DETECTION OF HEALTH DISORDERS IN DAIRY CATTLE UTILIZING A THERMAL INFRARED SCANNING TECHNIQUE

Abstract

During a study of skin temperature differentials in relation to estrus in dairy cows, it was noticed that the area enclosed by the 37 °C isotherm on the gluteal region of the cow's body surface tended to increase substantially if the animal became ill. This increase generally occurred within 3 days prior to clinical detection of disease. It is suggested that thermal infrared scanning may have potential as a technique for early detection of illness. Key words: Dairy cattle, disease detection, infrared scanning, skin temperature