Page 5 - Small Animal Clinical Nutrition 5th Edition

6 Small Animal Clinical Nutrition

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BCS 1. Very thin s
The ribs are easily palpable with no fat cover. The tailbase has a promi-
nent raised bony structure with no tissue between the skin and bone. The
bony prominences are easily felt with no overlying fat. Dogs over six
months of age have a severe abdominal tuck when viewed from the side
and an accentuated hourglass shape when viewed from above.

s BCS 2. Underweight
The ribs are easily palpable with minimal fat cover. The tailbase has a
raised bony structure with little tissue between the skin and bone. The
bony prominences are easily felt with minimal overlying fat. Dogs over six
months of age have an abdominal tuck when viewed from the side and a
marked hourglass shape when viewed from above.

BCS 3. Ideal s
The ribs are palpable with a slight fat cover. The tailbase has a smooth
contour or some thickening. The bony structures are palpable under a thin
layer of fat between the skin and bone. The bony prominences are easily
felt under minimal amounts of overlying fat. Dogs over six months of age
have a slight abdominal tuck when viewed from the side and a well-propor-
tioned lumbar waist when viewed from above.

s BCS 4. Overweight
The ribs are difficult to feel with moderate fat cover. The tailbase has some
thickening with moderate amounts of tissue between the skin and bone. The
bony structures can still be palpated. The bony prominences are covered by
a moderate layer of fat. Dogs over six months of age have little or no
abdominal tuck or waist when viewed from the side. The back is slightly
broadened when viewed from above.

BCS 5. Obese s
The ribs are very difficult to feel under a thick fat cover. The tailbase
appears thickened and is difficult to feel under a prominent layer of fat. The
bony prominences are covered by a moderate to thick layer of fat. Dogs
over six months of age have a pendulous ventral bulge and no waist when
viewed from the side due to extensive fat deposits. The back is markedly
broadened when viewed from above. A trough may form when epaxial
areas bulge dorsally.

Figure 1-2. Body condition score (BCS) descriptors for dogs in a five-point system.