Validation of a skin and coat scoring protocol in dogs

Abstract

Skin and coat scores have been used to assess changes in skin and coat quality in dogs. The aim of this study was to evaluate a skin and coat protocol in dogs of different coat types. Skin and coat of long-haired, short-haired and wire-haired dogs were scored for alopecia, glossiness, greasiness, softness, scaliness and overall skin and coat quality by ten observers. Intraobserver and interobserver agreement was assessed using kappa values. Thirty-six client-owned dogs were included in the study. The overall intraobserver agreement was moderate when assessing greasiness and glossiness and substantial when assessing alopecia, softness, scaliness and overall skin and coat quality. The overall interobserver agreement was only slight to fair for all features assessed. In conclusion, the proposed skin and coat scoring protocol assesses different aspects of the skin and coat quality in dogs and is easy and non-invasive. Scoring skin and coat quality over time is only reliable if performed by the same person.