Effect of oral or subcutaneous administration of cyanocobalamin in hypocobalaminemic cats with chronic gastrointestinal disease or exocrine pancreatic insufficiency

Background

No prospective study has evaluated the efficacy of oral supplementation with cobalamin in hypocobalaminemic cats.

Objectives

To investigate the efficacy of oral or SC supplementation with cyanocobalamin in normalizing serum cobalamin and methylmalonic acid (MMA) concentrations in hypocobalaminemic cats with chronic gastrointestinal disease (CGID) or exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI).

Animals

Forty-eight client-owned hypocobalaminemic (<290 ng/L) cats with normal or abnormally high serum MMA concentrations.

Methods

This study was conducted based on the prospective randomized clinical trial method. Cats with CGID or EPI were randomly assigned to 2 groups that received either oral or SC supplementation with cobalamin (250 μg/cat) for 12 and 10 weeks, respectively, in addition to other medical and dietary interventions. Each cat was evaluated 3 times (baseline, 6-week postsupplementation, and 1-week postcompletion) by measuring serum cobalamin and MMA concentrations.

Results

In cats with CGID or EPI, cobalamin concentrations were normalized in all cats that received either oral or SC supplementation (mean 100% [95% CI: 80.6%-100%] in both groups in cats with CGID and 100% [67.6%-100%] in both groups in cats with EPI). Among 37 cats with elevated MMA concentrations at baseline (21 cats with CGID and 16 cats with EPI), MMA concentrations were normalized in most cats with CGID (70% in oral and 82% in SC group) or EPI (88% in both groups).

Conclusions and Clinical Importance

In hypocobalaminemic cats with CGID or EPI, in conjunction with other medical and dietary interventions, both oral and SC supplementation are effective at normalizing serum cobalamin and MMA concentrations.