The quality of thermal images for assessing the superficial body temperature in piglets

SUMMARY – In order to evaluate the influence of the quality of the thermographic image on skin temperature of piglets, 1152 pictures of the back and belly from 192 subjects were examined. Images were recorded using a FLIR P640 camera at 37, 45 and 55 days of age. Thermal images were analysed by software to calculate average, minimum and maximum values of skin temperature. The quality of the images was evaluated subjectively by one reviewer assigning a rating of excellent, good or sufficient on the basis of the presence of dirt or wet skin area. Both average and minimum skin temperatures of back and belly were reduced significantly with decreasing quality of the thermographic images, while the maximum value was affected to a much lesser extent. This latter seems more suitable for thermographic assessment of piglets skin temperatures.