The prediction of skeletal mass in growing and adult beagles.

: A number of equations was developed to predict skeletal mass in living beagles, utilizing data from 92 dogs aged 0-3103 days. Twenty eight independent variables were utilized are predictors. These included sex, age, body weight, four external measurements and 21 measurements taken on eight individual bones. The derived predictive equations were ordered as to complexity, i.e., using minimal to maximal information. Skeletal mass could be best predicted when the beagles were divided into four age groups. The use of criteria other than the adjusted coefficient of determination (Ra(2)) was helpful in selecting the single best predictive equation from a subset offered by the computer. Average relative predictive errors could be reduced to 4--8% with maximal information as compared to 11% or more when only minimal information was (hypothetically) available. A single ratio of skeletal to body weight was shown to give poor results when used as the sole criterion for estimating skeletal weight.