Sessions

Esophagostomy tubes are essential tools for providing nutritional support in dogs and cats suffering from acute or chronic illness-associated anorexia. In patients with inadequate voluntary food intake for more than 24–48 hours, early initiation of assisted feeding is recommended. Several studies have demonstrated that timely initiation of enteral nutrition contributes significantly to faster recovery. Beyond anorexia and hyporexia, numerous additional indications justify the use of feeding tubes, such as chronic diseases accompanied by anorexia, traumatic injuries involving the skull or mandible, neoplastic conditions, cases where oral medication administration is otherwise not feasible, as well as feeding difficulties in geriatric patients.

In our prospective study, conducted between March 2024 and September 2025 at the Internal Medicine Clinic of the University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, a total of 16 animals (9 dogs and 7 cats) met the predefined inclusion criteria and were enrolled in the research. The aim of the study was to evaluate complications related to esophagostomy tube placement, including those observed during hospitalization and those arising during at-home care.

We hypothesized that the frequency and nature of complications in our domestic population would be comparable to those reported in international literature. Additionally, we aimed to investigate whether the occurrence of complications was associated with the underlying disease or with changes in certain laboratory parameters – with particular attention to elevated leukocyte counts, decreased albumin levels, increased C-reactive protein (CRP) and serum amyloid A (SAA) concentrations, as well as left shift in the leukogram.

Among the 16 cases included in the study, we observed severe complications in 3 patients and mild complications in 2 patients. In two cases, the feeding tube was placed in animals with atonic stomachs, which resulted in regurgitation of gastric contents through the stoma. In a third case, active discharge from the tube insertion site necessitated microbiological culture. In two additional cases, mild complications included hypersalivation and vomiting associated with tube feedings.

The average duration of tube retention was 15 days, with a median of 11 days (range: 3 to 57 days). Owner feedback was predominantly positive; only two owners reported negative experiences. An elevated level of inflammatory markers was not associated with a higher incidence of complications in the studied patient population.