Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cobalamin injections for 6 weeks improve gut disease in cats
By Kempf, J et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2017·Clinic for Small Animal Internal Medicine·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Effects of 6 Weeks of Parenteral Cobalamin Supplementation on Clinical and Biochemical Variables in Cats with Gastrointestinal Disease.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 20 cats with gastrointestinal disease and low vitamin B12 levels were given vitamin B12 injections once a week for six weeks to see if it would help their symptoms. During the treatment, the cats showed improvement in their activity, appetite, and reduced vomiting and diarrhea. However, once the injections stopped, their symptoms worsened again, and their vitamin B12 levels dropped back down. While some cats did benefit from the treatment, not all of them returned to normal levels of vitamin B12, indicating that ongoing treatment may be necessary for some.
People also search for: cat vomiting treatment · cat diarrhea vitamin B12 · low vitamin B12 in cats symptoms
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Effects and duration of commonly used protocols for cobalamin (Cbl) supplementation on cellular Cbl deficiency have not been determined in hypocobalaminemic cats. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: To evaluate effect of Cbl supplementation on clinical signs, serum and urine methylmalonic acid (MMA) concentrations over 16 weeks. ANIMALS: Twenty client-owned hypocobalaminemic cats with enteropathy. METHODS: Prospective study. Serum Cbl and serum and urine MMA concentrations were determined prospectively in cats at enrollment (t0), immediately before (t6), and 4 (t10) and 10 weeks (t16) after 6th Cbl injection (250 μg, IM q 7 days). Clinical signs severity (activity, appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, body weight) graded at each time point and expressed as clinical disease activity score. RESULTS: Clinical disease activity score decreased during supplementation and increased after treatment discontinuation. Median serum Cbl concentration increased significantly from t0 (111 pmol/L, range 111-212) to t6 (2,332.5 pmol/L, range 123-22,730) (P < 0.01). Values at t10 were 610.5 pmol/L (range, 111-2,527) and 180.5 pmol/L (range, 111-2,262) at t16 (P < 0.01). Median baseline serum MMA concentration (372 μmol/L, range 0.39-147,000) decreased significantly to 1.62 μmol/L (range, 0.18-806) at t6 (P < 0.01) and gradually increased to 5.34 μmol/L (range, 0.13-1,730) at t10 and 189 μmol/L (range, 0.4-983) at t16. Similar, nonsignificant, pattern observed for urine MMA concentration. Serum and urine MMA concentrations had not normalized in 12 and 6 cats, respectively, at t6. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: The Cbl supplementation protocol used here did not lead to complete normalization of cellular Cbl deficiency in all examined cats, and biochemical improvements were transient.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28895200/