Body condition scoring in alpacas (Vicugna pacos) and llamas (Lama glama) - a scoping review

Abstract

Assessment of the body condition score (BCS) is an important tool to check the nutritional status of an animal, and thus can provide important information in herd management, but also in the veterinary examination of individual animals. In dairy farming, BCS has been recognized as an important parameter for a long time already, but over the years body condition scoring has also become more important for other species. Especially in South American camelids (SACs: alpacas and llamas), whose dense coat can hide a poor nutritional status for a long time, regular assessment of the BCS is recommended by different authors and organizations. To date, there are several instructions for the assessment of the BCS in SACs, which, however, differ significantly in some points. For a consistent approach, a total of 35 instructions for the BCS in SACs were compared in a scoping review. The spine, especially the lumbar vertebrae as well as the ribs were identified as the two main body sites recommended for assessing the BCS. Furthermore, the area between the front and rear leg and the pelvis were mentioned frequently; however, these body sites were discussed controversially. The paralumbar fossa, shoulder, and udder were only mentioned sporadically. Among the various scales, the 1-5 scale was mentioned most frequently, with the optimal BCS being 3. Nonetheless, physiological fluctuation due to breed, age, sex, pregnancy, and lactation have to be considered. The BCS should be assessed each time the animals are handled, but at least monthly. In contrast to body weight, the BCS reflects the nutritional status of an animal even after a single examination. The review showed that much of the available information on the assessment of BCS in SACs is based on practical experience rather than scientific evidence. Indeed, some of the assumptions made there might still have to be verified or modified.

Keywords: BCS; Clinical score; Emaciation; Nutritional status; South American camelids.

Fig. 1

PRISMA 2020 flow diagram for the systematic literature search. From: Page MJ, McKenzie JE, Bossuyt PM, Boutron I, Hoffmann TC, Mulrow CD, et al. The PRISMA 2020 statement: an updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ 2021;372:n71. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n71. For more information, visit: http://www.prisma-statement.org/

Fig. 2

Chronological overview of sources that include a description of the BCS of South American camelids. Only 32 of the 35 sources are shown in this figure, as no information about the date of publication was available for three of the sources. Further details can be found in Table 1 and Tables S1-S4

Fig. 3

Body sites for assessing the BCS in alpacas and llamas. Overview of the body sites for the BCS assessment recommended by the different sources. T(1–10): textbooks; S(1–11): scientific publications; A(1–7): associations; V(1–7): veterinary services. See Table 1 or Tables S1-S4 for references. Schematic Drawing © L. Grimm