Thermal cameras help spot clinical problems in horses to help prevent serious injury.
A trained thermographer or a vet can check the horse for injury or any weak/hot spots that are not otherwise visible to the naked eye.
As this is a non intrusive method, any problems can be quickly and easily spotted without causing any distress to the animal.
Sandie Chambers, Director of Training and Development for Equitherm, a specialist equine thermal imaging company, says that thermal imaging is a fantastic tool for spotting injury before any visible signs are available and this can sometimes be two or three weeks before any physical signs appear.
“When I discovered how effective thermal imaging was in identifying trauma and stress in the horse, it was like finding gold.”
Horses are naturally very good at hiding existing injuries like a limp or torn muscle and thermography allows these to be spotted before they turn into serious injury that could prevent the horse from competing in events.
The thermographer looks for unusual patterns in heat signature and discrepancies in heat patterns at one side of the animal compared to the other.
Equine, and other types of veterinary thermography isn’t as simple as building and maintenance thermal surveys. Even though thermal cameras are easy to use, appropriate training is still needed to understand the visual readings.
It is irregularities and discrepancies rather than hotspots that are important. Torn muscles can be identified by the heat pattern and the differences in the same muscle on the opposite leg. Sometimes a major injury can be prevented by a simple regular scan.
As well as prevention infrared thermography is also really useful for monitoring a horse’s recovery. The results can aid training and rehabilitation which can be adjusted to suit so that the horse can get back to full strength as quickly as it is able.
Written by Sara Thomson
