Pet Enteral Feeding Veterinary Service In Port Charlotte, FL

Pet Enteral Feeding

When an animal has been anorexic or has had insufficient voluntary caloric intake for more than three days, has lost more than 10% of their body weight, or exhibits other signs of malnutrition, nutritional support should be taken into consideration. Enteral feeding tubes are a crucial tool in providing nutritional support to animals who are unable or unwilling to consume enough calories on their own (e.g. poor hair coat, muscle wasting, poor wound healing, hypoalbuminemia, lymphopenia). Pre-emptive feeding tube placement is also advised in patients where complete or partial anorexia can be expected (e.g., facial or jaw surgery, feline gastrointestinal lymphoma, etc.), and can frequently be done. Nutritional support should be considered in patients with predisposing conditions such as vomiting, diarrhoea, or liver disease, prior to development of overt malnutrition.