Glucocorticoids are widely used in veterinary medicine. However, beyond the beneficial effects, their use can trigger a series of unwanted effects. A clinical trial was conducted in eight healthy dogs in order to assess possible changes in bone mineral density after therapy with prednisone using helical computed tomography. All animals received oral prednisone at a daily dose of 2mg kg-1 of body weight for 30 days. Bone mineral density was determined by the obtaining of radiodensity values from the cortical region and the trabecular region of the second lumbar vertebra immediately before and after the period of drug administration. The experimental protocol allowed the characterization of a significant (P<0.01) decrease of trabecular bone radiodensity on the second lumbar vertebra, but no significant demineralization was found in the cortical region. None of the dogs used in this experiment had pathological fracture at the end of the experimental protocol. This study showed that in dogs subjected to therapy with prednisone at a dose of 2mg kg-1 changes in bone metabolism occur early in trabecular bone, being recommended to monitor these patients for the prevention of pathologic fractures.
dog; corticosteroids; bone mineral density; computed tomography
