Cobalamin Malabsorption in Dogs

Category: Digestive
Breeds documented: 3
Published sources: 8

Overview

Cobalamin is another name for vitamin B12. In inherited cobalamin malabsorption, the intestine cannot take up this vitamin normally. This rare disorder is called Imerslund-Grasbeck syndrome. A faulty protein involved in absorption can leave the body short of vitamin B12. Affected puppies may grow poorly, eat less, and become weak. Low vitamin B12 can also disrupt normal blood-cell production.

Signs to watch for

Poor growth or failure to gain weight
Reduced interest in food
Unusual weakness or low energy
Diarrhea that comes and goes
Vomiting

Signs often start during the first year; some Border Collies develop signs in early adulthood.

When to get help Arrange a vet visit soon if a puppy is growing poorly, eating less, or unusually weak.

Diagnosis and tests

Vets check the vitamin B12 level in blood and may measure methylmalonic acid, a substance that rises when cells lack vitamin B12. PennGen offers a urine test for this substance. DNA testing can detect specific inherited gene changes and identify carriers, dogs that can pass on a variant without becoming ill. The DNA test must match the breed and the particular inherited variant being investigated.

Breeds with documented risk

3 breeds

By breed size

1 Small
1 Medium
1 Large

BeagleSmall · Hound Group
Border CollieMedium · Herding Group
KomondorLarge · Working Group

Inheritance

Not yet known
None of the sources we use states how this is inherited in dogs yet.

We've gathered what published sources say about this condition, so you can talk it through with your vet. It isn't veterinary advice: you and your vet know your dog best.