Thermography (Infrared Thermal Imaging)

Thermal imaging has come a long way! Our infrared thermal imaging camera allows us to identify heat asymmetries in your horse and interpret them in a number of contexts.

Infrared Thermal Imaging is a measurement of the electromagnetic energy (heat) radiating from the patient's tissues.  The readings computer analyzed and compiled into a high resolution, color image report.  

Heat is an indication of work load, inflammation or injury. The warmer a tissue is, the more work it has just performed or inflammation or injury within it.

Identifying asymmetries in heat emission allows:

  • Early identification/detection of:

    • Regions of increased heat emissions, indicating

      • sites at risk of injury that would benefit from further evaluation

      • regions with subclinical injuries resulting in swelling, pain or discomfort, indicative of an area at risk of an injury, that would benefit from further evaluation.

    • Regions lacking proper heat emissions, indicating limited, reduced, delayed or poor functional activity

  • Detection of poor saddle or tack fit

  • Detection of elusive hoof abscesses

  • Objective evaluations of prehabilitation plans: improving symmetry between structures heat emissions

  • Objective evaluations of rehabilitation plans: changes in heat emissions indicating either to much force and strain on the structure or improved strength and function of the structure

There is a highly repeatable degree of heat symmetry between left and right sides of the horse, even down to specific structures.  For example, a 3 degree difference between the heat radiating from the left and right hock is significant.  The patient itself serves as the control and any thermal asymmetry between similar areas warrants further investigation.  The unit's thermal accuracy is within +/-1 degree celsius of the actual tissue temperature, but it can detect a heat difference of 0.02 degrees celsius between tissues.

The conditions of the exam are regulated and established to minimize outside heat sources (handler, environment, equipment) and internal patient heat sources (blanketing, wraps, movement) from influencing the patients heat emissions, or altering and interfering with the imaging and analysis.