Urinary epinephrine and levarterenol excretion during acute sublethal alcohol intoxication in dogs.

Acute sublethal alcohol intoxication in intact unanesthetized dogs is accompanied by a marked increase in urinary excretion of epinephrine and levarterenol. In contrast to intact dogs, alcohol intoxication in bilaterally adrenalectomized dogs produces no increase in the urinary excretion of epinephrine. The urinary excretion of levarterenol, however, is somewhat elevated in adrenalectomized dogs, but not to the same high degree as noted in intact dogs. Alcohol intoxication in dogs produces a significant decrease in epinephrine content of the adrenal gland but no change in the levarterenol content. Adrenalectomy reduces the urinary excretion of epinephrine by approximately 50 per cent but has no effect on levarterenol excretion.