Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Bone density loss in dogs given prednisolone and alendronate effects
By Park, Seungjo et al.·Published in American journal of veterinary research·2015·College of Veterinary Medicine, South Korea·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Quantitative computed tomographic assessment of bone mineral density changes associated with administration of prednisolone or prednisolone and alendronate sodium in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of healthy Beagles was given low doses of prednisolone, a steroid medication, to see if it would cause bone loss. Over time, researchers measured the bone mineral density (BMD) in their spines. They found that while BMD did decrease initially, it improved as the dogs continued treatment and tapered off the medication. In another group that received both prednisolone and alendronate sodium (a medication that helps protect bones), the bone density also decreased but recovered even better. Overall, the study suggests that low doses of prednisolone can be used in dogs without significant risk of bone loss.
People also search for: dog bone health prednisolone · Beagle bone density treatment · prednisolone side effects in dogs
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether a low-dosage regimen of prednisolone induces bone loss and whether administration of alendronate sodium prevents glucocorticoid-induced osteopenia in dogs by measuring trabecular bone mineral density (BMD) with quantitative CT. ANIMALS: 8 healthy Beagles. PROCEDURES: In 4 dogs, prednisolone was administered PO at a dosage of 2 mg/kg once daily for 2 weeks, 1 mg/kg once daily for 4 weeks, and 0.5 mg/kg once daily for 3 weeks. In the other 4 dogs, alendronate sodium (2 mg/kg, PO, q 24 h) was whether administered for 9 weeks in addition to the same dosage of prednisolone used in the prednisolone-treated dogs. Before (day 0 [baseline]) and 21, 42, 63, and 150 days after the start of treatment, BMD of the lumbar vertebrae was measured by quantitative CT. RESULTS: BMD in the prednisolone treatment group decreased to 84.7% of the baseline value on day 42, increased to 87.9% on day 63, and recovered to 91.6% on day 150. In the prednisolone-alendronate treatment group, BMD decreased to 91% of the baseline value on day 21, increased to 93.8% on day 63, and then recovered to 96.7% on day 150. Bone mineral density in the prednisolone treatment group was generally lower, albeit not significantly, than that of the prednisolone-alendronate treatment group on each examination day. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: BMD temporarily decreased after low-dosage prednisolone administration; however, it gradually improved during tapering of the prednisolone dosage. These results have suggested that a low dosage of prednisolone can be used with little concern for development of osteopenia in dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25535658/