ABSTRACT
The regulation of electrolyte and acid/base balance is extremely complex. While a few basic mechanisms clearly influence this balance, it may be very difficult to determine the exact cause for an abnormality in an individual patient when multiple or complex disorders are present. Some pathophysiologic mechanisms reported in the veterinary medical literature appear to be species specific or are extrapolated from the human literature with no documentation of their significance in domestic animal species. Therefore, some of the mechanisms for abnormalities in the cases that follow may be somewhat speculative. As we have seen with many other analytes, the interpretation of indicators of electrolyte and acid/base status is dependent on history, physical examination findings, and other clinical laboratory data. It may be impossible to say with certainty what electrolyte abnormalities accompany a particular condition because of the influence of so many variables, including food intake, duration and severity of disease, or effects of treatment. Multiple examples of some entities are included in this chapter to demonstrate the variability of clinical chemistry abnormalities in patients with the same primary diagnosis.
