Infrared Thermography: A Non-Invasive Way to Assess Animal Health and Productivity

Abstract Dairy cattle may experience stress and anxiety due to rough handling by humans, extreme weather conditions, change in feed, social grouping, transportation, and limited access to pasture. Stress is the body’s response to a threat, while anxiety is persistent stress that impacts physical and psychological health. Cows experiencing consistent stress or anxiety tend to eat less, produce less milk, have reproductive issues, change in milk composition, spend more time being vigilant and are more prone to illness and mortality. Infrared thermography (IRT) detects temperature changes in an animal’s body caused by stress or anxiety. It measures heat radiation emitted from the body’s surface using an infrared sensor from a distance. Studies have shown that IRT of the eyes has the potential to automate the assessment of cow health, monitor changes in milk composition, and differentiate between sick and healthy animals, unlike rectal temperature recording, behavioural assessment, and milk composition tests. IRT of the eyes was found to be repeatable and positively correlated with rectal temperature, unlike rectal temperature measurements, which were found to be non-reproducible. Further research and refinement of IRT of the eyes could improve automated cow health monitoring and management. Information © The Author 2024