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PloS one2023; 18(6); e0286807; doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0286807

Detection of foaling using a tail-attached device with a thermistor and tri-axial accelerometer in pregnant mares.

Abstract: It is desirable to attend to the mare at the time of foaling in order to assist fetal delivery and prevent complications. The early detection of the onset of labor is an important issue for the equine industry. The purpose of this study was to examine the applicability of a sensor for foaling detection using the data of surface temperature (ST), roll angle (rotation about the y-axis) and y-axis (long axis of the tail) acceleration which were collected from a multimodal device attached to the ventral tail base of the mare. The data were collected every 3 minutes in 17 pregnant mares. Roll angle differences from the reference values and the mare's posture (standing or recumbent) confirmed by video were compared and associated. Cohen's kappa coefficient was 0.99 when the threshold was set as ± 0.3 radian in roll angle differences. This result clearly showed that the sensor data can accurately distinguish between standing and recumbent postures. The hourly sensor data with a lower ST (LST < 35.5°C), a recumbent posture determined by the roll angle, and tail-raising (TR, decline of 200 mg or more from the reference value in y-axis acceleration) was significantly higher during the last hour prepartum than 2-120 hours before parturition (P < 0.01). The accuracy of foaling detection within one hour was verified using the following three indicators: LST; lying down (LD, change from standing to recumbent posture); and TR. When LST, LD and TR were individually examined, even though all indicators showed that sensitivity was 100%, the precision was 13.1%, 8.1% and 2.8%, respectively. When the data were combined as LST+LD, LST+TR, LD+TR and LST+LD+TR, detection of foaling improved, with precisions of 100%, 32.1%, 56.7% and 100%, respectively. In conclusion, the tail-attached multimodal device examined in this present study is useful for detecting foaling.
Copyright: © 2023 Aoki et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
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Publication Date: 2023-06-02 PubMed ID: 37267402PubMed Central: PMC10237642DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0286807Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This study investigates the use of a sensor, attached to a mare’s tail, to accurately detect the beginning of labor, which could greatly benefit the equine industry.

Research Purpose and Method

  • The primary aim of this research was to explore the possible application of a special sensor for detecting the start of labor in pregnant horses. Such timely detection could potentially allow for assistance during the delivery and prevention of related complications.
  • This sensor measured three key parameters: the surface temperature (ST), the roll angle (or y-axis rotation), and y-axis acceleration. These readings were collected from a device fitted to the mare’s tail base.
  • The study involved 17 pregnant mares, with data being gathered every three minutes.
  • The researchers then compared the sensor data with the mare’s posture, confirmed through video recordings, to validate the accuracy of the device.

Key Findings

  • The research established that the device could accurately differentiate between standing and lying down postures in the mares, with a Cohen’s kappa coefficient of 0.99 for a roll angle threshold set at ± 0.3 radian.
  • The researchers observed significantly more instances of lower surface temperature (below 35.5 degrees Celsius), a change in posture to lying down and tail-raising (a drop of 200 mg or more in y-axis acceleration) in the final hour before birth than 2-120 hours earlier. This indicated the device’s potential to detect the onset of labor within a one-hour accuracy window.
  • The device was most successful at predicting foaling when it combined all three indicators (lower surface temperature, lying down, and tail-raising), with a precision rating of a perfect 100%. Conversely, when the indicators were examined independently, the precision dropped significantly to 13.1% for lower surface temperature, 8.1% for lying down, and 2.8% for tail-raising.

Conclusion

  • The study showed that the tail-attached device was highly effective at detecting labor onset in mares, implying its potential use in monitoring pregnant mares and ensuring successful, complication-free births.
  • This technological advancement could be a significant addition to the equine industry, and more extensive investigation is necessary to further optimize and validate the device.

Cite This Article

APA
Aoki T, Shibata M, Violin G, Higaki S, Yoshioka K. (2023). Detection of foaling using a tail-attached device with a thermistor and tri-axial accelerometer in pregnant mares. PLoS One, 18(6), e0286807. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0286807

Publication

PloS one
ISSN: 1932-6203
NlmUniqueID: 101285081
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 18
Issue: 6
Pages: e0286807
PII: e0286807

Researcher Affiliations

Aoki, Takahiro
  • Department of Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Hokkaido, Japan.
Shibata, Makoto
  • Department of Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Hokkaido, Japan.
Violin, Guilherme
  • Department of Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Hokkaido, Japan.
Higaki, Shogo
  • National Institute of Animal Health, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
Yoshioka, Koji
  • Laboratory of Theriogenology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Azabu University, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan.

MeSH Terms

  • Pregnancy
  • Horses
  • Animals
  • Female
  • Tail
  • Parturition
  • Labor, Obstetric
  • Accelerometry

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

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Citations

This article has been cited 2 times.
  1. Aoki T, Violin G, Jikihara T, Shibata M, Higaki S, Ozawa T, Furukawa E, Yoshioka K. Prediction of Nocturnal Foaling Using Ventral Tail Base Surface Temperature Recorded by a Wearable Device Attached to the Mare's Tail. Animals (Basel) 2026 Jan 9;16(2).
    doi: 10.3390/ani16020199pubmed: 41594388google scholar: lookup
  2. Wang B, Duan W, Zhao J, Bai D. Detection of mare parturition through balanced multi-scale feature fusion based on improved Libra RCNN. PLoS One 2025;20(3):e0318498.
    doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0318498pubmed: 40036288google scholar: lookup
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