Peritoneal dialysis in dogs and cats.

The peritoneal dialysis was carried out in dogs for the fist time in 1946. Since then, this method of therapy has been applied more and more frequently in veterinary medicine. The dialysis therapy is mainly recommended in the acute renal failure. Accordingly to the time period over which dialysis is performed and the flow pattern of the dialysate, different types of the peritoneal dialysis are distinguished. In carnivores, intermittent peritoneal dialysis is the most commonly applied method of dialysotherapy. However, despite a considerable effectiveness of this method, complications including uncontrolled transportation of elements and proteins or problems with catheter occur quite often. This article describes indications and contraindications which enable to qualify animal patients for dialysotherapy, and detailed principles of peritoneal dialysis procedure.

Acid-base balance parameters and ionic composition of arterial, venous and capillary blood in goats.

The aim of the present study was to compare the acid-base balance parameters of arterial, venous and capillary blood in clinically healthy goats, and to determine the electrolyte content of venous and arterial blood. The experiment was performed on ten adult goats. It was found that the acid-base balance parameters of venous blood differed from those of arterial blood, whereas the parameters of capillary and arterial blood were similar. The levels of sodium and chloride ions in arterial and venous blood were similar, whereas the level of potassium ions was higher in venous blood.