Can you estimate body composition in dogs from photographs?

Background

A validated method for assessing the visual characteristics of body condition from photographs (vBCS), would be a useful initial screening tool for client-owned dogs. 

Methods

In this retrospective study, photographs taken before and after weight loss from 155 overweight and obese dogs attending a weight management referral clinic were used in designing and testing the feasibility of vBCS. Observers with a range of experience examined the photographs, and estimated body condition indirectly (vBCS) using three different methods. In the first method (vBCSmeasured), the ratio of abdominal width to thoracic width (A:T) was measured, and cut-points used to determine body condition; the second method (iBCSsubjective) involved semi-quantitative examination using visual descriptors of BCS; the third (vBCSadjusted) was a combined approach whereby A:T ratio was first determined, and the final score modified if necessary after assessing photographs.

Results

When an experienced observer performed vBCS, there were moderate-to-good associations between body fat (measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) and the three vBCS methods (median Rs: 0.51-0.75; P<0.001), and also moderate-to-substantial agreement with actual BCS (median kappa 0.51–0.63; P<0.001). For operators with a range of experience, moderate-to-substantial agreement was generally seen between actual BCS and the scores determined by all three methods (median Kappa 0.55–0.70, P<0.001), but the strength of agreement varied amongst observers. Age, sex, breed, coat length, and coat colour had no significant effect on vBCS (P>0.05 for all). Compared with ideal weight and obese dogs, errors in assessing body condition were more common for overweight dogs (e.g. BCS 6–7/9, P<0.001) by vBCSadjusted (P=0.008), and vBCSsubjective (P=0.021), but not by vBCSmeasured (P=0.150). For vBCSadjusted, body condition was most often overestimated whilst, for vBCSsubjective, body condition was most often under-estimated.

Conclusions

An estimate of body condition can be obtained from an indirect assessment of photographs, but performance varies amongst observers.

 

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