OBJECTIVETo assess the effects of seawater immersion of open abdominal wound and drowning on plasma electrolyte levels in dogs.

METHODSTwenty-one dogs with open abdominal wounds were randomly divided into 3 groups, namely the control group (n=7), seawater immersion group (n=7) and seawater immersion and drowning group (n=7). The dogs in the control group were subjected to simple open abdominal wound, and those in the latter two groups were immersed into seawater after the abdominal injury. The changes in the plasma electrolytes and osmotic pressure were observed after the treatments. RESULTS AMD CONCLUSION: Seawater immersion of the open abdominal wound results in hypematremia, hyperkalemia and hypertonic dehydration, and the effect is proportional to the length of immersion time, but seawater airway perfusion does not cause obvious changes of the plasma electrolytes and osmotic pressure in dogs.