The Veterinary clinics of North America. Food animal practice
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Vet. Clin. North Am. Food Anim. Pract. · Nov 2003
ReviewFluid and electrolyte therapy in ruminants.
Five important questions always must be asked and answered regarding fluid and electrolyte therapy in ruminants: (1) Is therapy needed? (2) What type of therapy? (3) What route of administration? (4) How much should be administered? and (5) How fast should the solution be administered? Food animal veterinarians routinely should carry the following commercially available crystalloid solutions and have the knowledge of how to use the products appropriately: Ringer's solution, 1.3% NaHCO3, acetated Ringer's solution, HS (7.2% NaCl), 8% NaHCO3, 23% calcium gluconate, calcium-magnesium solutions, and 50% dextrose. Ruminants with a blood pH less than 7.20 should be treated intravenously with 1.3% or 8.0% NaHCO3, and those animals with a blood pH greater than 7.45 should be treated intravenously with Ringer's solution. Oral electrolyte solutions or intravenous acetated Ringer's solution should be administered to ruminants with a blood pH greater than 7.20 but less than 7.45, and acetated Ringer's solution is preferred to lactated Ringer's solution. ⋯ Hypophosphatemia is treated best by oral administration of feed-grade monosodium phosphate. Hypokalemia is treated best by oral administration of feed-grade KCl; hyperkalemia is treated best by intravenous administration of 8.0% NaHCO3 or HS. The major challenges in treating fluid and electrolyte disorders in ruminants are making treatment protocols more practical and less expensive and formulating an optimal electrolyte solution for oral administration to adult ruminants.
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The article explores the choices and considerations pertinent to the selection of an anesthetic protocol for use in cattle. When the veterinarian is presented with the opportunity to provide anesthesia for surgical or diagnostic procedures, the options include use of local anesthetics, sedative-tranquilizer and analgesic combinations, or general anesthetic techniques. Informed decisions regarding selection of an anesthetic technique or protocol are made possible with understanding of the perianesthetic considerations commonly recognized for cattle.