This study was designed to evaluate the effects of an early high-salt environment on the maternal and the young offspring physiology and on the adult offspring sodium appetite. Twenty-five-adult female Wistar rats were pseudorandomly divided into two groups. Twelve animals underwent a partial ligature of their abdominal aorta (PAL). Once polydipsia and sodium appetite (tested by measuring water and a 2.7% NaCl intakes) developed, they were mated. The other 13 rats (SHAM) were sham-operated and also mated. Throughout pregnancy and lactation, water and salt intake of PAL rats was consistently and significantly higher than that of the Sham. On gestation day 20, amniotic fluid and maternal plasma sodium concentration of PAL and Sham rats did not differ. Sodium concentration in the milk of the lactating PAL group was elevated (P < 0.05) on day 20 after delivery. At 0, 10 and 21 days of age, plasma sodium concentration of PAL offspring (PAL-O) and Sham offspring (Sh-O) were not significantly different. At 90 days of age, the salt preference of PAL-O rats was greater than that of Sh-O rats after 7 days of sodium deprivation (P < 0.01).