143 – GI Vitamins Panels

Background:

GI Vitamins Panels includes four of the most important essential vitamins: Vitamin D (25OHD), Cobalamin (Vitamin B12),  Folate (Fol) and Magnesium.  Vitamin D is one of the most important hormone in the body, is responsible for supporting the innate immune system and has a role in disease prevention and management.  Sufficient levels are anti-inflammatory, anti-proliferative, and pro-immunity.  Cobalamin and Folate are chiefly response for DNA/RNA production as critical cofactors.

Magnesium is a critical cofactor in hundreds of processes ensuring they run effectively and efficiently.  Learn more about VitD, B12, and Mg here.   VDI provides patient-specific dosing guidelines for Vitamin D, B12, and Magnesium.

Clinical Applications:

1. Diet Changes
2. Gastrointestinal Disease
3. Inflammatory Disease
4. Cancer Patients
5. General Wellness – preventative
6. PLE Patients
7. Patients on NSAIDs or Corticosteroids

Recommendations:

Health screening using a sensitive inflammatory marker, HPT, should begin once the cat reaches an adult stage.  Annual testing while apparently healthy is the minimum recommended interval with bi-annual screening being the most effective way to detect the presence of occult disease.

Evaluating essential vitamins levels should start once the dog or cat reaches adult stages and establishes their adult diet.  Once diet has been stable for 3 months, test baseline vitamins and correct any insufficiencies with supplementation, or consider a diet change if values are considerably low.  VDI provides patient-specific dosing guidelines for Vitamin D, B12 and Magnesium.  Recheck intervals are every year once sufficient unless diet or health changes occur.