Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, as Represented by the Minister

Other

Agri-Food Canada

Allan L Schaefer

Alan Kwai-Wah Tong

Stephen D Jones

Clover Bench

Ian K Turnbull

John R Johanns

Richard W Stanley

Hartmut Von Gaza

Hector Perez Marquez

Claude D Gariepy

Sean Thompson

Shannon L Scott

Richard C Graham

Stephen D Morgan Jones

Pierre LaCasse

Kim Ominski

Nigel Cook

Alan K W Tong

Embodiments herein are generally related to apparatus and methodologies for improved screening of important biological states in animals. The apparatus and methodologies comprise the use of high-resolution infrared thermography images collected about an animal to obtain both thermal information and behavioural information about the animal, wherein both thermal and behavioural information can be used to generate a comprehensive thermal prolife value that is indicative of the biologically important state in the animal.

Apparatus and methodologies for improved detection of important biological states in animals

Apparatus and methodologies for inducing a non-steady state in an animal to determine the metabolic efficiency of the animal. According to at least some embodiments herein, apparatus and methodologies for non-invasive, rapid infrared thermography of animals induced into non-steady biological states can be used to determine the animals' metabolic efficiency.

Rapid and automatic determination of metabolic efficiency in livestock

Real-time automated, non-invasive infrared thermography information of a group of animals to be used for both thermal and behavioral measurement, thereby providing an earlier and more accurate predictor of onset of disease, growth states, or reproductive states in an animal within the group. More specifically, the present system and method provide for the use of thermal images to obtain both temperature and behavioral information about one or more animals at a time, and to utilize that information to determine the health, growth, or reproductive state of the animal. The combination of thermal biometric data, such as radio frequency identification infrared thermography, and behavioral biometric information, such as grouping behavior can be used to detect early-onset of biological states in animals.

Infrared thermography and behaviour information for identification of biologically important states in animals

The present invention provides a method for the detection of inflammation in animals using infrared thermography. The invention also provides a method for the detection of diseases or disorders that induce inflammation using infrared thermography. The present invention further provides a method for the detection of infections in animals using infrared thermography.

Early detection of inflammation and infection using infrared thermography

A process for determining a tissue composition characteristic of a live animal or carcass involves the steps of: (a) obtaining either or both of at least one infrared thermographic image of the animal while it is alive, taken from at least one view, or at least one image of the carcass of the animal after slaughter, taken from at least one view, each thermographic image being capable of being represented as an array of pixels providing temperature data representative of temperature information at the corresponding part of the image; (b) calculating the value of at least one statistical measure of the temperature data for each thermographic image; (c) providing a predictive model wherein the tissue composition characteristic is included as an output variable, and the statistical measures of temperature data for each thermographic image are included as input variables; and (d) solving the predictive model to provide the value of the tissue composition characteristic. The process of the invention is useful in a wide variety of homoeotherinic animals. Tissue composition characteristics of interest include, without limitation, lean body mass, grade, carcass yield and rib eye area. An apparatus for performing the processes of the invention includes: (a) image acquisition means for obtaining the infrared thermographic images; (b) computing and storage means for storing each image as an array of pixels, calculating the value of statistical measures of the temperature data for each thermographic image, and providing and solving the predictive model; and (c) output means for providing an output of the value of the tissue composition characteristic.

Process for determining a tissue composition characteristic of an animal

The invention relates to an antemortem stress supplement for livestock containing one or more sources of electrolytes including sodium, potassium and magnesium, one or more sources of amino acids including alanine, lysine, phenylalanine, methionine, threonine, leucine, isoleucine, valine, and glutamate, all in a bypass form; and a source of tryptophan. The invention also extends to methods of administering the supplements to livestock to prevent or reduce antemortem stress

Antemortem nutrient supplement for livestock

The invention provides methods of detecting poor meat quality in live animals using infrared thermography. Animals from a group of live domestic animals such as cattle or swine are scanned to produce thermographic images. The images are then statistically analyzed to determine a measure of central tendency such as the mean temperature for each animal's image and for all of the images in the group. A measure of dispersion from the measure of central tendency, such as standard deviation is determined. Then, animals are rejected as having a high probability of producing poor meat quality if the measure of central tendency for that animal's temperature differs from the measure of central tendency for the group by more than 0.9 standard deviations. Alternatively a set percent of animals are rejected, preferably up to 20%, these being animals whose measures of central tendency differ the most from the measure of central tendency for the group. When mean temperature is used as a measure of central tendency, the method is preferably practised by rejecting animals whose mean temperature differs from the group mean temperature by more than 1.28 times the standard deviation for the group. The method is particularly useful in detecting high probability of poor meat quality in groups of animals in an antemortem environment which have mean temperatures significantly above or below the normal surface temperatures for unstressed animals.

Method for detecting poor meat quality in groups of live animals

The invention relates to an antemortem stress supplement for livestock containing one or more sources of electrolytes including sodium, potassium and magnesium, one or more sources of amino acids including alanine, lysine, phenylalanine, methionine, threonine, leucine, isoleucine, valine, and glutamate, all in a bypass form; and a source of tryptophan. The invention also extends to methods of administering the supplements to livestock to prevent or reduce antemortem stress.

The invention provides methods of detecting poor meat quality in live animals using infrared thermography. In cattle, animals whose thermographs are predominantly outside the test temperature range, 28.degree.-32.degree..+-.2.degree. C., are rejected as having a high probability of producing poor meat quality. In swine, the test temperature range is 24.degree.-26.degree..+-.2.degree. C.

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Lacombe, Canada

Allan L Schaefer