Quantitative Assessment of the Percent Fat in Domestic Animal Bone Marrow

• NCJ Number: 234671
• Journal: Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 56 Issue: 3 Dated: May 2011 Pages: 775-777
• Author(s): Kimberly A. Meyerholtz, B.S.; Christina R. Wilson, Ph.D.; Robert J. Everson, Ph.D.; Stephen B. Hooser, D.V.M., Ph.D.
• Date Published: May 2011
• Length: 3 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Presented at the 48th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, November 3–9, 2005, in Hershey, PA.

Annotation

This paper discusses an analytical method quantitating the percent fat in bone marrow from three domestic species: bovine, canine, and equine.

Abstract

Measurement of the amount of fat in femoral bone marrow can provide a quantitative assessment of the nutritional status of an individual animal. An analytical method is presented for quantitating the percent fat in bone marrow from three domestic species: bovine, canine, and equine. In this procedure, fat is extracted from bone marrow using pentane, and the percent fat recovered is determined gravimetrically. Based on analyses from adult animals (normal body condition scores), the average percentage of fat in the bone marrow was greater than 80 percent. In cases in which animals have been diagnosed as emaciated or exhibit serous atrophy of fat (body scores of 1 or 2), the femoral bone marrow fat was less than 20 percent. In domestic animals, bone marrow fat analysis can be a useful, quantitative measure that, when used in conjunction with all other data available, can support a diagnosis of starvation or malnutrition. (Published Abstract)