The Wonders of Thermography! by William F James 8-11-2014
Equine Thermography has grown leaps and bounds in recent years, with the advancement of technology what was once a giant machine unable to be used in the field, is now a perfect hand held size device that can be taken anywhere! Thermography is the detection of the natural heat our bodies produce, certified thermorgraphers can read this heat qualitatively and quantitatively to find hidden secrets that is happening inside our horses’ bodies. The main focus in equine thermography is the detection of inflammation. Finding inflammation in the body can be signs of injuries formed and or forming. It’s a great tool in determining where the pain is located.
Equinethermography.co.uk wrote a pretty decent summary of the amazing benefits of Equine Thermography. “The major benefits of Equine Thermography is that it is completely non-invasive and non-contact. It is a 'real time' or 'live' feedback tool revealing changes in physiology as they are happening rather than looking at tissue after it has been damaged. We get an immediate view of the body's physiological attempts to normalise the system in the here and now; temperature change is the first thing that changes when things are going wrong. Equine Thermography will reveal those heat changes before a joint, for example, becomes irreparably injured or breaks down. The practical applications of ET are many and varied.Infrared is a light wavelength that is always present but not seen by the naked eye. This advanced technological equipment allows us to gain a very clear view of the heat patterns emanating from the body. Horseowners, veterinarians, trainers and para-professionals may all find good practical and functional benefits from using Equine Thermography.“
Thermography has become a great tool in my practice as a farrier; unfortunately horses can’t speak verbally to us, so when they are in pain we have to identify it using our other senses. To add further mystery to any lameness or pain, horses will always try to compensate and move the pain away. More times than I can count, we are called out to look at a lame horse; of course we see that he is lame in the left front (hypothetically). After testing the lameness with hoof testers and flexing we can not find any specific point of lameness. This usually starts the volleyball game between the Vet. And the Farrier, both will punt the ball back to the other. With Thermorgraphy we can quickly determine that the actual lameness is in the right rear. The horse had been compensating with the left front (Horses or kiddy corner ) and only showed lameness once his left leg had become sour from the additional weight.
Thermography can also greatly help when dealing with abscess in the hoof, I can name several Vets and Farriers who have the nickname “Let them Bleed”. One of the key things a farrier and or vet must do to help a horse lame from an abscess is to release the pressure in the hoof, the only way of doing this is by digging around the area of the hoof that tested positive to a hoof tester. Using a hoof tester is not a precise science; many times you will have to cut away much more sole than is needed. This can cause bleeding, placed for thrush to build and maybe even another abscess. With Thermography we can pinpoint the exact location on the sole of the hoof where the abscess will pop. This eliminates the whole concept of “Let them Bleed” and randomly digging to find the abscess.
One of the great marvels we are discovering with the use of Equine Thermography is the ability to detect problems before they became a serious problem. A horse is an animal not a machine, they get sore, they can hurt themselves, and essentially they can break down at any moment, if proper care isn’t maintained. To add wood to the fire a horse will usually break down right after you paid for your spot in the next horseshow! For the constant working horse, thermography can help you maintain your horse. “Research1 conducted by Dr Turner on racehorses in the USA has shown that Equine Thermography can identify areas of injury up to three weeks before your horse exhibits clinical symptoms. Horses are naturally prey animals, and mask injury to prevent predation. You might get the feeling that your horse is a little bit 'off', but not really know why - Equine Thermography can show you.”
The more we research equine thermorgraphy the more benefits we are discovering. From the practical medical and preventative care aspect thermography also has bang to your buck aspect also. The closes thing we have to thermography is scintigraphy which requires a lot more work, a lot more money, and a radioactive isotope that is digested by the horse. Thermography can do the exact same thing in the field, instantly, and dramatically less than the thousands of dollars needed for scintigraphy. If your local vet or farrier has a thermographic camera, the money that can be saved from trip costs is reason enough alone to give the camera a try!
1Thermographic assessment of racing Thoroughbreds. TA Turner J Pansch J Wilson. Proc Conference on Equine Sports Medicine and Science 2002 p207
Equinethermography.co.uk wrote a pretty decent summary of the amazing benefits of Equine Thermography. “The major benefits of Equine Thermography is that it is completely non-invasive and non-contact. It is a 'real time' or 'live' feedback tool revealing changes in physiology as they are happening rather than looking at tissue after it has been damaged. We get an immediate view of the body's physiological attempts to normalise the system in the here and now; temperature change is the first thing that changes when things are going wrong. Equine Thermography will reveal those heat changes before a joint, for example, becomes irreparably injured or breaks down. The practical applications of ET are many and varied.Infrared is a light wavelength that is always present but not seen by the naked eye. This advanced technological equipment allows us to gain a very clear view of the heat patterns emanating from the body. Horseowners, veterinarians, trainers and para-professionals may all find good practical and functional benefits from using Equine Thermography.“
Thermography has become a great tool in my practice as a farrier; unfortunately horses can’t speak verbally to us, so when they are in pain we have to identify it using our other senses. To add further mystery to any lameness or pain, horses will always try to compensate and move the pain away. More times than I can count, we are called out to look at a lame horse; of course we see that he is lame in the left front (hypothetically). After testing the lameness with hoof testers and flexing we can not find any specific point of lameness. This usually starts the volleyball game between the Vet. And the Farrier, both will punt the ball back to the other. With Thermorgraphy we can quickly determine that the actual lameness is in the right rear. The horse had been compensating with the left front (Horses or kiddy corner ) and only showed lameness once his left leg had become sour from the additional weight.
Thermography can also greatly help when dealing with abscess in the hoof, I can name several Vets and Farriers who have the nickname “Let them Bleed”. One of the key things a farrier and or vet must do to help a horse lame from an abscess is to release the pressure in the hoof, the only way of doing this is by digging around the area of the hoof that tested positive to a hoof tester. Using a hoof tester is not a precise science; many times you will have to cut away much more sole than is needed. This can cause bleeding, placed for thrush to build and maybe even another abscess. With Thermography we can pinpoint the exact location on the sole of the hoof where the abscess will pop. This eliminates the whole concept of “Let them Bleed” and randomly digging to find the abscess.
One of the great marvels we are discovering with the use of Equine Thermography is the ability to detect problems before they became a serious problem. A horse is an animal not a machine, they get sore, they can hurt themselves, and essentially they can break down at any moment, if proper care isn’t maintained. To add wood to the fire a horse will usually break down right after you paid for your spot in the next horseshow! For the constant working horse, thermography can help you maintain your horse. “Research1 conducted by Dr Turner on racehorses in the USA has shown that Equine Thermography can identify areas of injury up to three weeks before your horse exhibits clinical symptoms. Horses are naturally prey animals, and mask injury to prevent predation. You might get the feeling that your horse is a little bit 'off', but not really know why - Equine Thermography can show you.”
The more we research equine thermorgraphy the more benefits we are discovering. From the practical medical and preventative care aspect thermography also has bang to your buck aspect also. The closes thing we have to thermography is scintigraphy which requires a lot more work, a lot more money, and a radioactive isotope that is digested by the horse. Thermography can do the exact same thing in the field, instantly, and dramatically less than the thousands of dollars needed for scintigraphy. If your local vet or farrier has a thermographic camera, the money that can be saved from trip costs is reason enough alone to give the camera a try!
1Thermographic assessment of racing Thoroughbreds. TA Turner J Pansch J Wilson. Proc Conference on Equine Sports Medicine and Science 2002 p207
