Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog and cat complications from misplaced feeding tubes
By Mo, Savina et al.Ā·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital AssociationĀ·2025Ā·From Harvest Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Hospital, ChinaĀ·View original on PubMed ā
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Original publication title: Outcomes of Isocalothorax Resulting from Nasogastric Tube Misplacement in Two Dogs and One Cat.
Plain-English summary
A dog and a cat were treated after a feeding tube was accidentally placed in their lungs instead of their stomachs, causing a serious condition called isocalothorax. One dog required surgery but sadly did not survive, while the other dog also had surgery and was able to go home afterward. The cat received medical treatment and also recovered well. This case highlights the risks of using feeding tubes and how important it is to ensure they are placed correctly.
People also search for: dog feeding tube complications Ā· cat feeding tube misplaced Ā· isocalothorax treatment in pets
Abstract
Nasogastric tubes (NGTs) are used in critical care to provide early enteral nutrition to reduce mortality and morbidity. Compared with other feeding tubes, NGTs are inexpensive and easy to place without delaying provision of enteral nutrition. In addition, NGTs are used to monitor gastric motility and reduce the risk of aspiration pneumonia. Despite their versatility, there are complications associated with their use. This report presents three cases of isocalothorax in animals resulting from inadvertent placement of NGTs into the respiratory tract. Two dogs were treated surgically; one survived to discharge and one died. One cat survived to discharge with medical management. Few reports in veterinary literature describe complications of misplaced NGTs. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of successful medical management in a cat with isocalothorax. This report highlights complications of NGT misplacement and offers possible management strategies in cases of isocalothorax.
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Search related cases āOriginal publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40304443/