Investigation of Serum Vitamin D Levels in Dogs With Parvoviral Gastroenteritis

Vitamin D has been very popular in human and animal health in recent years. It has been associated with many diseases, but there have not been enough studies on the vitamin in dogs infected with Parvoviral Gastroenteritis, which causes serious losses in the dog population, high mortality, and high transmission rates. In this study, the aim was to measure 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 levels in dogs with Parvoviral Gastroenteritis and to gather information on the effects of vitamin D3 on the disease. In the study, two groups, “I. Dogs with Parvoviral Gastroenteritis” and “II. Healthy Dogs,” were examined. In the study, blood was obtained from a group of 0-12 months old dogs of different sexes and breeds who were positive for canine parvovirus type 2 (CPV-2) that had not been vaccinated before, and a healthy group of dogs 0-12 months of age, of different sexes and breeds, who did not show any signs of disease, sample was taken. 2 ml blood samples were taken from Vena cephalica antebrachii of each of the dogs included in the study into serum tubes without anticoagulant and centrifuged, then 25 hydroxy vitamin D3 levels in these samples were determined by radioimmunoassay method. In this study, although the difference in serum 25(OH)D3 levels between CPV-infected dogs and healthy dogs was not statistically significant, a relationship between Parvoviral Gastroenteritis and possible low vitamin D levels is plausible, given vitamin D metabolites' known immunomodulatory effects.