The Cause of Hypoglycemia in Dogs Exposed to Heat

Abstract

Abstract : When unanesthetized dogs are exposed to heat, hypoglycemia results. One would expect that the dehydration which also occurs should cause an increase in blood glucose concentration, as is usually found in man. The tendency is present in dogs, but the utilization of glucose is sufficiently rapid to offset the hemoconcentration and cause a fall in glucose levels even when exogenous glucose (11 percent) is given by stomach tube at the rate of 1 percent body wt./ hr. This increased utilization has been demonstrated to be due mainly to involvement of the respiratory muscles used in the panting mechanism, since blood glucose does not fall under similar conditions when the animal is curarized. The evidence shows that the hypoglycemic mechanism present in dogs is not a species phenomenon but is probably also present in man under appropriate conditions. In both man and the dog, the occurrence of hypoglycemia depends on the degree of involvement of the respiratory apparatus.