Perth Racing and TeleMedVET Thoroughbred Welfare Research Perth Racing is proud to announce our support of thoroughbred welfare research in collaboration with TeleMedVET. A licenced scientific organisation registered with the animal ethics committee, TeleMedVET generate scientific data focussed on racehorse welfare. Their groundbreaking work has been published in journals internationally and we are excited to help facilitate their pilot study into thoroughbred bone and joint injury prevention.
About TeleMedVET TeleMedVET has a commitment to thoroughbred welfare, improved bone/joint performance, and injury prevention. The group has formal agreements with the university sector in medical imaging, bone endocrinology and veterinary medicine to develop start-of-the-art equine biotechnology. Their work to date has been a published in peer reviewed high-ranking international journals and we continue to generate scientific data focussed on racehorse welfare. They are a licensed scientific organisation with a registered private animal ethics committee. Purpose of Research Infrared thermographic scanning (IRT) is an imaging modality which maps body surface temperatures and can be a valuable tool in preventative care due to its early-stage detective ability. Asymmetrical temperature changes may indicate inflammatory, vascular, or neurological disorders. Previous researchers have shown that IRT can play a complementary role in the early detection and treatment of pathology and, more recently, artificial intelligence (AI) enhanced IRT is being evaluated as an ancillary modality in the evaluation of emerging pathology. However, more research studies are required to test the reproducibility and reliability of body surface temperature measurements for injury detection. With the support of Perth Racing, the purpose of the study is to evaluate the clinical performance of AI-based IRT scans with respect to bone and joint injury in racehorses and whether the technique could be used in monitoring the training programmes of performance horses to help keep them at peak performance and prevent injury.
What is involved? Located at Ascot Racecourse on scheduled mornings, the study is a walk-in-walk-out procedure which should take no longer than 3-5 minutes. The scanner will be located near the “swab box” and our team will collect a series of images of the horse’s lower limbs from a distance of 1-2 meters. It is entirely free and voluntary.
IRT is non-contact, non-invasive and uses no harmful radiation energy. TeleMedVET are using a medical grade high resolution biological screening camera operated by staff supervised by registered medical imaging practitioners.
Possible Benefits We cannot promise you any personal benefits from this research as this is only an imaging study evaluating a new technique. By taking part in this study, you will be directly contributing to the better understanding of the potential utility of AI based IrT scans. What if something is found? Initially, no clinical information can be derived from this study. However, it is possible during this research project that new information will become available about the procedure that is being studied. If this happens, we will tell you about it.
For more information Please do not hesitate to contact TMV’s Chris Cowcher on 0412 225 258.