Under conditions of controlled temperature and humidity, we examined the efficiency of infrared thermography (IRT) method for measuring the skin temperature in cattle, and also compared differences in mean temperatures observed between the left and right sides of the body. Coefficient of variation for the maximum orbital temperature and mean temperature of the hind portion of the body showed good levels of reproducibility, at 0.7% and 0.5%, respectively. The maximum orbital temperature of cattle significantly reduced, depending on the measurement distance. In contrast, even if the measurement distance of IRT changed, the mean temperature of the hind portion of the body remained unchanged. No significant difference was noted between the left and right skin temperatures of the cattle. In areas with exposed skin, such as the orbital area, the maximum temperature measured by IRT was detected automatically at the same location. However, in sites with thick hair coverage, such as the hind portion of the body, the maximum and minimum temperatures measured by IRT were not detected at the same location. Therefore, in order to perform IRT measurements with sufficient reproducibility at such hair-rich sites in cattle, it was considered necessary to calculate the mean temperature of the area.
(Pathology and Pathophysiology Research Division)
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- Fukui Y. et al (2014) J. Jpn. Vet. Med. Assoc. 67(4):249-254
- Sakakibara S. et al (2014) J. Jpn. Vet. Med. Assoc. 67(2):125-128
