Though non-contact, infrared thermometers became popular during Covid as they limited the proximity to other people, the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences at Texas A&M University has found that these tools may not be a reliable alternative to rectal thermometers for detecting fevers in horses.
The ability to accurately determine a horse's temperature is vital to assessing horse health and implementing biosecurity measures in groups of horses. Though ideal, taking rectal temperatures can place the temperature taker in danger if the horse opposes having it taken.
Non-contact thermometers provide convenient and quick readings, but they assess only the surface temperature and may not accurately reflect the horse's core body temperature. A horse's thick coat and environmental conditions may affect the thermometer's accuracy.
Drs. Leslie Easterwood and Noah Cohen compared the rectal temperatures with readings by non-contact thermometers in 142 Quarter Horses and 34 Quarter Horse foals. The non-contact thermometer collected readings from the forehead or neck of each horse.
Their study showed that the temperatures taken by the non-contact infrared thermometer were able to be repeated well, but the readings did not align with rectal temperatures. They found a substantial negative bias, with the adult horses showing readings nearly 2 degrees F lower on the non-contact thermometers than with the rectal thermometers. In foals, the difference was even higher, with the average difference being 3 degrees F difference between the two thermometers.
The researchers conclude that non-contact infrared thermometers may not be suitable to obtain valid estimates of equine core body temperature.
Read more at Equine Science Update.
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