Utilization of Infrared Thermography in Assessing Thermal Responses of Farm Animals under Heat Stress

Ghezzi, Marcelo Daniel; Napolitano, Fabio; Casas-Alvarado, Alejandro; Hernández-Ávalos, Ismael; Domínguez-Oliva, Adriana; Olmos-Hernández, Adriana; Pereira, Alfredo M. F.

doi:10.3390/ani14040616

Cited by 8 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 117 publications

(138 reference statements)

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“…At the site of inflammation, pro-inflammatory factors can cause vasodilation, increasing blood flow and vascular permeability, and releasing chemical mediators, leading to symptoms such as redness, swelling, pain, loss of function, and localized heat ( 44 ). It has been suggested that variations in calves’ eye temperatures can serve as a sign of severe pain ( 45 ), temperature variations can be measured using IRT after a nociceptive stimulus due to the activation of the nervous system and its vasomotor consequences, inducing an inflammatory process and an increase or decrease in heat radiation ( 26 , 46 ). In our experiment, following dehorning, the ocular temperatures of both groups of calves increased, although the difference was not statistically significant.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multi-dimensional evaluation of pain response in low day-age calves to two types of dehorning

Cui,

Liu,

et al. 2024

Front. Vet. Sci.

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IntroductionDehorning calves is necessary to minimize injury because intensive raising circumstances make horned cows more aggressive. However, acute pain is commonly perceived by farm animals when undergoing painful practices such as dehorning, affecting their health status and quality of life. By quantifying the magnitude of pain and discomfort associated with dehorning, we aim to contribute to a more humane and sustainable cattle farming industry.MethodsThe objective of this study was to evaluate the behavioral, physiological, and emotional effects of acute dehorning pain in calves using two methods: dehorning cream and dehorning hot-iron.30 Holstein calves aged 4 days were selected for the study. These calves were randomly assigned to two experimental groups based on the method of disbudding: dehorning cream (n = 15) and hot-iron dehorning (n = 15). Before and after dehorning, we evaluated their physiological indicators of infrared eye temperature, concentrations of substance P, IL-6, cortisol, haptoglobin, as well as emotional state, and pain-related behavioral reactions.ResultsPost-dehorning, the duration of lying down decreased significantly in both groups (DI and DC: 0–4 h) after dehorning (p < 0.05). Both groups exhibited increased frequencies of pain-related behaviors such as head shaking (DI: 1–7 h, DC: 1–6 h), ear flicking (DI: 2–7 h, DC: 2–7 h), head scratching (DI: 2–3 h, DC: 1–7 h), and top scuffing (DI: 2 h, DC: 2–7 h) compared to pre-dehorning (p < 0.05). The DC group demonstrated a higher frequency of head-shaking, ear-flicking, head-scratching, and top-rubbing behaviors, along with a longer duration of lying down (0–4 h), compared to the DI group (p < 0.05). Post-dehorning, play behavior reduced significantly in both groups (6–8 h) (p < 0.05), whereas judgment bias and fear levels showed no significant change (p > 0.05). Physiological measures including eye temperature, and blood levels of substance P and IL-6, did not differ significantly between the groups before and after dehorning (p > 0.05). However, 48 h after dehorning, calves in the DC group had significantly higher haptoglobin levels compared to the DI group (p = 0.015). Additionally, salivary cortisol levels in the DC group increased significantly at 3.5 h and 7 h post-dehorning (p = 0.018, p = 0.043).DiscussionBoth hot-iron and cream dehorning induced pain in calves, as evidenced by increased pain-related behaviors, elevated salivary cortisol, and higher haptoglobin levels, alongside reduced positive behaviors. Notably, these effects were more pronounced in the DC group than in the DI group, suggesting that dehorning hot-iron may be a comparatively less stressful dehorning method for young calves. Moreover, the brief duration of pain response and weaker response to dehorning observed in 13-day-age calves in this study suggests that dehorning at younger ages may be more advisable and warrants further research.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multi-dimensional evaluation of pain response in low day-age calves to two types of dehorning

Cui,

Liu,

et al. 2024

Front. Vet. Sci.

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“…The highest correlation between RT and RR was found in the lacrimal sac (up to 0.60), concluding that this region should be considered as an adequate predictor of heat stress in animals. According to Mota Rojas et al [8], the blood flow of the lacrimal caruncle is provided by the orbital artery and its branches (supraorbital and infraorbital artery) [91]. The suborbital artery receives sympathetic innervation from the facial nerve [92].…”

Section: Stress-mediated Thermal Response and Its Assessment Through ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Use of Infrared Thermography and Heart Rate Variability to Evaluate Autonomic Activity in Domestic Animals

Ghezzi,

Ceriani,

Domínguez-Oliva

et al. 2024

Animals

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Most of the responses present in animals when exposed to stressors are mediated by the autonomic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system, known as the one responsible for the “fight or flight” reaction, triggers cardiovascular changes such as tachycardia or vasomotor alterations to restore homeostasis. Increase in body temperature in stressed animals also activates peripheral compensatory mechanisms such as cutaneous vasodilation to increase heat exchange. Since changes in skin blood flow influence the amount of heat dissipation, infrared thermography is suggested as a tool that can detect said changes. The present review aims to analyze the application of infrared thermography as a method to assess stress-related autonomic activity, and their association with the cardiovascular and heart rate variability in domestic animals.

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“…Among the technologies used to investigate animal comfort and environmental conditions quickly, non-invasively and with reliable and replicable results, monitoring using near-infrared thermography has been gaining ground, with applications in different areas of scientific knowledge, such as early diagnosis of diseases, non-invasive assessment of rectal temperature, determination of animal thermal stress and thermal characterization of the environment in which they live [ 23 , 24 ]. The radiometric imaging allow data to be obtained by evaluating targets such as the surface of animals and correlating them with the production systems studied [ 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thermographic Profiles in Livestock Systems under Full Sun and Shaded Pastures during an Extreme Climate Event in the Eastern Amazon, Brazil: El Niño of 2023

Silva,

Martorano

et al. 2024

Animals

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The El Niño represents a substantial threat to pastures, affecting the availability of water, forage and compromising the sustainability of grazing areas, especially in the northern region of Brazil. Therefore, the objective of this study was to characterize the thermographic profile of three production systems in the Eastern Amazon, Brazil. The study was conducted on a rural cattle farm in Mojuí dos Campos, Pará, Brazil, between August and November 2023. The experiment involved livestock production systems, including traditional, silvopastoral and integrated, with different conditions of shade and access to the bathing area. An infrared thermographic (IRT) camera was used, recording temperatures in different zones, such as areas with trees, pastures with forage and exposed pastures. The highest mean temperatures (p = 0.02) were observed in pastures with full sun from August to November. On the other hand, the lowest average temperatures were recorded in areas shaded by chestnut trees (Bertholletia excelsa). The highest temperature ranges were found in sunny areas and the lowest were recorded in shaded areas. The highest temperatures were observed in the pasture in full sun, while the lowest were recorded in areas shaded by chestnut trees (p < 0.0001). The interaction between the systems and treatments revealed significant temperature differences (p < 0.0001), with the native trees showing an average temperature of 35.9 °C, lower than the grasses and soil, which reached 61.2 °C. This research concludes that, under El Niño in the Eastern Amazon, areas shaded by Brazil nut trees had lower temperatures, demonstrating the effectiveness of shade. Native trees, compared to grasses and soil, showed the ability to create cooler environments, highlighting the positive influence on different species such as sheep, goats and cattle.

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Utilization of Infrared Thermography in Assessing Thermal Responses of Farm Animals under Heat Stress

Cited by 8 publications

References 117 publications

Multi-dimensional evaluation of pain response in low day-age calves to two types of dehorning

Multi-dimensional evaluation of pain response in low day-age calves to two types of dehorning

Use of Infrared Thermography and Heart Rate Variability to Evaluate Autonomic Activity in Domestic Animals

Thermographic Profiles in Livestock Systems under Full Sun and Shaded Pastures during an Extreme Climate Event in the Eastern Amazon, Brazil: El Niño of 2023

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