Comparing alternatives to canine rectal thermometry at the axillary, auricular and ocular locations

Abstract

Body temperature is an important component in the diagnosis and treatment of disease in canines. The rectal temperature remains the standard of obtaining temperature within the clinical setting, but there are many drawbacks with this method, including time, access, animal stress, and safety concerns. Interest in using infrared thermometry in canines to obtain body temperature has grown as animal scientists and veterinarians search for non-invasive and non-contact methods and locations of obtaining canine temperatures. Here, we review evidence on axillary, auricular, and ocular region canine thermometry and the degree to which measurements in these locations are representative of rectal temperature values. Instrumentation refinement and development, as well as morphologic differences, play an important role in the potential correlation between the rectal temperature and these other locations. These caveats have yet to be fully addressed in the literature, limiting the options for those seeking alternatives to rectal thermometry.

Comparison of Aural and Rectal Temperature in Dogs Presenting to an Emergency Room

“…Currently, rectal temperature (RT) measurement is the gold standard in conscious veterinary patients. 1 RT in these animals correlates well with the core body temperature as measured via more invasive techniques (ie, esophageal temperature and pulmonary arterial temperature). 2 However, rectal thermometry has several disadvantages, including contribution to patient stress, potential for patient injury, and prolonged time for measurement compared to alternative non-invasive measures, such as aural or corneal temperature.…”

“… 13 In veterinary medicine, the use of rectal thermometers is also considered the gold standard for routine temperature measurement, likely because of their reported accuracy when compared to core temperature. 1 As in humans, the use of a less invasive technique to obtain body temperature in canine patients, especially in an emergency setting, is alluring. The current study demonstrated that while rectal and AT measurements were similar in normothermic dogs, ATs were significantly different from RTs in hypothermic and hyperthermic patients presenting to the ER.…”

“… 2 However, rectal thermometry has several disadvantages, including contribution to patient stress, potential for patient injury, and prolonged time for measurement compared to alternative non-invasive measures, such as aural or corneal temperature. 1 , 3 , 4 Moreover, RT may be affected by the presence of feces, rectal diseases or tumors, and alterations in local blood flow in shock states. 5 …”

Comparison of Axillary versus Rectal Temperature Timing in Canine and Feline Patients

“…Temperature is one of the vital assessments used to objectively examine a veterinary patient, the results of which can have significant implications for the health status of that patient [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. Predictive rectal thermometry is the most common form of thermometry used in veterinary clinical practice, despite 30 years of research on alternative modalities [ 4 , 5 , 6 ]. Research on alternatives to rectal thermometry has primarily focused on correlating the temperature values of these alternative methods to either rectal temperatures or a core body temperature [ 4 , 5 , 7 , 8 , 9 ].…”

“…Predictive rectal thermometry is the most common form of thermometry used in veterinary clinical practice, despite 30 years of research on alternative modalities [ 4 , 5 , 6 ]. Research on alternatives to rectal thermometry has primarily focused on correlating the temperature values of these alternative methods to either rectal temperatures or a core body temperature [ 4 , 5 , 7 , 8 , 9 ].…”