Background: Canine arthritis is a common chronic musculoskeletal disorder that reduces mobility, causes pain, and impairs quality of life. Radiography remains widely used in clinical practice but is relatively insensitive for early soft-tissue and inflammatory changes. Ultrasonography can provide real-time visualization of synovial thickening, joint effusion, periarticular soft tissue changes, and Doppler vascularity. Because arthritis is multifactorial, imaging findings should also be interpreted in relation to genetic susceptibility and potential microbiological or microbiome-related inflammatory mechanisms
Aim: This study evaluated the diagnostic contribution of ultrasonography in dogs with clinical signs of arthritis and interpreted the observed imaging patterns within an integrative framework that includes genetic and microbiological considerations
Methods: A retrospective longitudinal clinical case series of 30 dogs examined at the Small Animal Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Omar Al-Mukhtar University, was reviewed. Dogs were recruited between 2023 and 2025 and followed by serial ultrasonography. Joint evaluation was performed using a Mindray ultrasound system and a high-frequency linear probe (7.5–12 MHz). Synovial membrane thickening, joint effusion, cartilage surface irregularity or erosion, periarticular soft tissue changes, and Doppler hypervascularity were recorded. Radiographic findings were compared descriptively with ultrasonographic findings. Genetic testing and microbiological or microbiome profiling were not performed and are discussed as contextual mechanisms and future research directions
Results: The dogs were 8.3 ± 2.2 years old (median 8; range 5–12 years). Ultrasonography detected synovial inflammation in 90% of dogs, Doppler hypervascularity in 85%, joint effusion in 78%, and cartilage erosion in 62%. Early ultrasonographic inflammatory changes were reported in 72% of dogs before radiographic abnormalities were evident, whereas radiographic changes such as osteophyte formation or joint-space alteration were detected in 60% of cases. Older dogs, larger-breed dogs, and overweight dogs showed faster progression according to the clinical summaries
Conclusion: Ultrasonography is a valuable non-invasive tool for early assessment and follow-up of canine arthritis, particularly when soft-tissue inflammation precedes radiographically visible bone change. The study supports the use of serial ultrasonographic monitoring in clinical management. Future prospective studies should combine imaging with standardized clinical scoring, radiographic grading, genetic screening, synovial fluid culture or 16S rRNA PCR, and fecal microbiome profiling to develop predictive models for disease progression