Fluid Therapy in Horses with Acute Diarrhea

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Fluid Balance and Compartmental Distribution

The total body water of a 450 to 500 kg horse is approximately 300 liters. The total body water is divided into two major compartments, the intracellular fluid volume which consists of approximately 200 liters, and the extracellular fluid volume which equals approximately 100 liters. Although these two compartments differ markedly in electrolyte composition, they are in osmotic equilibrium and water is freely diffusible between them. The distribution of body water between these two compartments

Evaluation of Accumulated Deficits

It is convenient to visualize fluid and electrolyte alterations during dehydration as primary water deficits or primary electrolyte deficits. In acute diarrhea, large amounts of both water and electrolytes are lost. The clinicopathologic consequences of these losses depend upon the composition of the fluid lost by all routes as well as the patient’s intake and absorption during the clinical course. The following discussion will describe an approach to evaluating the existing deficits of fluid

Fluid Therapy

Formulation of a plan for fluid therapy for a dehydrated horse consists of four basic elements: the replacement of existing deficits; the satisfaction of daily requirements; the replacement of anticipated additional losses; and the monitoring of the patient’s response to therapy.

The therapeutic plan is designed for a specific period of time, generally 12 to 24 hours. At this time, the plan is reevaluated and may be modified according to the monitored response to therapy. This allows some

Route and Rate of Administration of Fluids

Replacement of initial deficits of fluids should be accomplished through an intravenous route. The rate of administration of fluids should be varied according to the clinical circumstances. Flow rates of 10 liters per hour or more may be necessary in patients with marked contraction of fluid volume and impending hypovolemic shock. These patients may also benefit from the early infusion of 2 to 3 liters of plasma or plasma expanders. Many clinicians recommend rapid intravenous infusions of 5 per

Clinical Examples: Fluid Therapy for Acute Diarrhea

The three horses presented in Table 2 all have acute diarrhea but with varying alterations of fluid and electrolytes. The accumulated deficits were estimated on the basis of the discussion in previous sections. Briefly stated the basic assumptions and formulas are:

  • The water deficit is equal to 0.9 liters per kg × weight loss (kg), the initial weight being 450 kg.

    The sodium deficit is estimated on the basis of increased packed cell volume and plasma protein which serve as indexes of decreased

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