title: Body condition scoring as a predictor of body fat in horses and ponies.
abstract: Body condition scoring systems were originally developed to quantify flesh cover in food animals and are commonly used to evaluate body fat in Equidae. The relationship between concurrent estimates of body fat content (eTBF%, deuterium oxide dilution; range, 2.7-35.6%) and subjective appraisals of body 'fatness' (body condition score, BCS; range, 1.25-9/9), was investigated in 77 mature horses and ponies. Univariate (UVM, r(2)=0.79) and multivariable (MVM, r(2)=0.86) linear regression models described the association, where BCS and eTBF% were explanatory and outcome variables, respectively. Other measures (age, sex, breed, body mass, ultrasound-generated subcutaneous and abdominal retroperitoneal fat depths, withers height, heart and belly circumferences) were considered as potential confounders but only height, belly circumference and retroperitoneal fat depth remained in the final MVM. The association between BCS and eTBF% was logarithmic. Appraisal of the transformed regression (UVM), actual eTBF% values and 95%CIs of the model forecast, suggested that the power of log-transformed BCS as a predictor of eTBF% decreased as BCS increased. The receiver operating characteristic curve for the prediction of horses with an eTBF% of >20%, suggested that the UVM correctly classified 76% of horses using a 'cut-off' of BCS 6.83/9 (sensitivity, 82.5%; specificity, 70.8%). Negative values for eTBF% were obtained for two thin ponies which were excluded from analyses, and caution is advised in the application of deuterium dilution methodologies where perturbed tissue hydration could be predicted. The data suggest that BCS descriptors may warrant further consideration/refinement to establish more clinically-useful, sub-classifications for overweight/obese animals.
authors.affiliation: University of Liverpool, School of Veterinary Science and Department of Obesity and Endocrinology, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Leahurst, Chester High Road, Neston, Wirral CH64 7TE, UK.
authors.forename: Alexandra H A
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Dugdale
authors.forename: Dai
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Grove-White
authors.forename: Gemma C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Curtis
authors.forename: Patricia A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.forename: Caroline McG
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Argo
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue; D000818:Animals; D001699:Biometry; D001823:Body Composition; D050218:Body Fat Distribution; D049628:Body Size; D006734:Horse Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis; D006736:Horses; D009765:Obesity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000662:veterinary; D050177:Overweight / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000662:veterinary