ENTERAL FORCE FEEDING WITH BLIND PERCUTAN EOUS GASTROSTOMY - 2 PRACTICAL METHODS

Whereas fasting is well tolerated by the healthy organism, protein-ene rgy malnutrition in the sick animal has a negative impact on organ fun ctions, immunocompetence, wound healing, and reconvalescence. Sick ani mals, physically unable to eat or held off food for medical reasons fo r more than 5 days, consequently need some sort of nutritional support . Force feeding through a gastrostomy tube has several advantages comp ared to other forms of enteral nutrition. Gastrostomy tube feeding is relatively physiological, is quite comfortable for the animals and the ir owners, can replace oral feeding for weeks, and is associated with only rare complications. Gastrostomy tubes can be placed surgically, b y use of a gastroscope, or blindly. Blind percutaneous gastrostomy tub e placement is minimally invasive, fast, does not require any expensiv e equipment, and hence is well suited for practice.