Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Oral vitamin B12 raises blood levels in dogs with pancreatic
By Toresson, Linda et al.·Published in Veterinary journal (London, England : 1997)·2021·Department of Equine and Small Animal Medicine·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Effects of oral cobalamin supplementation on serum cobalamin concentrations in dogs with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency: A pilot study.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Eighteen dogs with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) and low vitamin B12 levels were given oral cobalamin (vitamin B12) supplements to see if it would improve their serum levels. Before treatment, their vitamin B12 levels were very low, averaging 188 ng/L, but after taking the supplements for about 41 days, their levels rose significantly to an average of 1000 ng/L. This suggests that oral cobalamin could be a good option for dogs with EPI who need to boost their vitamin B12 levels, potentially replacing the need for injections.
People also search for: dog EPI treatment · vitamin B12 for dogs · oral cobalamin for dogs
Abstract
The objective of this retrospective study was to evaluate serum cobalamin concentrations before and after oral cobalamin supplementation in dogs with low serum cobalamin concentrations and exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI). Eighteen dogs with serum trypsin-like immunoreactivities between <1.0-2.7 μg/L (reference interval, 5.2-35 μg/L) and serum cobalamin concentrations ≤350 ng/L (reference interval, 244-959 ng/L) were enrolled. All dogs were treated with oral cyanocobalamin according to a previously described protocol (0.25-1.0 mg daily, depending on bodyweight). Median (range) serum cobalamin concentrations at inclusion was 188 ng/L (<111-350 ng/L), which increased significantly to 1000 ng/L (794-2385 ng/L; P < 0.001) after cobalamin supplementation for 19-199 days (median, 41 days). Oral cobalamin supplementation is a potential alternative to parenteral supplementation in dogs with EPI.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33593499/