Experience of thermography application in animal physiology training exercises

Abstract

ABSTRACT Changes in body temperature provide significant information in animal-based biomedical research and veterinary practice. For this reason, training exercises (TE) in the use of infrared thermography (IRT) have been included in the Animal Physiology subject of the Veterinary Medicine study programme. IRT is an increasingly used method for monitoring thermal changes in farm and laboratory animals as it allows non-contact assessment of body surface temperature variations with multiple research applications (Ghezzi et al., 2024). Thermography can reveal physiological changes before they manifest as clinical signs, allowing early detection and therapeutic intervention (Schaefer and Cook, 2013). Two different IRT cameras are used in student training exercises: Testo 875-1 (Testo, Germany) and FLIR P640 (FLIR System Inc., USA) with its thermovision software. Students also have access to a database of thermal images on laboratory computers. They learn how to analyse thermal images, measure the surface temperature of different parts of the body, find the hottest and coldest points, and visualise temperature changes using histograms. TE provide the opportunity to evaluate thermal images of the limbs of horses and cattle, the udders of cows, as well as images of guinea pigs, rabbits, mice and rats. Furthermore, students explore thermal images with early signs of inflammation, which exhibit temperature differences in a symmetrical comparison. Also there is an opportunity to apply the acquired knowledge by using IRT in the research of students' Master's theses. In the last 5 years, 4 theses have been completed and defended in the department. Finally, integrating the use of IRT into TE has broadened students' knowledge of thermoregulation and surface blood flow. Moreover, it has provided practical experience in analyzing the surface body temperature in different animals, identifying heat dissipation windows, detecting potential circulatory disorders, and recognizing early signs of inflammation that may not be obvious by routine examination.