Title (eng)
Ultrasonographic Measurement of Muscle and Subcutaneous Fat Thickness for the Objective Assessment of the Nutritional Status of Alpacas
Abstract (eng)
The aim of this study was to evaluate the ultrasonographic measurement of the subcutaneous fat and muscle layers at two different body locations as an objective tool with which to determine the nutritional status of alpacas. The results of ultrasonographic measurement were related to body weight, determined by scale, and body condition score (BCS), determined by a scoring system. Differences between gender (female/male) and different reproductive statuses (castrated/intact males, pregnant, and early or non-pregnant females) were evaluated. In total, 160 alpacas were examined. Ultrasonography was performed first at the lumbar region, positioning a linear probe (8 MHz) between the second and third lumbar vertebrae perpendicular to the spinal column, and in the gluteal region, measuring the distance between skin, the subcutaneous fat layer, and the muscle layer. The results showed that the gender and pregnancy status of females had a significant influence on the ultrasonographic measurements at both localizations. Significant associations were found between body weight and the BCS. The BCS and ultrasonographic-measured soft-tissue thicknesses at both localizations were significantly associated for males and early or non-pregnant females. According to these results, ultrasonography can be recommended as an objective method with which to determine the nutritional status of alpacas.
Keywords (eng)
Body Condition ScoreSouth-American CamelidsLlamasRepeatabilityRequirementsReservesDiseasesWeightSheep
Type (eng)
Language
[eng]
Persistent identifier
Is in series
Title (eng)
Animals
Volume
14
Issue
12
ISSN
2076-2615
Issued
2024
Number of pages
10
Publication
MDPI
Version type (eng)
Date issued
2024
Access rights (eng)
License
Rights statement (eng)
© 2024 by the authors
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DOI
https://phaidra.vetmeduni.ac.at/o:3860
https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14243695 - Content
- DetailsObject typePDFDocumentFormatapplication/pdfCreated14.02.2025 09:50:34 UTC
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