No-Contact Microchip Monitoring of Body Temperature in Yearling Horses.

The research article investigates the use of microchips to monitor body temperature in young horses, offering a less invasive and more efficient way to monitor their health status. The study found significant correlations between the temperatures recorded by these microchips and traditional rectal measurements.

Participants and Method

• The participants in the study were foals that were 4-12 months old. There were 26 males and 17 females, all of which were healthy throughout the study.
• The foals were housed in stalls over the course of two winters (December to February).
• Each foal was equipped with an identification and temperature sensor microchip that was implanted in the neckline.
• The temperature was recorded using an antenna located near the drinking trough, with over 100,000 recordings obtained.
• Rectal temperatures were also recorded in 26 of the animals for comparison. A total of 79 such measurements were recorded.
• The recorded data were then analyzed with a linear mixed model, using natural cubic splines for the mean curve and a random horse effect.

Findings

• The average temperature for all individuals at all times was 37.5 ± 0.1°C.
• The time of day affected the temperature, with a daily amplitude of 0.96°C. The lowest temperatures were observed before dawn, the highest occurring around 18:00, and a smaller increase around midday.
• Males had a mean temperature 0.26°C higher than females.
• Lighter foals (<200 kg) had a mean temperature 0.1°C higher than their heavier peers.
• Temperature decreased with increasing daylight by 0.35°C over the course of the study.
• The temperatures recorded by the microchips significantly correlated with the rectal temperatures (R = 0.16, P < .001).

Conclusions

• This noninvasive tool offers a more efficient way to monitor the health of young horses.
• It does not require extra handling and provides valuable information about normal body temperature values considering factors such as time of day, meal time, and sex.
• The study suggests that future health monitoring of foals can benefit from using temperature-sensitive microchip technology.