# New to vitamin b12 injections for GI troubles



## BajaOklahoma (Sep 27, 2009)

When a B12 deficiency is only mild, the affected person may not experience any noticeable symptoms. However, because b12 plays an essential role in the creation of new red blood cells, those who allow their deficiency to progress may go on to develop B12 deficiency anemia, a condition characterized by low levels of red blood cells within the blood. Common symptoms of b12 deficiency include overall fatigue, rapid heart rate, shallow breathing, unintended weight loss, bleeding or bruising easier than normal, and persistent constipation or diarrhea. If left untreated, a severe B12 deficiency could become serious enough to cause permanent nerve damage.

Foods that are naturally-high in vitamin B12 include meat, fish and shellfish, poultry, eggs and dairy. 

It is fairly for people to be low in B12 due to diet or poor absorption. My mother has been on B12 shots for 20 years, with no issues. In fact, she gives them to herself.


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

If you browse the senior section of the forum, you're likely to find a lot on B12 injections. I gave them to both my senior guys, and it made a big difference in their quality of life in terms of appetite and energy level. If your pup has some IBD, which it sounds like with the chronic diarrhea, then it's almost a given that the B12 levels are low. My old boy, Toby, had IBD. The vet told me that we could either send out for some expensive tests to determine if his B12 was low, or we could just automatically say it is because it pretty much always is in IBD dogs.
Speaking of IBD, what does she eat?
Very cheap to buy a big bottle and give the injections yourself at home, which is what I did.


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

I can help you. Vitamin B12, aka Cobalamin, does affect stool and absorption. Is your dog's folate level ok? That should have been run on the digestive panel. We did ours through Texas A&M and they gave us a schedule for cobalamin dosing, along with specific dietary recommendations. What works right now for our 11 year old is this:
1. Hills Prescriptive Low Fat Gastro ID dry kibble, the lavender bag. For others reading this post, spare me the criticism on Hills...this works for MY dog and I am not interested in hearing what crap Hills is in your opinion. 
2. Twice a month cobalamin injections. I do one myself at home and the other is done by targeted injection by his vet at his monthly acupuncture appointment. 
3. Daily folate tablet, for his folic acid deficiency. 
4. Tylan Powder. We haven't been able to reduce this yet.
5. Watching treat intake....we are very careful of what he ingests.
6. Retest every 6 months and adjust.


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## puppydogs (Dec 6, 2010)

Dallas Gold said:


> I can help you. Vitamin B12, aka Cobalamin, does affect stool and absorption. Is your dog's folate level ok? That should have been run on the digestive panel. We did ours through Texas A&M and they gave us a schedule for cobalamin dosing, along with specific dietary recommendations. What works right now for our 11 year old is this:
> 1. Hills Prescriptive Low Fat Gastro ID dry kibble, the lavender bag. For others reading this post, spare me the criticism on Hills...this works for MY dog and I am not interested in hearing what crap Hills is in your opinion.
> 2. Twice a month cobalamin injections. I do one myself at home and the other is done by targeted injection by his vet at his monthly acupuncture appointment.
> 3. Daily folate tablet, for his folic acid deficiency.
> ...


Thanks DallasGold. After you get the injections and supplements, are there foods we should be feeding to maintain the levels? Or is the defiency just something on -going since their bodies are not absorbing it? My pup is also still on Tylan.


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

puppydogs said:


> Thanks DallasGold. After you get the injections and supplements, are there foods we should be feeding to maintain the levels? Or is the defiency just something on -going since their bodies are not absorbing it? My pup is also still on Tylan.


In my experience with our Toby, we keep his foods simple and don't try to add any human foods to his diet since that can cause digestive issues with him. So he gets his kibble, a few grain free salmon treats that don't aggravate his issues, and a bit or two of apple piece and/or raw carrot each day for snacks. We added a probiotic, which many recommend for dogs with digestive issues and it just makes his stool softer. The cobalamin deficiency itself is primarily improved with the injections (just like with humans) and you need to continue them on schedule and in a recommended dosage with frequent retesting to keep it all in check. We found with the diet change and getting the cobalamin leveled out the stools improved and his weight increased, meaning he was absorbing things. We tried all sorts of kibble before going with our vet's recommendations and they worked. We've increased his level of dosing once in 6 years of injections. Ask your vet if they will teach you how to do the injections. I got a big bottle of the cobalamin from KV Vet Supply and syringes in bulk from our pharmacy and one of the nurses in the clinic helped me with my first few. It saves time and money that way. Since we also use acupuncture for Toby we have our vet do targeted injections for his other dosing. She is doing acupuncture for his eyes primarily, but adds in a needle for overall digestive health. 

Best wishes on getting your pup to normal levels and solid firm stool.


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