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Home / Equine Research Bank / Reprod Domest Anim / Thermal features, ambient temperature and hair coat lengths:...
Reproduction in domestic animals = Zuchthygiene2021; 56(10); 1315-1328; doi: 10.1111/rda.13994

Thermal features, ambient temperature and hair coat lengths: Limitations of infrared imaging in pregnant primitive breed mares within a year.

Abstract: Infrared thermography is a non-invasive technique which allows to distinguish between pregnant and non-pregnant animals. Detecting accurate body surface temperatures can be challenging due to external factors altering thermograph measurements. This study aimed to determine the associations between the ambient temperature, the hair coat features and the temperatures of mares' abdomens. It compared pregnant and non-pregnant mares throughout 11 months. The research was carried out on 40 Konik Polski mares, which were divided into pregnant and non-pregnant groups. The temperature (Tmax, maximal; Taver, average; Tmin, minimal) of the mares' abdomen was evaluated in two regions of interest: the whole area of the lateral surface of the mares' abdomen (Px1) and the flank area of the lateral surface of mares' abdomen (Px2). During the increasing period, the slopes in the linear regression equation did not differ significantly for ambient (Tamb) and surface temperatures in both groups. In the decreasing period, the slopes did not differ significantly for Tamb and Tmax in the non-pregnant group. They also did not differ for Tamb and Taver in Px1 and Tamb and Tmin in Px1 in both pregnant and non-pregnant groups respectively. Other slopes varied significantly (p < .001). There was no evidence of parallel changes in hair coat features and measured temperatures. The flank area appears more suitable for thermal imaging in pregnant mares due to the seasonal fluctuations in hair coat lengths.
© 2021 The Authors. Reproduction in Domestic Animals published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.
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Publication Date: 2021-08-16 PubMed ID: 34310786PubMed Central: PMC9292174DOI: 10.1111/rda.13994Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article

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.

The study delves into the efficacy of infrared thermography as a non-invasive means to differentiate between pregnant and non-pregnant mares. The analysis also explores the influence of external factors such as ambient temperature and horse hair length on the obtained thermographic readings.

Study Overview

  • The primary purpose of the study was to determine the different relationships between the ambient temperature, hair coat features, and the surface temperatures of the mares’ abnorms.
  • The study compared both pregnant and non-pregnant mares over an eleven-month period.
  • The research was conducted on 40 horses of a specific breed known as Konik Polski. These were then heterogeneously divided into two groups, pregnant and non-pregnant.

Thermographic Readings

  • For each horse, the researchers observed two specified regions of interest on the abdomen: the entirety of the lateral surface of the abdomen and the lateral surface of the horse’s flank area.
  • The temperatures they measured included the highest (Tmax), the average (Taver), and the lowest (Tmin) of the abdomen in the two identified areas.

Results of Temperature Variations

  • The study found that during periods of temperature increase, the rise in surface temperature did not significantly differ between the ambient temperature and the surface temperature. This was consistent across both groups.
  • In periods of decreasing temperature, a similar pattern was observed in the non-pregnant group.
  • However, in the pregnant group, there was consistency between the ambient temperature coupled with the average or minimum temperature in the whole abdomen area.
  • A significant variation was observed in other aforementioned situations.

Hair Coat and Temperature Measurements

  • The study found no concrete evidence linking changes in the hair coat features and measured temperatures.
  • Despite this, it was observed that the flank area—less impacted by seasonal fluctuations in hair coat length—was considered a more appropriate region for thermal imaging in pregnant mares.

Cite This Article

APA
Maśko M, Witkowska-Piłaszewicz O, Jasiński T, Domino M. (2021). Thermal features, ambient temperature and hair coat lengths: Limitations of infrared imaging in pregnant primitive breed mares within a year. Reprod Domest Anim, 56(10), 1315-1328. https://doi.org/10.1111/rda.13994

Publication

Reproduction in domestic animals = Zuchthygiene
ISSN: 1439-0531
NlmUniqueID: 9015668
Country: Germany
Language: English
Volume: 56
Issue: 10
Pages: 1315-1328

Researcher Affiliations

Maśko, Małgorzata
  • Department of Animal Breeding, Institute of Animal Science, Warsaw University of Life Sciences (WULS - SGGW), Warsaw, Poland.
Witkowska-Piłaszewicz, Olga
  • Department of Large Animal Diseases and Clinic, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences (WULS - SGGW), Warsaw, Poland.
Jasiński, Tomasz
  • Department of Large Animal Diseases and Clinic, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences (WULS - SGGW), Warsaw, Poland.
Domino, Małgorzata
  • Department of Large Animal Diseases and Clinic, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences (WULS - SGGW), Warsaw, Poland.

MeSH Terms

  • Abdomen / diagnostic imaging
  • Animal Fur
  • Animals
  • Female
  • Horses / physiology
  • Pregnancy
  • Pregnancy Tests / methods
  • Pregnancy Tests / veterinary
  • Pregnancy, Animal
  • Temperature
  • Thermography / methods
  • Thermography / veterinary

Grant Funding

  • 2019/03/X/NZ9/01759 / National Science Centre in Poland

Conflict of Interest Statement

None of the authors has any conflict of interest to declare.

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Citations

This article has been cited 4 times.
  1. Verdegaal EJMM, Howarth GS, McWhorter TJ, Delesalle CJG. Is Continuous Monitoring of Skin Surface Temperature a Reliable Proxy to Assess the Thermoregulatory Response in Endurance Horses During Field Exercise?. Front Vet Sci 2022;9:894146.
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  3. Zheng S, Zhou C, Jiang X, Huang J, Xu D. Progress on Infrared Imaging Technology in Animal Production: A Review.. Sensors (Basel) 2022 Jan 18;22(3).
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  4. Domino M, Borowska M, Kozłowska N, Zdrojkowski Ł, Jasiński T, Smyth G, Maśko M. Advances in Thermal Image Analysis for the Detection of Pregnancy in Horses Using Infrared Thermography.. Sensors (Basel) 2021 Dec 28;22(1).
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