ABSTRACT
Body condition scoring (BCS) systems complement bodyweight monitoring in identifying pets at risk of developing obesity at a stage where prevention measures can be more easily implemented. Initially developed and used for evaluation of bone mineral content in humans, the dual energy x-ray absorptiometry method has advanced into a useful tool for body composition assessment. BCS systems for dogs and cats are subjective semiquantitative methods that use visual and palpable characteristics to estimate the degree of obesity. A failure to recognize an overweight/obese status is likely a main contributing factor to obesity being the main nutritional disorder in dogs and cats. Muscle condition scoring systems have been proposed and ideally complement the BCS systems, however, their use in obesity treatment need to be further developed and validated. Body weight can be objectively measured using a scale appropriate for the size of the animal.
