Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Low vitamin B12 in dogs with lymphoma and survival outcomes
By Cook, Audrey K et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2009·Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Prevalence and prognostic impact of hypocobalaminemia in dogs with lymphoma.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 58 dogs with lymphoma was studied to see how low levels of vitamin B12 (hypocobalaminemia) affected their health. Out of these dogs, 9 had low vitamin B12 levels, and only 3 of them survived for at least 60 days after treatment. In contrast, 40 out of 44 dogs with normal vitamin B12 levels were still alive after the same period. The findings suggest that low vitamin B12 levels could indicate a worse outcome for dogs with lymphoma, and checking these levels might help veterinarians predict how well a dog will respond to treatment.
People also search for: dog lymphoma treatment · low vitamin B12 in dogs · lymphoma prognosis in dogs
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of hypocobalaminemia in dogs with multicentric lymphoma and to investigate any relationship between serum cobalamin concentration and disease outcome. DESIGN: Cohort study. ANIMALS: 58 dogs with multicentric lymphoma. PROCEDURES: Serum cobalamin concentrations were measured in 58 dogs with multicentric lymphoma. Clinical signs, stage, and immunophenotype for dogs with hypocobalaminemia were compared with those for dogs with serum cobalamin concentrations above the lower end of the reference range. Survival times for dogs undergoing a cyclic multidrug chemotherapy protocol (n = 53) were similarly compared. Serum cobalamin concentrations for treated dogs that died or were euthanized before day 60 were compared with those of dogs still alive at day 60. RESULTS: Serum cobalamin concentrations ranged from < 150 to 1,813 ng/L, with a median concentration of 401 ng/L. Nine of the 58 (16%) dogs had hypocobalaminemia (serum cobalamin concentration < 252 ng/L). Three of 9 dogs with hypocobalaminemia survived to at least day 60, compared with 40 of 44 (91%) dogs without hypocobalaminemia (serum cobalamin concentration >or= 252 ng/L). Ten (10/53 [19%]) dogs undergoing a cyclic multidrug chemotherapy protocol died before day 60, and the median serum cobalamin concentration for these dogs (232 ng/L) was significantly lower than for those still alive at the end point of the study (556 ng/L). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Hypocobalaminemia was relatively uncommon in this population of dogs with multicentric lymphoma, but was associated with a poor outcome. Serum cobalamin concentrations may provide prognostic information in dogs with multicentric lymphoma.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20001778/