The combination of large doses of sodium bicarbonate and the potent narcotic, etorphine, has reportedly been given to racehorses in attempts to improve their performance and also to "mask" the presence of etorphine in urine samples. The increased urinary output and pH associated with sodium bicarbonate (approximately 500 g) administration may reduce the urinary concentration of etorphine, making it more difficult to detect. Our experiment was designed to examine the effects of this combination. Six Thoroughbred horses were used in a latin-square design with three horse pairs and three treatments consisting of the following: etorphine (20 micrograms), etorphine (20 micrograms) plus sodium bicarbonate (1.0 g/kg), and etorphine (20 micrograms) plus sodium chloride (0.7 g/kg). Sodium chloride was used to distinguish between the urinary alkalinizing effects of sodium bicarbonate and the diuretic effects associated with the large electrolyte load. Venous blood and urine samples were collected prior to and for 24 h post-treatment. Sodium bicarbonate produced a significant metabolic alkalosis and an increase in urine pH. Both sodium bicarbonate and sodium chloride produced a profound diuresis. After sodium bicarbonate and sodium chloride treatments, the urinary concentration of etorphine, measured by radioimmunoassay (RIA), was reduced and in some cases could not be detected. Extraction of the urine samples, prior to RIA analysis, increased the sensitivity of the assay and in most cases gave a positive result. We conclude that the coadministration of etorphine and sodium bicarbonate or sodium chloride can make the detection of etorphine more difficult because of the dilutional effects associated with the administration of a large electrolyte load.