Score Appearance
1.POOR
Animal extremely emaciated: back bone, ribs, tailhead, point of hips, and point of buttocks project prominently: bone structure of withers, shoulders and neck easily noticeable; no fatty tissue can be felt.
2.VERY THIN
Animal emaciated ; slight fat covers base of backbone; base backbone in lumbar region feel slightly rounded; backbone, ribs, tailhead, point of hips and buttocks prominent; withers, shoulders, and neck structure faintly discernable.
3.THIN
Fat buildup about half-way on backbone; base of spine cannot be felt; slight fat cover over ribs; ribs easily discernable; tailhead prominent, but individual vertebrae cannot be indentified visually; point of hips appear rounded but easily discernable; point of buttocks not distinguishable; withers, shoulders, and neck not obviously thin.
4.MODERATELY THIN
Slight ridge along back; faint outline of ribs discernable: tailhead prominence depends on confirmation, but fat can be felt around it; point of hip not discernable; withers, shoulders and neck not obviously thin.
5.MODERATE
Back is flat (no crease or ridge); ribs not visually distinguishable but easily felt; fat around tailhead beginning to feel spongy; withers appear rounded over top; shoulders and neck blend smoothly into the body.
6.MODERATELY FLESHY
May have slight crease down back; fat over ribs spongy, fat around tailhead soft; fat beginning to be deposited along side of withers, behind shoulders and along sides of neck.
7.FLESHY
May have crease down back; individual ribs can be felt but there is noticeable filling between ribs with fat; fat around tailhead is soft; fat deposited along withers, behind shoulders, and , and along neck.
8.FAT
Crease down back; difficult to feel ribs; fat around tailhead very soft; area along withers filled with fat; area behind shoulders filled with fat; noticeable thickening of neck; fat deposited on inner thighs.
9.EXTREMELY FAT
Obvious crease down back; patchy fat appearing over ribs, bulging fat appears around tailhead, along withers, behind shoulders, and along neck; fat on inner thighs may rub together; flank filled with fat.
A body score of less than 4 indicates inadequate energy intake, a score of more than 7 indicates too high an energy intake. A score between 5 and 7 is indicates the proper amount of energy intake.