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Home / Equine Research Bank / J Anim Physiol Anim Nutr (Berl) / Furosemide administration results in a transient alteration ...
Journal of animal physiology and animal nutrition2020; 104(3); 946-953; doi: 10.1111/jpn.13348

Furosemide administration results in a transient alteration in calcium balance in mature horses.

Abstract: Previous research documented that furosemide negatively impacted calcium balance for 3 days but did not determine when calcium balance returned to baseline. This study hypothesized that furosemide's impact on calcium would return to control values before 7 days post-administration. Ten mature geldings were assigned to either control (CON, n = 5) or treatment (FUR, n = 5) for the first of two 8-day total collections in crossover design. Treatment horses received one administration of furosemide (1 mg/kg, IV). A 10% sample of pooled faeces and urine from each day was kept. Calcium concentrations in hay, faeces and urine were determined by an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Data were analysed using mixed-model-repeated measures ANOVA to determine influence of day and treatment. For urine output, FUR urinated twice as much during the 24 hr after administration than CON (p < .001). Horses in FUR excreted more urinary calcium 24-hr post-administration as compared to CON (9.3 ± 1.0 and 4.2 ± 1.0 g, respectively; p < .001). Calcium balance in FUR was more negative on day 1 than day 3 (p  .10) but were lower in FUR on day 7 as compared to day 1 (4.8 ± 1.3 and 7.3 ± 1.3 g/kg, respectively; p < .001), indicating a potential mechanism to restore calcium balance. These findings corroborate previous studies on furosemide and calcium balance and provide evidence for a possible mechanism to recover net calcium losses after furosemide administration. Since calcium balance returns to baseline in 3 days and previous results have examined frequent, long-term use, furosemide may not negatively impact bone mineral content even if used over long periods.
© 2020 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.
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Publication Date: 2020-03-18 PubMed ID: 32187741DOI: 10.1111/jpn.13348Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Clinical Trial
  • Veterinary
  • Journal Article

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This research study investigates the impact of the administration of furosemide on calcium balance in mature horses and confirms that although it leads to transient alterations, these return to normal levels within a 7-day period.

Research Methodology

  • The researchers designed a crossover study involving ten mature geldings, allocating five horses to a control group (CON) and five to a treatment group (FUR).
  • At the start of the experiment, horses in the FUR group were given a single intravenous dose of furosemide (1 mg/kg).
  • Over an 8-day period, daily samples of “pooled” faeces and urine were collected from all horses. A “pooled” sample means a mixture of samples to represent an average.
  • All samples plus the hay fed to the horses were analyzed for calcium concentrations using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer, a tool used to determine the concentration of a specific element in a sample.

Results

  • Throughout the 24 hours following furosemide administration, the FUR horses urinated twice as much as the CON horses.
  • They also excreted more calcium in their urine than the CON horses within the same 24-hour post-administration period.
  • The calcium balance in the FUR horses was more negative (meaning more calcium was lost than gained) on the first day than on day 3.
  • However, by Day 7, faecal calcium concentrations in the FUR group were lower compared to Day 1, which suggests a mechanism for the restoration of calcium balance.

Conclusions and Implications

  • The results of the research showed that while furosemide administration does affect the calcium balance in horses, these effects are temporary and return to normal within a week. This finding supports the hypothesis stated at the beginning of the study.
  • The study also suggests that horses adapt to the calcium loss by reducing the amount of calcium excreted in their faeces, thus helping to restore the calcium balance in their bodies.
  • The authors concluded that because the calcium balance returns to baseline in 3 days, using furosemide over the long term might not negatively impact bone mineral content in horses.
  • This information is valuable for veterinarians and people who use horses for racing or other sports where furosemide is often used to prevent pulmonary bleeding. It provides reassurance that such usage of furosemide is unlikely to negatively impact the horses’ calcium balance and therefore their bone health.

Cite This Article

APA
Pritchard A, Nielsen BD, Robison C, Spooner H. (2020). Furosemide administration results in a transient alteration in calcium balance in mature horses. J Anim Physiol Anim Nutr (Berl), 104(3), 946-953. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpn.13348

Publication

Journal of animal physiology and animal nutrition
ISSN: 1439-0396
NlmUniqueID: 101126979
Country: Germany
Language: English
Volume: 104
Issue: 3
Pages: 946-953

Researcher Affiliations

Pritchard, Abby
  • Department of Animal Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan.
Nielsen, Brian D
  • Department of Animal Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan.
Robison, Cara
  • Department of Animal Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan.
Spooner, Holly
  • Department of Horse Science, Middle Tennessee University, Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Calcium / blood
  • Calcium / chemistry
  • Calcium / metabolism
  • Calcium / urine
  • Cross-Over Studies
  • Diuretics / adverse effects
  • Feces / chemistry
  • Furosemide / adverse effects
  • Horses / blood
  • Male

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Citations

This article has been cited 2 times.
  1. Nielsen BD. A Review of Three Decades of Research Dedicated to Making Equine Bones Stronger: Implications for Horses and Humans.. Animals (Basel) 2023 Feb 22;13(5).
    doi: 10.3390/ani13050789pubmed: 36899647google scholar: lookup
  2. Banihashemi SH, Samimi AS, Samimi K, Tajik J. Effects of double intravenous furosemide administration at different doses on clinical variables, electrocardiographic indices and serum electrolytes in miniature donkeys.. Vet Res Forum 2023;14(1):53-57.
    doi: 10.30466/vrf.2020.127810.2954pubmed: 36816866google scholar: lookup
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