Sham feeding in rats with chronic, reversible gastric fistulas

Sham feeding occurs when ingested food is prevented from accumulating in the stomach and small intestine by surgical intervention. Sham feeding permits the investigation of the orosensory controls of meal size in the absence of postingestive controls. This unit details preoperative preparation, surgery, postoperative care and maintenance, and test procedures for the simplest and most widely used method, which involves implantation of a gastric cannula in a rat to provide a chronic, reversible gastric fistula.