Cervical esophagostomy to permit extraoral feeding of the horse.

This research explores the use of indwelling stomach tubes, inserted through a cervical esophagostomy, for extraoral feeding in horses, establishing it as a safe, simple and effective method.

Research Background and Methods

• In this veterinary research, the authors discuss testing the effectiveness of using cervical esophagostomy, a type of surgical procedure, to provide extraoral feeding for horses.
• An indwelling stomach tube, which is a tube that remains in the stomach to provide nutrition, was inserted through a cervical esophagostomy in five healthy horses and three horses that required artificial feeding.
• In nearly all cases, this procedure was performed on conscious horses following tranquilization and the application of a local anesthetic to the surgical sites.

Results and Findings

• The study found that six horses were effectively fed liquid rations through these indwelling tubes. The duration varied across the subjects, with the tubes being in place from 3 to 26 days.
• After the tubes were removed, the stomas – the openings created by the surgery to access the esophagus – healed rapidly and complications were minimal.
• This shows that cervical esophagostomy can be a safe and functional method for providing necessary feeding aid to horses who cannot feed through the natural oral route.

Research Conclusion

• From this study, it was concluded that cervical esophagostomy is not only safe and easy, but also an effective method for feeding horses that require artificial alimentation.
• Thus, this technique may be useful in the veterinary field for situations where horses are unable to eat naturally owing to illness, injury or other conditions which restrict oral feeding.