The purpose of this study was to determine if the temperatures obtained using a veterinary infrared (IR) thermometer agreed with a digital rectal thermometer in a group of research cats, half of which had transient fevers. The thermometers were weakly correlated (r=0.62). The mean difference was 0.13 degrees F (0.07 degrees C), and the limits of agreement were 2.6 degrees F (1.43 degrees C) and -2.5 degrees F (-1.36 degrees C), which were unacceptable for clinical purposes. The results of this study indicate that, while the IR thermometer was easy to use, it cannot be used interchangeably with the rectal thermometer.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.