Thomas Boyer, Pet Hospital of Penasquitos
Ian Kanda, Pet Hospital of Penasquitos
Alexis Baker, Pet Hospital of Penasquitos
Mark Mitchell, LSU SVM
Marianne Caron, Pet Hospital of Penasquitos
Bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps) are a common household pet and are often seen at veterinary practices. Body condition scoring (BCS) can be difficult even in common species due to the subjective nature of BCS systems and experience of the clinician. Clinicians that are not experienced with reptilian medicine can struggle to accurately assess BCS in these animals as they do not follow the same scoring system as domestic species. To the authors’ knowledge, no BCS system has been established for bearded dragons. The objective of this study was to compare the palpated subjective BCS of bearded dragons to the length of the coelomic fat pads calculated as a percentage of total coelom length based on radiographic evidence. Additional parameters were also taken into consideration when assigning a BCS such as axillary fat pad presence, mid-body circumference, tail base circumference, snout to vent length (SVL), and tracheal fat pad appearance. Animals included in this study had to meet a minimum SVL and had a variety of health statuses.
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