Comparative ex vivo morphometric tomographic study of lumbar spine between dog and rabbit

• Published in: Arquivo Brasileiro de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia
• Main Authors: C. Lacowicz, J.V.B. Maciel, A. Fernandes, A.A. Ferreira, P.T. Dornbusch
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English; Portuguese
• Published: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais 2024
• Subjects: Canis lupus familiaris; cone beam computed tomography; cortical bone; Oryctolagus cuniculus; spine; Animal culture; SF1-1100; Canis lupus
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1590/1678-4162-12979; https://doaj.org/article/9c7946268b334943897960f9acb043b4

ABSTRACT The study of spinal surgery in dogs has limitations for the standardization of the sample, due to the difficulty of obtaining animals of the same breed, sex, and age. Thus, the use of the rabbit as an animal model is suggested. Morphometric studies are important to assess the anatomical compatibility between the two species. Furthermore, the growing interest in the rabbit as a pet and the common occurrence of iatrogenic fractures in its caudal lumbar spine emphasize the need for these studies. Eight spinal segments (L1-S3) from adult dogs, between 3 and 5kg, and eight from New Zealand rabbits, between 3 and 5kg, adults, were submitted to cone beam computed tomographic examination. In the generated images, the length, height and width of the body and vertebral foramen were measured, in addition to the thickness of the cortical bone. The lumbar vertebrae of rabbits are longer than those of dogs, but they are smaller in width and height. The thickness of the cortical bone of the two species is similar. The morphometric differences found restrict the use of the rabbit as an animal model for the development of experimental surgeries in dogs.