Objective. To evaluate the effects of alendronate on the structural properties of trabecular bone.Methods. Alendronate was administered at a daily p. o. dose of 0. 5 mg/kg over a 12-week period in hound dogs （n = 8 for both the control and treated group）

and the structural indices of the lumbar vertebral （LI and L2） trabecular bone were assessed directly from 3-D images.Results. Treatment with alendronate increased bone volume fraction by 9. 5% and 7. 7% in L1 and L2 respectively. Trabecular thickness significantly increased after alendronate treatment

whereas trabecular separation remained constant. The degree of anisotropy for the alendronate - treated group was decreased compared with that of the control group. Bone surface to volume ratio declined significantly in the alendronate-reated group

whereas alendronate induced a higher bone surface density.Conclusion. Alendronate increased the structural properties of canine trabecular bone after short-term treatment at a dose of 0. 5 mg · kg-1·day-1.