Many clients now expect appropriate nutritional support to be provided to their hospitalized pets.
In many veterinary clinics, enteral nutrition via feeding tubes is perceived to be the only viable option. Although enteral nutrition is usually the preferred method, parenteral nutrition is the method of choice when the enteral route is contraindicated. Advances in the formulation of parenteral nutritional solutions, intravenous catheters, and administration techniques make its use more amenable to veterinary clinics. Parenteral nutrition administered through a peripheral vein can be used as an alternative to total parenteral nutrition in appropriate patients.