Correlation between computed tomographic assessment of body fat and body condition score evaluation in dogs

Abstract

Obesity is a common health problem in dogs and cats. To prevent or control obesity, body fat should be assessed correctly. However, the body condition score (BCS) method tends to be subjective because it is only based on observation and palpation. Therefore, we investigated the correlation between computed tomographic (CT) assessment of body fat and BCS evaluation in dogs to determine whether BCS evaluation is an objective and appropriate method. Ten male and 5 female adult dogs (body weight, 2.6 - 29.3 kg) belonging to 8 breeds were included in the study. The dogs were evaluated using 2 types of BCS system (scales of 5- and 9-point), according to the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) Nutritional Assessment Guidelines for Dogs and Cats. For CT assessment, the dogs were sedated and positioned in dorsal recumbency. All CT images were obtained using a helical CT scanner. We measured total fat area (Fa) at the 3rd lumbar vertebra (L3) and 5th lumbar vertebra (L5) levels of the images by using a range of — 135/ — 105 HU for each dog. The ratio of Fa to total body area (Ba) was moderately and significantly correlated with the 9-point scale BCS at the L5 level. The 9-point scale BCS was moderately and significantly correlated with the ratio of abdominal fat area to Ba at the L5 level. This finding indicates that the 9-point scale BCS method is an appropriate and relatively objective method for evaluating canine body fat.