Udder edema in cattle: effect of furosemide, hydrochlorothiazide, acetazolamide, or 50% dextrose on venous blood pressure.

Before injection of diuretic drugs, blood pressures were determined in the cranial superficial epigastric veins (milk vein) and jugular veins of 15 Holstein cows with udder edema at parturition and of 15 healthy (control) cows at parturition. Cows with udder edema had a significant (P less than or equal to 0.05) mean increase in cranial superficial epigastric venous pressure at parturition, compared with that of control cows. After IV administration of 500 mg of furosemide in cows with udder edema, the mean cranial superficial epigastric venous blood pressure significantly (P less than or equal to 0.05) decreased within 5 minutes, remained at the decreased pressure for 90 minutes, and then returned to near pretreatment pressures by 210 minutes after furosemide injection; however, furosemide did not significantly affect the jugular venous blood pressure of these cows. Furosemide injection did not significantly affect the cranial superficial epigastric or jugular venous blood pressure in the control cows. After IV administration of hydrochlorothiazide (250 mg), acetazolamide (500 mg), or 50% dextrose (500 g), the cranial superficial epigastric and jugular venous blood pressures in cows with udder edema at parturition were not significantly different from those in cows without udder edema at parturition during the 210-minute evaluation period after injection of the drugs.