The Use of Percutaneous Thermal Sensing Microchips to Measure Body Temperature in Horses during and after Exercise Using Three Different Cool-Down Methods

Hyungsuk Kang; Rebeka R Zsoldos; Jazmine E Skinner; John B Gaughan; Vincent A Mellor; Albert Sole-Guitart

doi:10.3390/ani12101267

The Use of Percutaneous Thermal Sensing Microchips to Measure Body Temperature in Horses during and after Exercise Using Three Different Cool-Down Methods

Animals (Basel). 2022 May 14;12(10):1267. doi: 10.3390/ani12101267.

Authors

Hyungsuk Kang¹, Rebeka R Zsoldos¹, Jazmine E Skinner^{1

2}, John B Gaughan¹, Vincent A Mellor¹, Albert Sole-Guitart³

Affiliations

¹ School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, The University of Queensland, Gatton, QLD 4343, Australia.
² School of Agriculture and Environment, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, QLD 4350, Australia.
³ School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, QLD 4343, Australia.

Abstract

The frequent monitoring of a horse’s body temperature post strenuous exercise is critical to prevent or alleviate exertional heat illness (EHI) from occurring. Percutaneous thermal sensing microchip (PTSM) technology has the potential to be used as a means of monitoring a horse’s body temperature during and post-exercise. However, the accuracy of the temperature readings obtained, and their relationship to core body temperature are dependent on where they are implanted. This study aimed to document the relationship between core body temperature, and temperature readings obtained using PTSM implanted in different muscles, during exercise and post application of different cool-down methods. PTSMs were implanted into the right pectoral, right gluteal, right splenius muscles, and nuchal ligament. The temperatures were monitored during treadmill exercise, and post application of three different cool-down methods: no water application (Wno), water application only (Wonly), and water application following scraping (Wscraping). Central venous temperature (TCV) and PTSM temperatures from each region were obtained to investigate the optimal body site for microchip implantation. In this study, PTSM technology provided a practical, safe, and quick means of measuring body temperature in horses. However, its temperature readings varied depending on the implantation site. All muscle temperature readings exhibited strong relationships with TCV (r = 0.85~0.92, p < 0.05) after treadmill exercise without human intervention (water application), while the nuchal ligament temperature showed poor relationship with TCV. The relationships between TCV and PTSM temperatures became weaker with water application. Overall, however the pectoral muscle temperature measured by PTSM technology had the most constant relationships with TCV and showed the best potential to act as an alternate means of monitoring body temperature in horses for 50 min post-exercise, when there was no human intervention with cold water application.

Keywords: body temperature; central venous temperature; co ol-down method; horse; percutaneous thermal sensing microchip.

Grants and funding

The research herd of the University of Queensland was supported by the Maria Vasas Foundation. This work was supported by Albert Sole-Guitart consultancy account and start-up funds.