INTRODUCTION Cobalamin, also referred to as vitamin B12, is a water-soluble vitamin derived from animal products, especially red meat, dairy and eggs (Antony, 2003). Cobalamin is ingested bound to animal protein and then released in the stomach under the action of activated pepsin and gastric acid (Qureshi et al., 1994). Free gastric cobalamin binds to the R-protein before binding to intrinsic factor. Intrinsic factor is a glycoprotein produced by gastric parietal cells and the canine pancreas.