Measurements of body surface area and volume in male Japanese White rabbits using a computed tomography scanner: comparison with male New Zealand White rabbits

Abstract

The body surface area (BSA) of animals has generally been estimated by multiplying the k value by the measured body weight (BW) raised to the power of 2/3 (Meeh’s formula). In mathematical terms, the assumption that the density and body shape of animals are essentially constant means that the BSA is proportional to BW2/3. In this study, we measured the BSA and volume of 50 male Japanese White rabbits (JW) at 10 to 54 weeks of age using a computed tomography scanner, then calculated the k value, density, and sphericity. The variations in these parameters were then analyzed in relation to growth. The obtained results indicated that the k value was negatively correlated to BW, and that this negative correlation was mainly due to the variation in density. Based on the regression analysis, we propose the following linear regression equation for calculating the k value in male JW at 10–54 weeks of age: the k value = 14.602 − 0.959 × BW [kg]. The calculated values ranged from 10.9 to 12.7 (working BW range: 1.98 to 3.81 kg). The k value of male New Zealand White rabbits (NZW) determined in our previous study and that of male JW in the present study were compared. It was revealed that the k value of male JW was larger than that of male NZW. We concluded that different breeds of rabbits express different k values.

Body surface area measurements in male Hartley guinea pigs using a computed tomography scanner

“…Previously, we determined the BSAs of laboratory miniature pigs and rabbits using this measuring method. The k values were calculated for peripubertal- or mature-miniature pigs, juvenile miniature pigs, New Zealand White rabbits, and male Japanese White rabbits as 7.98 [ 8 ], 8.58 [ 9 ], 11.0 [ 10 ], and 14.602–0.959 × BW (kg) [ 11 ], respectively. In this study, we measured the BSA of male Hartley guinea pigs from CT images and calculated the k value.…”