IONIZED AND TOTAL MAGNESIUM CONCENTRATIONS IN BLOOD FROM DOGS WITH NATURALLY ACQUIRED PARVOVIRAL ENTERITIS

Objective-To determine whether pretreatment total and ionized blood ma gnesium concentrations were associated with outcome for dogs with parv oviral enteritis and whether ionized magnesium concentration was relat ed to total magnesium concentration or other laboratory values. Design -Prospective cohort study. Animals-61 healthy dogs and 72 dogs with pa rvoviral enteritis, Procedure-Total, ionized, and pH-normalized ionize d magnesium concentrations, ionized and pH-normalized ionized calcium concentrations, pH, sodium and potassium concentrations, and Hct were measured prior to treatment. chi(2) Analyses were used to test for ass ociations between outcome and age and between outcome and treatment wi th antiendotoxin antibody. Pearson's correlation coefficients were cal culated to determine whether ionized magnesium concentration was linea rly associated with other laboratory values. Results-Total and ionized magnesium concentrations were not significantly different between hea lthy dogs and dogs with parvoviral enteritis or between dogs surviving and those not surviving parvoviral enteritis. The only laboratory val ue strongly correlated with ionized magnesium concentration was pH-nor malized ionized magnesium concentration. Of the factors tested, none w ere significantly associated with outcome, except that dogs 16 weeks o ld or less treated with antiendotoxin antibody were significantly more likely to die than were dogs 16 weeks old or less that were not treat ed with antiendotoxin antibody. Clinical Implications-Total and ionize d blood magnesium concentrations cannot be used to consistently predic t outcome for dogs with parvoviral enteritis. Antiendotoxin antibody s hould be used with caution in dogs 16 weeks old or less.