Raiding of Body Tissue Protein to Form Plasma Protein and Hemoglobin

Dogs with sustained anemia and hypoproteinemia due to bleeding and a continuing low protein or protein-free diet with abundant iron will continue to produce much new hemoglobin and plasma protein for many weeks. The stimulus of double depletion (anemia and hypoproteinemia) leads to raiding of body and tissue protein to fill the demand for new hemoglobin and plasma protein. The blood proteins in these experiments take priority over the organ and tissue proteins. This is another illustration of the "ebb and flow" or dynamic equilibrium between organ or tissue protein and blood proteins. The average dog cannot tolerate this drain of double depletion for more than 7 to 11 weeks and during this time may lose 30 to 40 per cent of body weight. Some dogs are much more resistant to this raiding than others. Some dogs show a high blood protein output during every week up to the danger point. With the largest blood protein output one usually observes the most rapid weight loss. For every kilogram of weight loss we observe 50 to 140 gm. blood protein output. The weekly blood protein production ranges from 40 to 66 gm. These experiments make heavy demands on the body protein and we expected to record a "premortal rise" in urinary nitrogen. No such observations are noted, rather a most frugal use of all protein and minimum figures for urinary nitrogen. We suspect that "premortal rise" in many experiments means a terminal infection with the related catabolism of tissue protein and high urinary nitrogen.