![]() Panting can also be an effort to lower body temperature in dogs or a reaction to pain and apprehension – but in cats, it is much more likely to be a response to low body oxygen and higher than normal CO2. Both situations will contribute to the same signs that you see. Pets that have too much carbon dioxide in their system almost always have too little oxygen in their body as well. If that is not sufficient, confusion, apprehension and disorientation begin to occur. Respiratory centers in the dog or cat’s brain will immediately increase its breathing rate (respiratory rate) and the force of each breath (labored breathing=dyspnea) in an attempt to rid its body of carbon dioxide. The most important and quickest signs to develop will be those that relate to the pet’s brain. What Signs Might I See If My Dog Or Cat’s CO2 Level Was High? In those situations, the information is gathered in other ways than a direct pCO2 value and is only an estimate of the total CO2 level. ![]() When the test is run, it is almost always run as part of a blood electrolyte or metabolic panel because knowing that there has been a change in your pet’s body acidity would not tell your vet how to proceed without some other relevant blood values to help explain why the problem occurred. It would be quite unusual for your veterinarian to order just a CO2 or bicarbonate assay for your pet in a non-emergency situation. The same process occurs in dogs and cats ( read here) When that is insufficient, respiratory centers in the brain ( RC centers) and near the heart ( carotid bodies & aortic body) that sense CO2 level will speed up respiratory and heart rates to bring those CO2 values down. The same thing happens in your body – when you sleep in a position where your respiration is restricted, you will turn your head without ever waking up. Whenever blood carbon dioxide levels become too high (hypercapnia), your pet’s body uses several strategies to bring the level back down to normal. When levels are below normal, the pet is hypocapnic ( hypocapnia). When pCO2 levels are above normal, the pet is said to be hypercapnic ( hypercapnia). When the amount of dissolved free CO2 in arterial blood is measured with a blood gas analyzer (a machine similar to the one at the top of this page), the value is actual pCO2 How all these factors work together to preserve the right liquid environment within your pet’s body is quite complex ( Henderson–Hasselbalch equation) CO2 moves through your pet’s blood stream primarily as bicarbonate (HCO3) ions less than 10% exists as dissolved, free CO2 – the kind that rises to the top of a freshly opened carbonated beverage. As it is continuously produced, carbon dioxide is carried through your pet’s blood stream to its lungs where it is exhaled and discharged in the same way that fresh oxygen from the air is absorbed. Other blood tests that examine the acid-base balance in your pet’s body are blood bicarbonate level, blood pH and the anion gap.Ĭarbon dioxide, or CO2, is a gas that is naturally generated in your dog or cat’s body as a byproduct of metabolism. Carbon dioxide (CO2) in your pet’s blood and tissues play an important part in this process. Your veterinarian often monitors it in emergency or critical health situations and during anesthesia because even small variations can have life-threatening consequences. This article explains some of the common causes for high or low results for all of them.Ī proper acid-to-base body ratio is critical to your pet’s well-being. Here are some : Carbon dioxide test, pCO2, Total CO2, CO2 tests. ![]() The Amount of Carbon dioxide in your pet’s body can be measured a number of ways. Why Are My Dog Or Cat’s Blood CO2 Levels High Or Low? Hypercapnia / Hypocapnia, Hypercarbia /Hypocarbia Ron Hines DVM PhDĬauses Of Most Abnormal Blood & Urine Tests
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