Quantifying body surface temperature differences in canine coat types using infrared thermography

Publication date: Available online 8 March 2019Source: Journal of Thermal BiologyAuthor(s): Claire Kwon, Cord BrundageAbstractInfrared thermography (IRT) has been used to assess the health of canines by measuring surface temperatures. However, little is known about the effect hair coat differences has on expected surface temperature in healthy canines under the influence of hair coat differences. The aim of this study was to identify the influence of coat characteristics in body surface temperature (BST) in canines (Canis lupus familiaris). To determine the changes in BST, an infrared thermal imaging camera (i.e. FLIR B400) was used. Thermal images of the left and right sides of privately-owned dogs (n = 50) were acquired. Each animal acclimated in an indoor environment away from direct sunlight (23 ± 2.0 °C) for 15 minutes, and images were taken at a distance 0.67 ± 0.24 m. Regions of interest (ROIs) of mean surface temperatures were examined across the lateral surface of each animal. No statistical differences were detected based on laterality (P = 0.08). Mean BSTs were categorized by each dog's hair coat type: short coat (SC), curly coat (CC), long coat (LC), and double coat (DC). These BSTs were then analyzed using two-way analysis of variance, or ANOVA, (Shapiro-Wilk) and pairwise comparison. SC animals had the highest BST (31.77 ± 0.19 °C; P < 0.001) whereas LC (28.14 ± 0.31 °C; P < 0.001) and DC animals (28.25 ± 0.23 °C; P...
Source: Journal of Thermal Biology - Category: Biology Source Type: research