Clinical-epidemiological evaluation of bicipital tendinopathy and medial shoulder instability in dogs (Canis lupus familiaris)

Medial shoulder instability (MSI) and bicipital tendinopathy (BT) are important causes of pain and lameness in dogs. Aimed to determine prevalence and risk factor for MSI and BT by clinical orthopedic evaluation of dogs with diverse illnesses treated in the Veterinary Hospital of the Federal Rural University of Pernambuco. Orthopedic examinations were performed for diagnosing MSI and BT. Of the 500 dogs examined, 43.6% were positive for MSI and 15.6% for BT. All dogs positive for MSI showed joint laxity, 70.2% of which were bilateral, of which, 17% were also positive for the mediolateral drawer test and 92.3% also showed bilateral sinking of the greater tuberosity of the humerus in abduction. Of the positive cases for BT, 39.7% had elbow hyperextension above 90º. MSI and BT were more frequent in dogs with orthopedic disorders, with 45.2% and 20.7% respectively. MSI was more prevalent in dogs with acute disease (45.3%), males (48.7%), small dogs (48.7%), elderly (50%) and non-neutered (44.3%), dogs that lived on different floors (48.1%), with access to stairs (43.5%), active (45.6%). For BT, the prevalence was also higher in dogs with acute disease (17.3%), females (16.9%), medium-sized (19%) and adult dogs (17.7%), dogs with access to hardwood floors cement, earth and lawn (17.9%), access to stairs (18.6%), assets (15.9%). There were no variants with statistical significance (p <0.05) for MSI, but for BT there was statistical difference for castrated dogs and patients with orthopedic disorders, who are therefore more predisposed to develop BT.