Low vitamin D status is associated with anaemia in hospitalised cats.

Background: The major physiological role of vitamin D has traditionally been considered to be the regulation of calcium homeostasis and maintenance of skeletal health. However, there is increasing evidence that vitamin D influences a wider range of physiological processes including erythropoiesis. Vitamin D (25-hydroxyvitamin D, 25(OH)D) deficiency concentrations have been associated with anaemia in human beings.

Vitamin D status is seasonally stable in northern European dogs.

Background: Numerous studies in veterinary species have recently linked vitamin D status with nonskeletal health disorders. Previous studies have indicated that dogs cannot produce endogenous vitamin D via cutaneous production and rely solely on dietary intake of vitamin D. The seasonal variation of vitamin D seen in humans due to changes in ultraviolet (UV) exposure, therefore, is unlikely to be replicated in these animals.

Lactulose drives a reversible reduction and qualitative modulation of the faecal microbiota diversity in healthy dogs.

Hepatic encephalopathy is a frequent and debilitating complication of liver disorders. Lactulose is an established and reasonably effective treatment, yet with incompletely understood mechanisms of action. The aims of this study were to examine how the faecal microbiota composition changed before, during and after lactulose treatment in a large animal model.

Relationship between vitamin D status and leukocytes in hospitalised cats.

Objectives Vitamin D deficiency, as assessed by serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) concentrations, has been linked to markers of systemic inflammation in human and canine medicine. However, the relationship between vitamin D status and inflammation has not been previously investigated in cats. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between serum 25(OH)D concentrations and leukocyte counts in hospitalised sick cats.

Vitamin D status predicts 30 day mortality in hospitalised cats.

Vitamin D insufficiency, defined as low serum concentrations of the major circulating form of vitamin D, 25 hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), has been associated with the development of numerous infectious, inflammatory, and neoplastic disorders in humans. In addition, vitamin D insufficiency has been found to be predictive of mortality for many disorders. However, interpretation of human studies is difficult since vitamin D status is influenced by many factors, including diet, season, latitude, and exposure to UV radiation.