Fluid Therapy
Fluid therapy remains one of the cornerstone treatments for a variety of medical conditions and is used routinely to maintain blood pressure and allow intravenous access for many of our surgical procedures.
Fluid therapy is the act of replenishing a canine with adequate fluids when they have been depleted due to mediated disease or trauma. Fluid therapy can be administered to a dog intravenously (through the vein), subcutaneous (under the skin), intraosseous (through bone marrow), or intraperitoneal (through the abdominal wall).
Fluid therapy in clinical medicine is used to fulfill the following objectives:
- to replace dehydration deficits
- to maintain normal hydration
- to replace essential electrolytes and nutrients
- to serve as a vehicle for the infusions of certain intravenous medications
Except for the urgency of treatment, the same objectives apply in the critically ill animal. The methods for providing fluids often influence the eventual outcome of the case. The clinician and staff, therefore, should familiarize themselves with the pathophysiology of the diseases they are treating and how these conditions relate to the various types of fluids that are available for general use.