My cat has ileus. Can fluid loss cause deadly alkalosis or be fixed?

Question

1. What does it mean when the doctor said a cat with ileus "is losing a lot of liquid into GIT"? 2. Will ileus cause metabolic acid-base issues due to this GIT liquid loss? 3. What will happen if the cat is put on nasal gastric tube to suction out the gastric contents? Will the suctions cause acid-base imbalance such as metabolic alkalosis? 4. So I am confused whether the ileus or the suctions impact more on the acid-base imbalance? 5. Can the alkalosis be rectified or it is deadly?

Christie Long, DVM · Accepted Answer

Ileus is the term for when the GI tract is not moving as it normally should, and losing fluid into the GI tract likely means that there is an issue absorbing nutrients and liquid out of the intestine. This typically produces diarrhea. With excessive fluid loss yes, there can be metabolic disturbances and electrolyte imbalances that lead to a pH imbalance throughout the entire body. A nasogastric tube is not used to remove fluid from the stomach, it's typically put in so that a cat that is not eating can be trickle fed nutrients. Alkalosis can be rectified with the appropriate type of fluid therapy.

My cat has ileus. Can fluid loss cause deadly alkalosis or be fixed?

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