Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Long-term vitamin B12 shots for young Beagles with inherited
By Kook, Peter Hendrik et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2018·Department for Small Animals·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Prospective long-term evaluation of parenteral hydroxocobalamin supplementation in juvenile beagles with selective intestinal cobalamin malabsorption (Imerslund-Gräsbeck syndrome).
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of juvenile Beagles with a genetic condition called Imerslund-Gräsbeck syndrome, which causes problems absorbing vitamin B12, received monthly or bimonthly injections of hydroxocobalamin (a form of vitamin B12) for several months. The dogs remained healthy throughout the treatment, and their vitamin B12 levels were monitored using urine tests. Both monthly and bimonthly injections were effective in maintaining their health. This suggests that regular vitamin B12 supplementation can help manage this condition in affected Beagles.
People also search for: Beagle vitamin B12 deficiency treatment · Imerslund-Gräsbeck syndrome in dogs · hydroxocobalamin for dogs
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Prospective studies on maintenance treatment for Beagles with hereditary selective cobalamin (Cbl) malabsorption (Imerslund-Gräsbeck syndrome, IGS) are lacking. In our experience, measurement of methylmalonic acid (MMA), a Cbl-dependent metabolite, seems more helpful to monitor Cbl status as compared with serum Cbl concentrations. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate a standardized Cbl supplementation scheme in Beagles with IGS. We hypothesized that a single parenteral dose of 1 mg hydroxocobalamin (OH-Cbl) would maintain clinical and metabolic remission for up to 2 months. ANIMALS: Six client-owned juvenile Beagles with genetically confirmed IGS and 28 healthy control dogs. METHODS: Prospective study. Monthly IM OH-Cbl (1 mg) supplementation was done over a median of 9 months (range, 6-13) in 6 dogs, followed by bimonthly (every 2 months) injections in 5 dogs over a median of 6 months (range, 3-10). Health status was assessed by routine clinical examinations at injection time points and owner observations. Voided urine samples were collected immediately before OH-Cbl injections for measurement of MMA-to-creatinine concentrations using a gas-liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method. RESULTS: All dogs were clinically healthy while receiving monthly and bimonthly OH-Cbl supplementation. Urinary MMA results in healthy dogs ranged from 1.3 to 76.5 mmol/mol creatinine (median, 2.9). Median urinary MMA concentrations did not differ between dogs with IGS receiving monthly (n = 49; 5.3 mmol/mol creatinine; range, 2.3-50.4) and bimonthly (n = 31; 5.3 mmol/mol creatinine; range, 1.6-50) injections. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: A maintenance parenteral dose of 1 mg OH-Cbl monthly or bimonthly appears adequate in Beagles with IGS monitored by metabolic testing.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29572946/