The Hospital for Small Animals is a global leader in the area of vitamin D biology in dogs and cats. Image We have developed several novel diagnostic tests which allow us to quickly and accurate establish whether a patient is receiving too much or too little vitamin D. We are the only veterinary focussed lab in the world which has been accredited by the Vitamin D External Quality Assessment Scheme which independently audits the accuracy of vitamin D metabolite assays. We regularly use the assays we have developed to help patients who attend our hospital including a recent case of a dog with severe intestinal disease that could not absorb vitamin D effectively from the food. Vitamin D has long been known to be important in skeletal health but there is increasing interest in the role it plays in non skeletal health disorders. We are actively researching the relationship between vitamin D and a wide range of health outcomes. We have published several important studies in this area including: Read the original research Vitamin D Status Predicts 30 Day Mortality in Hospitalised Cats Association of Vitamin D Status and Clinical Outcome in Dogs with a Chronic Enteropathy Low Vitamin D Status Is Associated with Systemic and Gastrointestinal Inflammation in Dogs with a Chronic Enteropathy Hypovitaminosis D in dogs with inflammatory bowel disease and hypoalbuminaemia Prednisolone therapy for atopic dermatitis is less effective in dogs with lower pretreatment serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations Epileptic seizure in a cocker spaniel associated with hypocalcaemia, hypovitaminosis D and a protein-losing enteropathy This article was published on 2024-09-02
