Cobalamin in companion animals: diagnostic marker, deficiency states and therapeutic implications

Measurement of the water-soluble vitamin cobalamin has long been of interest as a marker of gastrointestinal disease in companion animals due to the highly localized presence of cobalamin receptors in the ileum. An increasing body of evidence suggests that cobalamin deficiency is an important co-morbidity in many companion animal patients with gastrointestinal and pancreatic disease. Congenital disorders of cobalamin absorption and cellular metabolism are also increasingly recognized in companion animal breeds. The early recognition of these disorders and timely treatment with parenteral cobalamin can be life-saving. In this article, the normal mechanisms of cobalamin absorption, the use of cobalamin as a marker of intestinal disease and data on the prevalence of hypocobalaminemia in a variety of diseases are described. The prognostic impact of and rational therapy for hypocobalaminemia in domestic animals are discussed.