Body weight, rectal temperature, behavior, fecal score and hemogram were evaluated in 20 crossbred dogs, randomly alloted in four experimental groups, being five animals in each group, two females and three males. Those animals were alloted to standard feeding (group I - control), intravenous fluid therapy (group II), enteral nutrition through gastrotomy (group III) and total parenteral nutrition (group IV). The treatments lasted seven days, preceded by two days of fasting. The animals of group II showed the highest weigth loss (P<0.05), and the animals of group IV showed phlebitis, since the second day of treatment. No changes were observed in red blood cell count (P>0.05), however, the animals of group II showed lower values of erythrocytes, hemoglobin and hematocrit, suggesting normocytic normochromic anemia. The gastric tube placement, through endoscopy, led to alteration of the total number of leukocytes (P<0.05), causing a regenerative left shift in the animals of group II. The administration rate of the parenteral nutrition solution must be monitored when a peripheral venous access is used.
dog; fluid therapy; parenteral nutrition; enteral nutrition
