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Updated: Feb 28, 2026

Scanning Skeletal Remains for Bone Mineral Density in Forensic Contexts
Published on: January 29, 2018
Small-sized newborn dogs skeletal development: radiologic, morphometric, and histological findings obtained from
S C Modina1, M C Veronesi2, M Moioli
1Department of Health, Animal Science and Food Safety, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 10 - 20133, Milano, Italy.
Background:
Very little is known about neonatal skeletal development in small-sized purebred dogs. In order to improve this knowledge, 27 spontaneously dead puppies belonging to small-sized breeds were enrolled in this study for radiologic, histological and morphometric investigations.
Results:
The appearance of the limb secondary ossification centers and the onset of their formation were clearly observed by x rays and confirmed by histological evidences. Radiographic and anatomic measurements of limb bones length and skull length and width were positively correlated with body weight and age of the subjects and the body weight was positively correlated with radius bone mineral density, as demonstrated by dual-energy x-rays absorptiometry.
Conclusions:
These data provided original information on the growth of newborn small-sized breed dogs, and suggest that cadavers may be useful to study skeletal development.
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