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Duodenal Ulcers, Liver Damage, Anemia and Edema of Chronic Choline Deficiency in Dogs

Seven Figures

Department of Animal Husbandry and Nutrition, Agricultural Experiment Station of the Alabama Polytechnic Institute, Auburn

1. Seven dogs died, after receiving a low-choline (0.05% choline chloride supplement) diet for 13 to 55 weeks. The livers of 6 of the dogs were cirrhotic and three of these livers had adenomatous lesions classified as hyperplastic regeneration nodules.

2. The choline-deficient animals had a severe hepatic impairment (bromsulfalein test) which preceded the development of anemia. In three of the deficient dogs hemoglobin, hematocrit and red blood cell counts were as low as 2.6 to 3.4 gm %, 10 to 13%, and 2.1 to 2.6 million mm³ blood, respectively.

3. The prolonged feeding of diets low in choline but containing over 20% protein resulted in a severe nutritional edema and duodenal ulcers in 6 of 7 deficient dogs.

4. The requirement of the dog for vitamin B₁₂ when the diet contains suboptimum amounts of choline was indicated. Vitamin B₁₂, when supplied in the diet, prevented the deficiency symptoms that occurred in the dogs fed diets supplemented with 0.05% choline chloride. When the diets were unsupplemented with vitamin B₁₂, the choline requirement for pups was 0.10% or greater.