Every horse owner has at some stage been faced with an animal that is “just not right”. Not necessarily unsound or even sore. The show jumper who can’t reach those extra few millimetres and knocks poles repeatedly. The dressage horse whose lengthening on the left rein is better than that on its right. The show horse that shows symptoms of a “cold back” when tacked up. Or the mystery lameness that even the vet, physiotherapist or farrier can’t accurately pinpoint. The use of thermographic imaging to diagnose potential problems in our equine friends is not a new concept. It has been used in racing yards in England for years. What is new is today’s technology, which now enables the more accurate diagnosis of old, current and potential problems.
A thermal imaging device works very much like a digital camera, except instead of showing the object photographed, the resulting image reflects that object’s temperature. Jeanri Mellanby of Comtest, the southern African distributor for the Fluke range of thermal imagers, explains: “Temperature changes are often an indication of potential, current or past problem sites in horses. A thermal imager makes it quick and easy to check for such temperature changes. The result is a rich visual image of the animal’s surface temperature, allowing the user to quickly and safely identify hot spots before they cause a problem.”
Quantitative images taken by these thermal imaging scanners, supported with detailed reports, enable thermographers to determine the true position and extent of existing or potential problems.
The Fluke Ti40 or Ti50 thermal image scanner is used to scan the whole horse from different angles. Different heat patterns show up on the scans and the trained thermographer knows which hot spots should be investigated further. Some hotspots are necessary and, if not present, would be even more serious. The “bad” hot spots alert trainers, horse physiotherapists and vets to specific problems. Often the problems present in completely different areas to where the real problems lie. In one South African racing stable, three of the horses went lame in their front legs. To find the problem in the normal way could have taken a fair amount of time and money, trial and error. A thermographer was called in and the scan immediately revealed a hotspot or problem area on top of the dock and in the left back hoof, to everyone’s surprise. Once these problems were identified, the vet then knew exactly what to treat and all three horses recovered fully.
Sometimes thermographers work in conjunction with horse physiotherapists whilst they administer ultrasound and Scio treatments to the horse. Using the scanner to isolate problem areas, the physiotherapist is guided to the exact spot requiring ultrasound by the thermographer.
The biggest scanning success story to date is that of a race horse that was receiving treatment for a problem in its stifle. Once a scan had been done on the horse, however, it revealed that, in actual fact, the problem was inflammation in the hoof. The treatment plan was changed and, once the hoof had healed, the horse came first in its next race.
It should be possible, over time, to draw up a type of troubleshooting chart where problems presenting in horses and the affected areas relating to the problem can assist vets in restoring horses to health in a much shorter time span than is now possible.
Comtest has three trained thermographers who have a wealth of experience, both in South Africa and Mauritius, in scanning race horses to assess problems and to prevent further damage: Brendan Campbell (Snell Infrared level III), Jeanri Mellanby (level II) and Gavin van Rooy (level I). For more information or a demonstration at your yard, you can reach any of these well qualified thermographers at Comtest’s Midrand office on 011 254 2200.