Estimation of a reference interval for eye temperature in dogs

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Medicine
• Animal Health
• Biomedical Research

Background:

• Accurate temperature measurement is crucial for assessing canine health.
• Establishing reliable reference intervals (RIs) for vital signs like temperature is essential for veterinary diagnostics.
• Eye temperature (ET) offers a potentially less invasive alternative to traditional rectal temperature (RT) measurements.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the reference interval (RI) for eye temperature (ET) in apparently healthy shelter dogs.
• To establish a comparative RI for rectal temperature (RT) in the same canine population.
• To provide data supporting the use of eye thermography as a practical screening tool.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study was conducted at a municipal shelter.
• Apparently healthy dogs were included, excluding those with illness history or respiratory symptoms.
• Eye temperature (ET) was measured using a handheld thermal camera, and rectal temperature (RT) was recorded from the same dogs.

Main Results:

• The 95% RI for ET was determined to be 35.0 to 38.5 °C.
• The 95% RI for RT was found to be 37.5 to 39.7 °C.
• Bootstrap-derived 90% confidence intervals were calculated for both ET and RT limits.

Conclusions:

• The study provides baseline ET screening limits for dogs based on a moderate sample size.
• The calculated RT interval validates the normal temperature status of the studied dog population.
• Temperatures falling outside these established RIs warrant further individual medical evaluation.