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Determination
of age in dogs and cats by use of changes in lens reflections and
transparency
Tobias, G., Tobias, T. A., Abood, S. K., Hamor, R. E., Ballam, J. M. Abstract
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Abstract
Objective-To develop and test a noninvasive technique for determining age in
dogs and cats on the basis of changes in lens reflections and transparency.
Animals-85 dogs representing 5 breeds and 73 domestic shorthair cats.
Procedure-While examining dilated eyes in a darkened room, using a penlight, 2
experienced examiners who were blinded to actual age of animals individually
measured the diameter of reflections from the anterior (La) and posterior (Lb)
surfaces of the lens and scored lens transparency (Ltr) from 1 (clear) to 5
(severe opacity). Models were developed to predict age on the basis of these
measurements. Results-Aging models developed for dogs and cats were as
follows: Age dogs = 2.197 - 0.070 X (La) + 1.361 X (Lb) + 1.193 X (Ltr) and
Age cats = 1.988 + 1.024 X (La) + 2,220 X (Lb) + 1.019 X (Ltr), where age was
expressed in years, and La and Lb were in millimeters. All variables, except
La in dogs, contributed significantly to accuracy of the models. Correlation
between predicted and actual ages, as measured by Pearson's product-moment
correlation coefficient, was significant in both species (P < 0.0001).
Significant differences were not found between examiners or between the first
and second evaluations by the same examiner. Conclusions and Clinical
Relevance-A noninvasive technique based on evaluation of lens reflections and
transparency can provide clinically useful predictions of age in mature dogs
and cats. This technique could be an important tool for veterinarians or
humane shelters in determining differential diagnoses and assessing longevity
and adoptability of mature animals of unknown age.
Reference
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF VETERINARY RESEARCH ,
59(8):945-950 1998
Updated January 2016
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