Dog inner thigh, right hind leg
This dog turned up quite lame after she slid across the kitchen floor. Thermal images show not normal patterns in the inner thigh area. These are the images of her right and left thigh, medial or inner view.
One helpful fact about using thermography, is that I am trained to know normal and not normal thermal patterns in animal patients. The vets who provided the training at University of Florida, were very emphatic that I would learn that. The other students in the class with me were Veterinarians & PhDs.
A complete thermal imaging exam includes imaging all sides of every part of the body and legs. A normal image for this dog would include the hotter white area because that is the concave shape of the groin, also without hair, so it is hotter.
The area of pain in these images is lower on the leg, above the hock joint. In the second image, notice that the red heat area starts much lower on the limb (closer to the temperature bar). The anatomy underlying this area is all tendonous. The tendon end of a muscle is where it gets cordlike and not stretchy, and attaches to the bone. If you have ever overexerted or injured any tendons of your body, you know that repair time is longer than sore muscles.
Akamai and Donna were headed home to Ft. Bragg, CA, and so I suggested that Akamai spend some time in the ocean after getting home. She was hurting badly when they arrived, but the ocean cold and resting the dog did wonders.
When we know our dogs hurt, we can confine their activity to lower levels, and gain on the healing time. Thermography is using Technology to Find the Pain.
Click here to go read about Miriah Stuart
Click here to go read about Cold Water Therapy
Topics On This Page: lameness | canine | dog vet | thermal imager