IV fluid temperature guidelines and measurement

[heritage]

two part question ;

1. what temperature should IV fluids be , for administration to a dog that is ....a) extremely overheated ; b) extremely cold and shocky .

2. Is there an instrument that can quickly and precisely measure the temperature of the fluid inside the bag? Or is a normal thermometer used for this purpose?(i.e. just hold the thermometer to the outside of the bag .)

[SteelyDan]

I keep my IV bags warm in an ice chest with my clean towels that has a heating pad in the bottom... if u dont have a plug near you... get an AC inverter for your car. IV fluids absorb faster and keep circulation smooth when they are at body temp. If your adding Dex SP or Solu Delta Cortef into your bag for shock therapy, that will also absorb faster if the fluids are warmed.

The point of IV Fluids is not to change the core temp of the dog... they are meant to replace the fluids the dog lost as rapidly as possible.

[R2L]

IV Fluid Therapy

[heritage]

IV Fluid Therapy

Thanks R2L , however , the following paragraph is the only reference made to temperature in that article, so I guess I'm trying to dissect that info a little.

" If you are giving SC administration and a dog is in shock make sure the fluids are body temperature; if you are giving SC administration to a dog that is overheated or has a fever, then make sure the bag is just a little cool."

Thx SD for the inverter tip.

[R2L]

The Aftermath

Anyway, while you’re running the fluids into the dog at a good drip rate (having first made sure that the fluids are body temperature—and to do this the bag should have been held by your second, under his shirt, during the entire contest to keep it warm), you will now inject the Dex (Azium, Solu-Delta, or Solu-Medrol) into the 1000 ml bag of fluids you’re running

I think you can't go wrong by doing this.