Agreement of Temperatures Measured Using a Non-Contact Infrared Thermometer With a Rectal Digital Thermometer in Horses.
Abstract: Evaluating the body temperature of horses is an essential tool for monitoring horse health and biosecurity in groups of horses. Temperatures of horses and foals are determined most often using rectal thermometry. Rectal thermometry has limitations that include safety considerations for horses and humans. Thus, we investigated the agreement between a noncontact infrared thermometer (NCIT) and a rectal digital thermometer in 142 horses and 34 foals. For each horse and foal, measurements using the NCIT were collected from the forehead (n = 2) or neck (n = 1) and with a rectal digital thermometer (n = 1). Although the NCIT demonstrated good reliability (i.e. repeatability of measurements), a large negative bias (nearly 2°F (-16.7°C) in adult horses and >3°F (-16.1°C) in foals) was observed between readings from the NCIT and the rectal thermometer in healthy horses. Although horses with febrile illness were not included in the study, our results indicate that the large and inconsistent bias observed with the NCIT indicates that these devices will not be a suitable substitute for rectal thermometry for obtaining valid estimates of core body temperature in horses.
Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Inc.
Publication Date: 2023-02-16 PubMed ID: 36806714DOI: 10.1016/j.jevs.2023.104243Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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The study investigates the accuracy of a non-contact infrared thermometer (NCIT) compared to a rectal digital thermometer in determining the body temperature of horses.
Objective of the Research
- The main goal of this research was to evaluate the agreement between the NCIT and the rectal digital thermometer in measuring body temperature of horses (142 in total) and foals (34 in total). The researchers sought to determine if the NCIT could be a reliable and safer alternative to the more invasive and potentially dangerous rectal thermometer.
Methodology
- The team took measurements using both thermometers, gathering data using the NCIT from the forehead or neck, and using a rectal thermometer internally.
- The NCIT used in the study measures the thermal radiation emitted from the body to calculate the temperature, which contrasts with the direct internal reading taken by the rectal thermometer.
Findings
- Although the NCIT showed good reliability, meaning the measurements taken were consistent, a significant negative bias was identified between the readings from the infrared and rectal thermometers.
- The NCIT tended to underestimate the body temperature by nearly 2°F in adult horses and more than 3°F in foals compared to the rectal thermometer readings.
- Despite the NCIT’s non-invasive and safer characteristics, due to this significant underestimation of body temperature, the study concludes that NCIT devices are not suitable replacements for rectal thermometry in horses.
Implications
- The findings of this research have important implications for horse health monitoring and biosecurity protocols. While NCIT has the advantage of being non-invasive, the significant discrepancy in readings compared to rectal thermometry suggests it’s not a suitable alternative for accurately assessing a horse’s core body temperature.
- Rectal thermometry, despite its limitations and potential dangers, remains the standard for obtaining valid estimates of core body temperature in horses.
- Finding better, safer, and more reliable alternatives for horse temperature assessment remains a challenge and an area needing further research.
Cite This Article
APA
Easterwood L, Cohen ND.
(2023).
Agreement of Temperatures Measured Using a Non-Contact Infrared Thermometer With a Rectal Digital Thermometer in Horses.
J Equine Vet Sci, 123, 104243.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jevs.2023.104243 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX. Electronic address: leasterwood@tamu.edu.
- Equine Infectious Disease Laboratory, Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX.
MeSH Terms
- Horses
- Animals
- Humans
- Thermometers / veterinary
- Temperature
- Reproducibility of Results
- Body Temperature
- Rectum
Citations
This article has been cited 3 times.- Zhang Y, Han Y, Li X, Zeng X, Shakweer WME, Liu G, Wang J. High-Performance Automated Detection of Sheep Binocular Eye Temperatures and Their Correlation with Rectal Temperature. Animals (Basel) 2025 Aug 22;15(17).
- Alberghina D, Tombolani C, Quintavalla F. Performance of a non-contact veterinary infrared thermometer and reference intervals of equine temperature at different body sites. Front Vet Sci 2025;12:1583839.
- Bueso-Ródenas J, Moreno-Manrique M, Gascó P, Arias R, Romero G, Díaz JR. Evaluation of Body and Udder Temperatures and Mammary Gland Health Status Throughout Lactation in Manchega Dairy Sheep. Animals (Basel) 2025 Mar 9;15(6).
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