Which supplement is explicitly listed as part of uroabdomen foal treatment?

• A. Calcium gluconate
• B. Potassium chloride
• C. Vitamin C
• D. Magnesium sulfate

Answer: (A)

Uroabdomen in foals causes high potassium levels in the blood because urine leaking into the abdomen is reabsorbed back into the circulation. The immediate goal is to protect the heart while you reduce the elevated potassium and repair the rupture. Calcium gluconate is used for this purpose because it stabilizes cardiac cell membranes, raising the threshold for electrical excitability. That cardioprotective effect helps prevent dangerous heart rhythms as you work to lower potassium with peritoneal drainage, IV fluids, and other therapies. This is why calcium gluconate is the supplement explicitly listed in the treatment plan.

Potassium chloride would worsen the high potassium, so it’s not used. Vitamin C and magnesium sulfate don’t provide the essential temporary cardiac stabilization needed in this emergency, so they aren’t part of the primary uroabdomen foal treatment.