Studies on Severe Alcohol Intoxication in Dogs. I. Blood and Urinary Changes in Lethal Intoxication

Abstract

When a lethal dose of alcohol is administered by stomach tube to unanesthetized dogs, approximately 65% of the animals live less than 12 hours and death is associated primarily with respiratory failure. The remaining animals live longer than 12 hours and death is preceded by a progressive fall in blood pressure resulting in circulatory failure. When a lethal dose of alcohol is administered intravenously to unanesthetized dogs, death always appears to be the result of respiratory failure. The lethal dose was found to be 9.6 [plus or minus] 1.6 ml of absolute alcohol per kg administered during 231 [plus or minus] 41 minutes. With a few exceptions, dogs given a lethal dose of alcohol orally die at a time when blood alcohol concentrations are declining. This is particularly striking in animals that survive longer than 12 hours. Lethal doses of alcohol produce a hyperglycemia, a marked increase in hematocrit, hemoglobin, blood urea nitrogen and plasma nonprotein nitrogen values, no significant changes in plasma Na and HCO3, a significant decrease in plasma Cl, a marked decrease in blood pH and erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and a transient hypokalemia. Oliguria and, in most cases, anuria may be observed soon after the animals become comatose. During the early stages of intoxication and during the oliguric period a decrease in the concentrations of urinary constituents (K, NaCl, urea nitrogen and nonprotein nitrogen) occurs. In the majority of the dogs the urine pH decreases and in some dogs urinary reducing substances increase during the hyperglycemic period. When the same dose of alcohol is administered at 2-hour intervals instead of at 1-hour intervals, similar changes are observed. The only striking differences are an initial diuresis and higher blood alcohol and plasma glucose concentrations. With respect to urinary changes, the only difference noted between the effects of an intravenous and an oral lethal dose of alcohol is the earlier onset of oliguria and anuria with the intravenous dose even while blood alcohol levels are similar.