Dog Diuretics

Dog Diuretics

Agents that increase the flow of urine are called diuretics. Several drugs can incidentally increase urine flow, although they are used primarily for some other purpose. In addition to these, certain drugs, such as salines, by increasing thirst cause the blood to absorb a surplus of water which later escapes through the kidneys.

Diuretics are occasionally useful to flush some circulatory toxins from the blood or to withdraw fluid from the abdomen and relieve pressure on the heart and lungs without resorting to tapping. When dogs have bladder infections, sometimes copious urine formation and elimination help wash that reservoir clean. There are also times when the abundant flow of urine helps prevent the formation of urine crystals and flush out those which have formed.

It need hardly be said that while you are trying to eliminate part of the dropsical fluid by diuresis without tapping the abdomen, you must prevent the dog from drinking excess water. You are trying to make the dog soak this surplus fluid back into its blood vessels. To do that you cause it to urinate copiously, which reduces the water content of the blood, which in turn causes the dog to replenish it from the abdomen.

Water and its excretion of it are the bases of diuresis. Reducing the percentage of water in the blood is one thing that is striven for. This in turn creates thirst; the more water is drunk, the more eliminated. So your veterinarian may inject water with added salt to make a so-called “physiological solution.” Or he or she can inject a small amount of common salt in the solution, or even give it by mouth so that the pet will drink copiously.

Sugar – either glucose or cane sugar, or both – may be given as a diuretic, but in very large amounts a pet can’t utilize it all. It must be given by vein, and when so given, especially in poison cases, helps detoxify some poisons. A 5o percent solution is generally used, a forty-pound dog requires about 12 ccs. Cane sugar is used intravenously double the dose of glucose and in some ways is preferable.

Flurosamide has superseded the older and more dangerous drugs, such as mercurials, and several new diuretics are in the development stages. When given furosemide it is impossible for a dog to drink as much fluid as it eliminates. In the past water had to be rationed with drugs used to dehydrate but the restriction of fluids can retard the correction of the problem. Sometimes called “water pills,” flurosamideis a lifesaver for treating many maladies, such as cardiac insufficiency which the heart cough is caused in part by fluid buildup in the lungs.

See more: Dog Ear Infections