Vitamin B12 Shots

All About B12 Vitamin Injections in Dogs

Vitamin B12 shots is very important in severe chronic intestinal diseases.DVM Per Schonbeck from Dog Nutrition Advice offers best advice on your dogs nutrition and health.

Animal care shouldn't simply be limited to the bare necessities because many of them need something extra to maintain their health.

For example, some animals may need vitamin supplements for various reasons. One of these vitamins is vitamin B12.

Vit. B12 is an essential vitamin, which plays a role in the synthesis of several enzymes that play a part in many important biological processes in the animal's body.

Behepan (B12 Injection)

Deficiency of vit. B12 (or cobalamin) in animals, such as dogs, is sometimes the result of diseases of the digestive tract that prevent its absorption.

In fact, cobalamin is often used for the diagnosis of gastro intestinal infections in dogs.

In Certain Intestinal Diseases

B12 vitamin injections have more purpose than their ability to help diagnose digestive disease.

Vitamin B12 shots are commonly used in the actual treatment of certain intestinal conditions that result from bacterial imbalances such as bacterial overgrowth, increased toxic metabolites and pancreatic conditions such as exocrine pancreatic deficiency.

Since these conditions in themselves are characterized by weak nutrient intestinal absorption, B12 vit. injections are the most practical way to ensure that the nutrient gets into the blood stream and thus to the vital body organs that need it.

Why?

In dogs, cobalamin is necessary for the synthesis of many of the enzymes in a dog's body. Inability to synthesize these enzymes is critical because they play an important role in the metabolic functions that take place in the dog's body.

Some of the functions that cobalamin will help to manage are protein synthesis, red blood cell production and many other essential metabolic functions.

B12 Vitamin injections are therefore crucial in such conditions to prevent the exacerbation of symptoms such as general malaise, inability to thrive, wasting and worsening of GIT symptoms leading to even more complications.

Vitamin B Injection Dose

Traditionally, vitamin b injections for dogs are administered at a dose of 400 micrograms per 10 kg of the dog's body weight.

This dose is administered weekly for a minimum of six weeks followed by the reduction of the dose to a single injection every fortnight for the following six weeks.

Vit. B12 shots can then be reduced to a single monthly dose afterwards.

The body's serum level of cobalamin must be measured one month following the last administration of the B12 vitamin injections and should be regularly monitored thereafter.

And For How Long Time?

It is important to note however that unless the preexisting condition requiring Vitamin B12 shots is completely resolved, your dog will have to continue taking the B12 vitamin injections to maintain its health.

Vitamin B12 shots are essential for some dogs' health and are non-irritant with mild to no side effects, so there really should be no reason to worry about giving them to your dog, especially if they're necessary for making it as healthy as possible.