Assessment of vitamin B12 and vitamin C supplementation in dogs with anemia

Abstract

The study was performed over a period of 2 months on 21 dogs suffering of mild to moderate anemia. They were divided in 3 study groups according to their treatment, consisting of 7 individuals each and were administered either vitamin C (group 1), B12 (group 2) or both (group 3). The reassessment was performed 1 week after. Four of 7 dogs in group 1 had normal values for packed cell volume, hemoglobin or red blood cells, 5 dogs from group 2 had better results for the same parameters, while all group 3 dogs had normal values after one week. While B12 stimulates the synthesys of nuclear compounds, facilitating normal cell maturation, vitamin C helps in Fe2+ absorption process and also acts as an reducing agent of folate coenzymes. The study demonstrates that concurrent administration of both B12 and vitamin C has a benefic effect on individuals with mild or moderate anemia.