Potassium, kidney function and Nasal Salts

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Posted by Julie :o) on April 29, 2000 at 23:03:09:

In Reply to: Nasal Salts ? posted by BabyHerp on April 28, 2000 at 17:53:17:

It is an interresting question... I don't know the exact pattern of potassium and other electrolytes excretion in reptile's kidney but their renal function at large is still similar to us and thus, have a certain adaptation capacity. In humans with renal failure, the control of potassium and other electrolytes in the diet is important because the kidneys are not able anymore to do their job and excrete these electrolytes in an adequate way. But electrolytes by themself are usually not the cause of the renal failure and thus, there is no real need to have a low potassium or low sodium diet if you have normal kidneys and drink when you are dirsty. :o) We can extrapolate this, to a certain point, to reptiles. The main effect of a high potassium diet in reptiles are the MBDs. In fact, even if the iguanans are the poster chil for the nutritionnally related renal diseases, those diseases are mostly due to the feeding of high animal protein foods. It is the excess of uric acid (products of protein metabolism) that overrides the iguana's renal system and lead to renal failure. Anyways, all this to say that high potassium diet are not good for reptiles but it would be worse in an ig with renal failure. An ig with a normal renal function would be able to deal with a higher potassium content here and there. :o)

Nasal salts now... Iguana excrete an important part of their electrolytes in their feces (mostly in the white and liquid parts). Nasal salts are more like the equivalent of sudation in human. As their skin is thick, perspiration would not be effective. Thus, they excrete their "concentrated perspiration" via nasal secretions. The concentration of those secretions are modulated by the blood electrolytes contents and their quantity is in part modulated by temperature. In fact, you will probably note that your ig have more nasal salts after a long time basking in a very hot place than after a long free-roaming period in the house. :o)

Julie :o)

Cold Blooded

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: It is an interresting question... I don't know the exact pattern of potassium and other electrolytes excretion in reptile's kidney but their renal function at large is still similar to us and thus, have a certain adaptation capacity. In humans with renal failure, the control of potassium and other electrolytes in the diet is important because the kidneys are not able anymore to do their job and excrete these electrolytes in an adequate way. But electrolytes by themself are usually not the cause of the renal failure and thus, there is no real need to have a low potassium or low sodium diet if you have normal kidneys and drink when you are dirsty. :o) We can extrapolate this, to a certain point, to reptiles. The main effect of a high potassium diet in reptiles are the MBDs. In fact, even if the iguanans are the poster chil for the nutritionnally related renal diseases, those diseases are mostly due to the feeding of high animal protein foods. It is the excess of uric acid (products of protein metabolism) that overrides the iguana's renal system and lead to renal failure. Anyways, all this to say that high potassium diet are not good for reptiles but it would be worse in an ig with renal failure. An ig with a normal renal function would be able to deal with a higher potassium content here and there. :o) : Nasal salts now... Iguana excrete an important part of their electrolytes in their feces (mostly in the white and liquid parts). Nasal salts are more like the equivalent of sudation in human. As their skin is thick, perspiration would not be effective. Thus, they excrete their "concentrated perspiration" via nasal secretions. The concentration of those secretions are modulated by the blood electrolytes contents and their quantity is in part modulated by temperature. In fact, you will probably note that your ig have more nasal salts after a long time basking in a very hot place than after a long free-roaming period in the house. :o) : Julie :o)

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