EXTREME HYPOCHLOREMIA IN DOGS INDUCED BY NITRATE ADMINISTRATION

Abstract

Dogs were caused to lose as much as 70% of their total body Cl by the intraven. adm. of large doses of NaNO3 over a period (1-13 wks.) during which the animals were fed a low-Cl diet. All of the 14 tissues examined and the aq. humor varied directly with the plasma in chloride content when a long period was allowed for equilibrium. The cerebrospinal fluid retained a higher % of its chloride. When a large quantity of NaCl was rapidly injected into the blood, the rate at which the Cl content of the various tissues and fluids rose differed markedly. The brain and cerebrospinal fluid lagged behind. In the blood of the low-Cl animals bicarbonate and pH increased and osmotic strength decreased. Urea conc. usually increased. Lactic acid conc. varied little from normal. The vol. of cells in the blood usually decreased. The rate of sedimentation was very rapid in some of the dogs. At Cl levels below 65% of normal the dogs showed dryness of eyes, nose and mouth. They developed anorexia and ceased to pant after the bicarbonate rose to about 40 milli-equiva-lents per liter. These low-Cl dogs refused to drink 1% NaCl soln.