Iron-deficiency anaemia and severe hypocobalaminaemia and hypofolataemia in a dog fed a homemade diet

Abstract

A middle-aged, female, neutered dog was diagnosed with iron-deficient anaemia on a routine health check following rescue from a puppy mill. Further investigations revealed a severe hypocobalaminaemia and hypofolataemia. The dog was fed a homemade diet consisting of various types of human food and it had been used for breeding. Pale mucous membranes and mild lethargy were noted on the initial presentation. No ulcerations of the gastrointestinal tract were seen on flexible endoscopy, but lymphocytic and eosinophilic inflammation, indicative of chronic inflammatory enteropathy, was present on histopathology. The dog had no vomiting or diarrhoea and there was no macro- or microscopic gastrointestinal bleeding. The condition resolved after providing a commercial, balanced diet and supplementing iron, cobalamin and folate orally. This case report describes the clinical investigation of a dog with iron deficiency, hypocobalaminaemia and hypofolataemia, where malnutrition and excessive breeding may have contributed to this condition.