Factors Associated with Eye Temperatures Measured by Infrared Thermography in Dogs Housed in a Shelter Environment
ORCID
Rostami: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-1023-0840
MSU Affiliation
College of Veterinary Medicine; Department of Pathobiology and Population Medicine; College of Arts and Sciences; Department of Mathematics and Statistics
Creation Date
2026-03-04
Abstract
Objective. To characterize the relationship between maximum eye temperature (ET) and rectal temperature (RT) in shelter dogs. Methods. Experiment 1 included 97 observations from 57 shelter dogs whose ET was measured using infrared thermography (IRT) on 4 separate days. For each observation, 3 consecutive ET measurements were obtained at 10-minute intervals, followed by a RT measurement. Experiment 2 evaluated measurement drift using an insulated box as a controlled environment; the temperature of a fixed point on the inner wall was recorded at 5-minute intervals for 1 hour using the same thermal camera. Data from both studies were analyzed using repeated-measures linear mixed-effects regression models. Results. In Study 1, RT, age group, and repetition number were significantly associated with ET. For every 1°C increase in RT, ET increased by an estimated 0.6°C (95% CI, 0.3 to 0.9). On average, compared with puppies, adults had lower ET (β = −0.4°C; 95% CI, −0. 6 to −0.1), and ET decreased with repeated measurements. Study 2 demonstrated a consistent drop in temperature readings, suggesting information bias related to the camera. Conclusions. Eye temperature measured by IRT was positively associated with RT, and age- related differences were observed. Repeated measurements showed a progressive decline in ET, consistent with device-related measurement drift rather than physiologic change. These findings underscore the importance of accounting for equipment performance characteristics when considering application of IRT. Clinical Relevance. Eye thermography may serve as a noninvasive adjunct for assessing body temperature in dogs; however, device-related behavior should be validated and considered when interpreting readings.
Publication Date
3-2-2026
Publisher
Zenodo
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Rostami, S., McBride, A., Shi, J., Woodruff, K. A., & Smith, D. R. (2026). Factors associated with eye temperatures measured by infrared thermography in dogs housed in a shelter environment. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18840550
