AJP - Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, Vol 239, Issue 3 219-R225, Copyright © 1980 by American Physiological Society
Regulatory drinking in the pigeon Columba livia
S. Kaufman and G. Peters
Pigeons were subjected to stimuli known to induce regulatory drinking in
mammals. Water-satiated birds drank in response to intravenous (iv)
hypertonic NaCl, intraperitoneal (ip) hyperoncotic polyethylene glycol
(PEG) (20 M), iv infusions of angiotensinamide, subcutaneous (sc)
isoprenaline, and iv chicken kidney extract. Intravenous porcine renin
failed to elicit a major drinking response. Drinking after water
deprivation was reduced by an iv preload of isotonic saline. Water intake
after iv hypertonic NaCl equaled the volume required for dilution to
isotonicity. Water intake in response to ip PEG was larger than in rats and
resulted in a parallel increase in body weight. Sensitivity to isoprenaline
and angiotensinamide was less than or equal to that of rats although
pigeons drank much more. Drinking responses to iv hypertonic NaCl plus ip
hyperoncotic PEG were additive. Small (5 ml/kg body wt) blood losses
induced delayed (after 4 h) drinking; larger blood losses were ineffective.
There was no simple additive relationship between the responses to
hemorrhage and hypertonic saline. In summary, the dipsogenic response of
pigeons was much greater than that of mammals although sensitivity was
sometimes higher and sometimes lower.
