Serum cobalamin and methylmalonic acid concentrations in juvenile dogs with parvoviral enteritis or other acute enteropathies

BACKGROUND: Low serum cobalamin concentrations have been associated with ileal malabsorption in dogs with chronic enteropathy. Increased serum methylmalonic acid (MMA) concentrations indicate cobalamin deficiency on a cellular level. Few studies have evaluated serum cobalamin concentrations or methylmalonic acid concentrations in juvenile dogs with parvoviral enteritis or nonparvoviral acute enteropathies. OBJECTIVES: Evaluate serum cobalamin and methylmalonic acid concentrations in juvenile dogs (6 weeks to 10 months old) with parvoviral enteritis or nonparvoviral acute enteropathy. ANIMALS: Thirty‐one juvenile dogs with parvoviral enteritis, 29 dogs with nonparvoviral acute diarrhea (NPVAD), and 40 healthy juvenile control dogs. METHODS: Single‐center, prospective, observational, cross‐sectional study. Serum cobalamin and, when sufficient serum was available, MMA concentrations were measured. RESULTS: Most serum cobalamin concentrations were within the adult reference interval. Serum cobalamin concentrations in healthy dogs (median, 848 ng/L; range, 293‐1912 ng/L) were significantly higher than in dogs with parvoviral enteritis (P = .0002; median, 463 ng/L; range, <150‐10 000 ng/L) or dogs with NPVAD (P = .02; median, 528 ng/L; range, 160‐8998 ng/L). Serum MMA concentrations were not significantly different between groups (healthy dogs: median, 796 nmol/L; range, 427‐1933 nmol/L; parvoviral enteritis: median, 858 nmol/L; range, 554‐3424 nmol/L; NPVAD: median, 764 nmol/L; range, 392‐1222 nmol/L; P = .1). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Juvenile dogs with parvoviral enteritis or NPVAD had lower serum cobalamin concentrations than healthy juvenile dogs. However, based on serum MMA concentrations cellular cobalamin deficiency was not apparent.