The use of infrared thermography and behavioural and physiological responses as early disease indicators in calves
type: CreativeWork
description: Disease is widely acknowledged to be detrimental to an animal’s welfare and generates significant economic losses. To minimise the impact of disease on animal welfare and consequently reduce economic costs, early disease detection is essential for promoting earlier diagnosis, treatment and isolation to prevent the spread of disease. As automation increases in the livestock industries, there is a need to develop and integrate early disease indicators into automated systems for remote monitoring of animal health and welfare. The aims of this thesis were to firstly, investigate the behavioural (milk feeding, lying and water drinking) and physiological (infrared temperatures and respiration rate) responses which occur during the onset of neonatal calf diarrhoea (NCD), and to assess their suitability as early disease indicators. Additionally, due to an increasing trend towards providing calves with greater milk allowances, the influence of milk allowance on indicator suitability was assessed. Secondly, to determine the optimum anatomical location (eye, cheek, side, shoulder and back) for infrared image collection for early disease detection. Thirdly, to investigate the water intake and drinking behaviour of calves and how these behaviours are affected by disease onset and milk allowance. Further, to develop and validate an algorithm for the automated detection and analysis of the eye and cheek regions from infrared images and further validate the use of infrared thermography as an automated method of recording respiration rate (RR) in young calves. Finally, the thesis aimed to develop and validate an automated water system for the purpose of recording drinking behaviour and further assessed the suitability of setting up an infrared camera at a water station for monitoring calf health and welfare. Calves were defined as being clinically ill when they were observed as being diarrhoeic. Milk feeding, lying and water drinking behaviours changed prior to clinical signs of dis…
abstract: Disease is widely acknowledged to be detrimental to an animal’s welfare and generates significant economic losses. To minimise the impact of disease on animal welfare and consequently reduce economic costs, early disease detection is essential for promoting earlier diagnosis, treatment and isolation to prevent the spread of disease. As automation increases in the livestock industries, there is a need to develop and integrate early disease indicators into automated systems for remote monitoring of animal health and welfare. The aims of this thesis were to firstly, investigate the behavioural (milk feeding, lying and water drinking) and physiological (infrared temperatures and respiration rate) responses which occur during the onset of neonatal calf diarrhoea (NCD), and to assess their suitability as early disease indicators. Additionally, due to an increasing trend towards providing calves with greater milk allowances, the influence of milk allowance on indicator suitability was assessed. Secondly, to determine the optimum anatomical location (eye, cheek, side, shoulder and back) for infrared image collection for early disease detection. Thirdly, to investigate the water intake and drinking behaviour of calves and how these behaviours are affected by disease onset and milk allowance. Further, to develop and validate an algorithm for the automated detection and analysis of the eye and cheek regions from infrared images and further validate the use of infrared thermography as an automated method of recording respiration rate (RR) in young calves. Finally, the thesis aimed to develop and validate an automated water system for the purpose of recording drinking behaviour and further assessed the suitability of setting up an infrared camera at a water station for monitoring calf health and welfare. Calves were defined as being clinically ill when they were observed as being diarrhoeic. Milk feeding, lying and water drinking behaviours changed prior to clinical signs of dis…
author: Lowe, Gemma Louise
keywords: infrared thermography, dairy calves, automated systems, early disease detection, algorithm
license: https://researchcommons.waikato.ac.nz/bitstreams/5df08ca6-8a60-4566-9427-978c0f828e54/download
date published: 2020
date modified: 2026-07-24T05:57:15Z
provider: University Waikato
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: The University of Waikato