spirithorse wrote:

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Your to far away or I'd put ya to work doing some actual research.......LOL
Do you have a FLIR?

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 I sure do! Have you seen one in action?

sure, have seen two different types.

The individuals that were using them seemed to believe that the heat signatures relate solely to blood flow.

I am of the opinion that inflammation would give a different signature than increased blood flow.   I believe that muscle injuries, ie. contractions, can be shown using thermography. 

BF, the technology has been around for a while, and what is exciting is how rapidly the imaging is improving, how detailed the images have become and how creatively the imaging is being used and how many more people are open to using it to get some answers and stop speculating about their horse's well-being.

Certainly in Canada, it is not at all in widespread use in the horse world, and, I believe/hope that once people see how much it can reveal, it will change the way we think about taking care of our horses.

The infrared camera captures and analyses the energy from heat. It can detect, as Allan said, inflammation and muscle injuries - and much more. It can be used for correct saddle fit, to analyze rider position, access whether a treatment has worked or if a splint is cold. It can help a farrier balance a hoof, a massage therapist target a very specific area. It can also find artifacts of abuse that would be hidden to the eye, such as damage from blistering the shins or, as I saw in one image in my studies, artifacts from bottle caps that had been placed under the horse's wraps, completely invisible to the eye.
the list goes on and on!

And yes, BF, it is great for building investigation. I am certified to investigate a building and my husband has already had me check out our roof!

On another note, I was chatting with a radiologist who just returned from Tel Aviv where scientists are working an a way to combine infrared technology with very specific algorithms to detect the beginnings of breast cancer just at the stage where the blood flow starts to show anomalies. Hugely hopeful.

Hi All,

It is great to see Dr. Robson's name being referred to as she is a highly regarded equine veterinarian and certified saddle fitter. 

Dr. Robson is part of the thermography group equineir.com of which I am an authorized contractor. The groups parent company has almost 200 thermographers in 7 countries including many throughout Canada. Joanna heads up the Interpretation Division for EquineIR.

It is imperative that horse scans get interpretted by a veterinarian that is trained and specialized in infrared imaging.

As a certified thermographer I do the imaging of the horse and do not comment on the images. Dr. Robson provides a complete report including details of the horses abnormalities with detailed direction for horses protocol.

It is great to see equine thermal imaging being discussed in Canada as other countries have been using this for years as a safe, effective diagnostic tool.

Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions, Ann

 

   

-- Edited by AnnEWC on Monday 12th of September 2011 10:40:06 PM

Hi Barb,

Funny you mentioned the breast thermography because that is what inspired me to what thermography could do in the horse / saddle world. Helping horses and owners is a passion and I'm so happy I ventured into this area - it is so rewarding :)

I'm so happy as well that thermography is making its way into Canada. It is such a remarkable diagnostic tool and having a trained infrared vet. interpretting is absolutely incredible :)

That is very promising and exciting news!!! Seems to be way too much breast cancer in younger folks now.... definitely need that new research to come forth, then maybe the health system would see the benefit in thermography vs. mammograms - a much kinder approach overall.

I did stop by your farm with George back in Feb or Mar this year. Gorgeous farm :)

Have a great day!!