Understanding the fluid therapy essentials

Year 2020, Vetexpo-2019, KHVD-2019, 4 - 4, 31.03.2020

Lora Koenhemsi

Abstract

Fluid therapy is important in the treatment of many medical conditions in medicine. Normal cellular
function can be impaired without water and potentially lead to patient death. Therefore, the veterinarian
should have extensive knowledge of fluid therapy. Fluid therapy in clinical medicine is used to fulfill the
following objectives: (1) to replace dehydration deficits, (2) to maintain normal hydration, (3) to replace
essential electrolytes and nutrients, and (4) to serve as a vehicle for the infusions of certain intravenous
medications. A fluid therapy plan should be individualized for each small animal patient and constantly re
-evaluated and reformulated according to changes in status. The aims of this speech are to help the small
animal clinician determine the therapy goals, selecting appropriate fluids and rates of administration, and
assessing patient response to the treatment.

Keywords

fluid therapy, dehydration, small animal

References

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