance of developing an upset stomach with vomiting and diarrhea as a side effect of the antibiotics. In this case, however, Nicco is already having diarrhea and experiencing a loss of appetite. It should be just fine to give him the antibiotics (metronidazole or Flagyl, I assume, given the bloody diarrhea) without food until he is eating normally again. You can also ask your vet about offering Nicco a bland diet of boiled white meat chicken and white rice since he is refusing to eat the Royal Canin gastrointestinal low fat diet. If your veterinarian approves this plan, a typical rule of thumb is to feed 1 cup of a 50:50 chicken/rice mixture for every 10 pounds of body weight per day, divided into 3-4 smaller meals. If Nicco is still refusing to eat, experiencing bloody diarrhea, or begins to vomit by tomorrow, I recommend calling your vet since he may need to be reevaluated with additional diagnostic testing or supportive treatments. I hope this helps and that Nicco feels better soon!

I would not stop the antibiotics until the full course is given, however if she will take a treat, giving it with that, or even a little boiled chicken may help entice her to eat some without upsetting her stomach. If she is refusing any and all food at all, it is best to let the vet know as they may want to start other treatments such as an IV/injectable antibiotic or IV fluids to help get her feeling better.