Comparative body compositions of the dog and goat

The weights of certain organs and tissues of dogs and goats were measured and expressed as percentages of the total body weights. Species differences were observed in the contribution of several organs to the body weight. In the goat, a large percentage of the body weight was due to gastrointestinal contents. When calculations were made with the gastrointestinal contents eliminated from the body weight, many of the originally observed differences disappeared. After exclusion of the weight of gastrointestinal contents, only the values for skin, large intestine, and kidneys were significantly different between species. The possible influence of body composition on drug dosage is discussed.