Vitamin B12 levels in the livers of clinically normal cattle

Authors: Rammell CG, Poole WSH
Publication: New Zealand Veterinary Journal, Volume 22, Issue 9, pp 167-169, Sep 1974
Publisher: Taylor and Francis

Animal type: Cattle, Livestock, Production animal, Ruminant
Subject Terms: Clinical pathology, Diagnostic procedures, Cobalt/vitamin B12, Trace elements, Diet/rations/food, Liver/hepatic disease, Nutrition/metabolism, Vitamins
Article class: Scientific Article

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Abstract: Although the opinion has been expressed (Andrews, 1971) that cobalt deficiency among cattle has virtually disappeared in New Zealand and that specimens for laboratory examination are rarely required, 15 to 20% of the liver samples submitted by veterinarians to the Animal Health Reference Laboratory for vitamin B₁₂ assay are from cattle. Diagnostic criteria for cobalt (vitamin B₁₂) deficiency have long been established for sheep but not for cattle. In view of the continuing requests for vitamin B₁₂ analyses on bovine livers, it was desirable to establish normal values for clinically normal cattle so that results of routine diagnostic analyses could be more readily interpreted. This paper contains the results of a survey carried out to determine these normal values.

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