JOURNAL SCAN
Oral Cobalamin Supplementation
in Dogs with Chronic Enteropathies
and Hypocobalaminaemia
Summarised by Dr Mirinda van Schoor BVSc MMedVet
Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine 2016 vol 30: 101-107
Why they did it
Cobalamin deficiency has been reported at a prevalence of 6-73% in dogs with chronic enteropathies
(CE). Other documented causes of cobalamin deficiency in dogs include exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI), familial cobalamin deficiency of Chinese
Shar Peis, Giant Schnauzers, Border Collies and Beagles and short bowel syndrome. Hypocobalaminemia
in humans results from many causes such as pernicious anemia, gastrointestinal disease and cobalamin
deficient diets (vegetarian and vegan).
Historically cobalamin deficiencies in humans and animals have been treated via parenteral (intramuscular
or subcutaneous) supplementation at monthly intervals. Several studies in humans have shown that daily
oral cobalamin supplementation is successful in alleviating the hypocobalaminaemia and avoids side effects such as painful injection sites and scleroderma.
No studies on oral supplementation of cobalamin are
available in the canine literature. One of the authors of
this paper extrapolated treatment regimens from the
human literature and started using oral cobalamin in
canine patients. This paper represents a retrospective
analysis of the usefulness of oral cobalamin supplementation in these dogs.
What they did
They examined the records of dogs suffering from
hypocobalaminemia and treated with oral cobalamin
supplementation in the form of tablets.
ing less
than 10
kg were
given
¼ tablet
daily; dogs
between
10 and 20
kg were given
½ tablet daily
and dogs weighing more than 20
kg were given 1 tablet
daily.
What they found
Fifty-one dogs with CE and hypocobalaminaemia
were included in the analysis. Twenty-two of the
dogs were on immunosuppressive therapy together
with various gastrointestinal medications such as gastric protectants and antibiotics.
The remaining 29 dogs received supportive gastrointestinal medication without immunosuppressive
therapy. The difference between serum cobalamin
concentration before and after oral treatment with
cobalamin was statistically significant. Three dogs
did not respond adequately initially, but in two cases
serum cobalamin did increase significantly after prolonged oral cobalamin supplementation. The third
dog was lost to follow up.
Take home message:
Dogs with cobalamin concentrations below 270 ng/L
at presentation and subsequent oral cobalamin supplementation were included in the study. Follow up
measurements of cobalamin were done within 20202 days after initiation of therapy.
Dogs included in this study were treated using a 1mg
tablet containing cyanocobalamin. Dogs weigh-
Although prospective studies are required to confirm
these retrospective findings, results suggest that oral
cobalamin supplementation in dogs with hypocobalaminemia appears to be effective in restoring serum
cobalamin levels in dogs with CE. In some cases the
rise in serum cobalamin may be delayed and follow
up measurements are required to monitor the response.
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