1. A simple, reliable tool for owners to assess the body condition of their dog or cat.
- Author
-
German, Alexander J., Holden, Shelley L., Moxham, Glyn L., Holmes, Karen L., Hackett, Rachel M., Rawlingst, John M., and Rawlings, John M
- Subjects
DOG diseases ,CAT diseases ,ALGORITHMS ,VETERINARY hospitals ,ANIMAL diseases ,ANIMAL health ,HEALTH behavior in animals ,VETERINARY therapeutics ,EXPECTATION-maximization algorithms ,ANIMAL experimentation ,BODY composition ,CATS ,COMPARATIVE studies ,DOGS ,RESEARCH methodology ,MEDICAL cooperation ,PETS ,REGRESSION analysis ,RESEARCH ,EVALUATION research ,PHOTON absorptiometry - Abstract
The article evaluates the performance of the algorithm system and the ability of operators in determining body composition in dogs and cats. The study involved dogs and cats with obesity, weight loss, jaundice, abdominal pain, chronic renal insufficiency, and diabetes mellitus cases, referred to the Small Animal Hospital at the University of Liverpool. Subjects were assessed by two investigators with a newly-developed 7-point algorithm system (Size, Health, And Physical Evaluation) and another with 9-point silhouette system. Findings show that the algorithm system produced significant outcome similar with the previous scoring system. Thus, the new system earned approval from operator experts, although further studies is needed to validate its performance.
- Published
- 2006
- Full Text
- View/download PDF