Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Hydroxocobalamin injections for cats with low B12 and gut disease
By Kook, Peter H et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2020·Clinic for Small Animal Internal Medicine·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Efficacy of intramuscular hydroxocobalamin supplementation in cats with cobalamin deficiency and gastrointestinal disease.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 23 cats with gastrointestinal disease and low vitamin B12 levels (cobalamin deficiency) received intramuscular injections of hydroxocobalamin, a form of vitamin B12. The cats showed significant improvement in their symptoms, including better appetite and less vomiting and diarrhea, after receiving the injections every two weeks. Their vitamin B12 levels increased dramatically, and most cats had normal levels after treatment. This suggests that hydroxocobalamin injections can effectively treat vitamin B12 deficiency in cats with gastrointestinal issues.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: In humans, absorption and tissue retention rates of intramuscularly administered hydroxocobalamin (OH-Cbl) are superior compared to cyanocobalamin (CN-Cbl). Supplementation with OH-Cbl has not been described in cats. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate effects of parenteral OH-Cbl supplementation on clinical signs, serum Cbl and methylmalonic acid (MMA) concentrations in hypocobalaminemic cats with gastrointestinal disease. ANIMALS: Twenty-three client-owned cats. METHODS: Prospective study. Serum Cbl and MMA concentrations were determined at enrollment (t0), immediately before the 4th OH-Cbl IM injection (300 μg, given q2 weeks) (t1), and 4 weeks after the 4th injection (t2). Severity of clinical signs (activity, appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, body weight) was graded at each time point and expressed as clinical disease activity score. RESULTS: Median clinical disease activity score decreased significantly from t0 (6; range, 2-10) to t1 (1; range, 0-6) and t2 (1; range, 0-9). Median serum Cbl concentration increased significantly from 111 pmol/L (range, 111-218; reference range, 225-1451 pmol/L) at t0 to 1612 pmol/L (range, 526-14 756) (P < .001) at t1, and decreased again significantly to 712 pmol/L (range, 205-4265) (P < .01) at t2. Median baseline serum MMA concentration at t0 (802 nmol/L; range, 238-151 000; reference range, 120-420 nmol/L) decreased significantly (P < .001) to 199 nmol/L (range, 29-478) at t1, and was 205 nmol/L (range, 88-734) at t2. Serum MMA concentrations normalized in 22/23 cats at t1, and were not significantly higher at t2 compared to t1. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: The herein described OH-Cbl injection scheme appears efficacious for normalization of cellular Cbl deficiency in cats with gastrointestinal disease.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32815652/