# Evaluation of Ear Thermographic Imaging as a Potential Variable for Detecting Hypocalcemia in Postpartum Holstein Dairy Cows

## TL;DR

This study explores using infrared thermography of cows' ears to detect hypocalcemia, finding it more effective in colder environments.

## Contribution

The study introduces infrared thermography of the entire ear as a non-invasive method for detecting hypocalcemia in dairy cows.

## Key findings

- Ear surface temperature correlated strongly with environmental temperature but weakly with blood calcium levels.
- In colder temperatures, ear thermography showed significant differences between healthy and hypocalcemic cows.
- Logistic models using ear-air temperature difference and days in milk performed best in colder environments.

## Abstract

Hypocalcemia is a metabolic disease common in dairy cattle during the first days after parturition. It impacts the welfare of those animals by causing apathy, making them unable to stand up, increasing the risk of other diseases, and if not treated quickly, may lead to death. One common symptom of hypocalcemia is the decrease in temperature of the ears, which is usually felt by hand, but this symptom still lacks research on how useful it can be for diagnosing this disease. This study found that surface ear temperature measured through infrared thermography has the potential of being a useful variable in identifying hypocalcemic cows, including subclinical cases. However, air temperature strongly influences the surface temperature of the ear, with colder ambient temperatures generating more accurate models than warmer ones.

Hypocalcemia is common in dairy cows within the first 72 h post-calving, and can be either clinical or subclinical. Early detection is critical, but traditional laboratory tests are time-consuming and cow-side tests remain costly. A classic symptom of hypocalcemia is reduced ear skin temperature, which has been explored as a diagnostic tool in a previous study, but was not recommended at the end. Additionally, ambient temperature was found to strongly influence ear skin temperature, complicating diagnosis. The present study investigates infrared thermography of the ear as a potential non-invasive method for helping in the detection of hypocalcemia in Holstein cows. In order to differ from the previous study, with the goal of improving diagnosis accuracy, this research analyzed the entire ear temperature using infrared imaging software. Ambient temperature was factored in by categorizing samples into two groups based on air temperature: colder (−1.6 to 14.6 °C) and hotter (15.3 to 31.2 °C). Forty-two cows were monitored during the perinatal period, with blood samples and thermographic images taken twice a day until 48 h after calving. This study found that the median surface temperature of the ear correlated strongly with environmental temperature (r = 0.806, p < 0.001) and weakly with blood ionized calcium levels (r = 0.310, p < 0.01). In colder air temperatures, ear surface temperature was significantly different between healthy and hypocalcemic cows (p = 0.014). Logistic regression models were used to assess ionized calcium status based on different combinations of ear surface temperature, its difference from air temperature, and days in milk. In hotter air temperatures, only ear surface temperature, with no other covariates, was able to generate a valid model (p = 0.029). In colder air temperatures, multiple combinations of those variables generated valid models (p < 0.05), with the difference between ear and air temperature, together with days in milk, performing the best. Thus, this study concluded that ear surface temperature obtained through infrared thermography, while not promising for warmer environments, does show application potential for helping in the detection of hypocalcemia in colder environments.