Body condition scoring method for the blue fox (Alopex lagopus)

Abstract Breeding for larger size in the blue fox has been successful. Today, most of the animals are large and fat at pelting time, but obesity is also more common. Extreme fatness is detrimental especially for young vixens, because fattening followed by fast and pronounced weight loss for the breeding season has a negative impact on litter size and other fertility traits. Fatness needs to be taken into account in new breeding strategies, and easy ways to record it are required. We developed a simple and quick body condition scoring (BCS) method for the evaluation of stored body fat in foxes. Correlated BCS with ultrasonic measurement of subcutaneous fat thickness, whole-carcass fat content, body weight, grading size and animal length was positive. We suggest that the BCS method can serve as a useful and practical tool for assessing the degree of fatness in the blue fox.