Abstract
Forelimb lameness in medium and large breed dogs is frequently caused by traumatic or degenerative injuries of the shoulder. Patient history, physical examination, x-rays, blood, and chemical work are routinely used to achieve diagnosis, and may be associated with ultrasonography or magnetic resonance imaging. Ultrasonography is increasingly popular in small animal practice due to its low cost, ease of repetition, and the fact that it is non-invasive and can be performed in conscious patients. It is also widely accepted that muscular stress or injuries can induce detectable variations in blood and chemical work. The aim of this preliminary study is to search for correlation between measurements of selected hematobiochemical parameters and ultrasound diagnosis in dogs affected by shoulder injuries. A retrospective study was conducted on orthopedic clinical records of dogs presented to our Veterinary Teaching Hospital for lameness caused by shoulder problems over a period of 5 years. Dogs with both hematobiochemical and ultrasound examinations were selected. Patients were classified into 5 groups according to ultrasound diagnosis: (1) mild/moderate tendinopathy, (2) severe tendinopathy, (3) articular damage, (4) chronic myopathy, and (5) neoplastic injury. Statistical analysis was performed to detect possible correlations between group and hematobiochemical parameters. Forty-four dogs met the inclusion criteria and forty-nine shoulders were diagnosed as injured. Significant differences were found between the age, sex, body weight, neutrophil count, and AST levels. In particular, statistically significant increases were found for neutrophil count and AST concentration in case of ultrasonographically diagnosed severe tendinopathy, articular damage, and neoplastic pathology. Further and wider studies are suggested to determine whether these biomarkers can become a useful diagnostic aid.
Highlights
Forelimb lameness in medium and large breed dogs, and working dogs in general, is often characterized by traumatic or degenerative orthopedic injuries of the shoulder [1,2,3,4]
We investigate a correlation between ultrasound diagnosis, signalment, and a selection of hematobiochemical parameters in a sample of dogs with shoulder injuries in order to correlate the diagnostic value of the ultrasound examination and provide data for prognostic purposes to the clinician
Laterality No significant differences were found between different groups in laterality, confirming that there is no evidence of more frequent injuries of one shoulder than the other in any of the considered pathologies: this suggests that during the dogs’ activities the right and left side were subjected to similar stress and supported body weight
Summary
Forelimb lameness in medium and large breed dogs, and working dogs in general, is often characterized by traumatic or degenerative orthopedic injuries of the shoulder [1,2,3,4]. Shoulder lesions can be acute or chronic, and they can involve bones, articular components, ligaments, muscles, and tendons [2], with the most frequently reported cause of lameness being intra-articular disorders [5]. The diagnosis is commonly achieved with a detailed patient history, physical examination, hematobiochemical exams and x-rays, which may be associated to ultrasonography (US) and resonance imaging [3, 4]. US is commonly performed for muscular or tendon lesions in human and equine medicine, and has recently been introduced in small animal practice as well. The technique is highly informative with respect to diagnosis, replicable, inexpensive, non-invasive and can be performed on conscious patients [2]. A recent study demonstrated that US can usually detect the relevant lesions in dogs with symptoms of shoulder injury [5]
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