Front Matter

Chapter 20 Imaging in Canine Sports Medicine 513

Vainionpää et  al., 2012b; Grossbard et  al., 2014;
McGowan, 2015). Recent papers have reviewed
its use in identifying osteoarthritis and hyper-
thyroidism in cats (Vainionpää et  al., 2012a;
Waddell et al., 2015). In competitive dogs, ther-
mal imaging is being used to evaluate racing
greyhounds before and after racing (Vainionpää
et  al., 2012c), harness fit in avalanche and sled
dogs, foot‐fall pattern and thermoregulation
in  sled dogs wearing booties, and on site at

competition (Henneman, 2011b) to quickly

localize potential soft tissue causes of lameness

for additional exam and diagnostic imaging.

Standardization of the use of thermal imag-

ing in veterinary medicine is now under the

guidance of the human medical organization,

the American Academy of Thermology.

Guidelines for the use of medical thermology

in animals were updated in 2016, covering

topics such as camera resolution, artifact

Case Study 20.2 Thermal imaging of a racing sled dog

Signalment: 5‐y.o., M/I, Alaskan Husky. Competes in

distance (300–1000 miles) sled dog races. Presented

for evaluation of left thoracic limb lameness of 1 day’s

duration shortly before the start of a race.

History: One day prior to presentation, patient’s antebra-

chium was suddenly entrapped in a loose loop of the

gangline (main line connecting dogs to sled) that went

suddenly taut as the team took off. Patient had passed a

prerace veterinary check with no problems 2 days prior;

the distance race was to start the next day. Musher had

been treating patient by icing the antebrachium for

10 minutes every 6 hours. When not being iced, arnica

cream was placed under neoprene carpal wrap covering

the mid‐antebrachium to distal border of carpus. Musher

withheld any NSAID treatment (not allowed during

competition). Patient appeared slightly improved since

incident, so musher wanted severity of injury evaluated

to decide whether to start patient racing the next day.

Physical exam: 3/5 lameness on rising from rest,

becomes 2/5 after warming up. Elbow and shoulder

ROM testing (extension and flexion) does not alter

lameness; carpal flexion elicits a slight initial guarded

response and lameness increased to 3/5. Small area

of rope excoriation on mid‐dorsal antebrachium,

swollen and sensitive to touch. ROM left carpus

approximately 25% less than right.

Thermography: Radiology unavailable at race check‐

in site, so patient had thermal scan of thoracic limbs.

Palmar image of left carpal region revealed focal area

of increased heat (∆T = 4.8°F) on medial aspect and

smaller area laterally (∆T = 3.4°F). An area following

the tendon sheath of the third digit also warmer (∆T =

3.6°F) (Figure 20.11). Palpation of toes revealed sig-

nificantly more sensitivity than at carpus. Extension

of toes led to 4/5 lameness.

Outcome: In addition to skin excoriation, patient

diagnosed with mild carpitis (normally managed

conservatively in distance races, allowing dogs to

continue racing) and suspected flexor tendon injury

of third digit. Patient was scratched from the race and

taken to regular veterinarian for additional imaging

and evaluation.

Discussion: When working on‐site at a competition

where access to traditional diagnostic imaging can

be limited, thermal imaging can provide a rapid

method to localize a lesion. Toe pathology and

trauma is often overlooked in working dogs, and

without the thermographic image to draw attention

to the thermal asymmetry in the palmar foot of this

patient, it might have been allowed to start the race

(carpal issues often improve over time in a race as

dogs settle into a distance trot). This is a good

example of how thermal imaging quickly guided an

on‐site veterinarian to multiple areas of concern for

physical exam, especially in a stoic dog, and assisted

in making a decision as to whether the dog should

compete.

Sp1 91.0

Sp3 89.6

Sp5 87.8 Sp6 84.2

Sp4 86.2

Sp2 86.2

94.3 °F

74 .3

Figure 20.11 Palmar image of the left carpal region

revealing a focal area of increased heat on medial

aspect and smaller area laterally. An area following the

tendon sheath of the third digit was also warmer.