How to take your animals temperature
Taking an accurate temperature in a farm animal is a fundamental skill for any livestock owner or handler, providing crucial insight into an animal's health status. A deviation from the normal temperature range can be an early indicator of illness, stress, or environmental challenges. However, obtaining a reliable reading can be nuanced between different species and breeds, and interpretation differing between age groups. Understanding the nuances of these techniques is essential to avoid misdiagnosis, ensure timely intervention, and maintain the well-being of your herd or flock. Let’s break down the most important considerations.
It goes WHERE?
The most accurate way to take a temperature in our animals is always going to a rectal temperature. Be sure to have a dedicated veterinary thermometer on hand. 10-15cm long digital thermometers can be purchased through your local vet clinic or farm store. While extra long “turkey baster” looking thermometers are available for larger animals such as cattle, these are not considered necessary and can increase the risk of damage to the rectal wall when inserted unnecessarily far.
Simply put on your latex gloves, insert the thermometer midway in, then gently press into the rectal wall. Without pushing the tip gently to the side, you’re more likely to take the temperature of a stool sitting in the rectum, and come away with a deathly cold temperature!
Faecal contamination can transmit a lot of disease between individuals, so be sure to wash and wipe with disinfectant after use.
Safety first
Even the most tame of pets are entitled to resist if you suddenly stick something where the sun don’t shine. Always stay safe. In a larger animal such as a horse or cow, stay standing to the side, rather than directly behind the animal, to avoid a sudden kick. If in a stock race, simply lean over the railing, rather than climbing in. Be ready to move with the animal, if it starts shuffling.
Some species just don’t work
Fat is a very poorly perfused tissue in the body; that is to say it has very little blood supply, which means it is not kept as warm as the rest of the body. With this in mind, beware of trying to take a rectal temperature in an obese animal, or pig (usually a kune kune!) as the thermometer will often just embed into the thick layer of rectal fat and not give you anything of value.
The young and the old
When looking up normal temperature ranges for your species, be sure to include the age group. Young animals generally run a lot warmer than their adult counterparts.
How hot is too hot?
A rectal temperature is a valuable piece of the puzzle, but must be taken in the context of day. A hot day, as well as stress can both push temperatures up. Hence an overweight sheep, not used to being handled, chased into the yards in the heat of the day may appear to have a sky high fever! Also keep in mind that a true fever, indicative of illness, will fluctuate, especially in the early stages. You may catch it in a down-point, appearing to be normal. For a more accurate idea of what it may mean, perform a thorough clinical exam, assess heart rate and respiration, and take multiple temperatures in the group if concerned about an outbreak.
A vet can help you get a better idea of what may be going on.
An animal with a fever needs treatment for the underlying cause, fluids to support the heart and immune system, and a cool environment to allow the body to self-regulate. Ensure good ventilation, shade, plenty of cold water and ideally a cool breeze.
How cold is too cold?
Young animals (ie lambs, kids cria), are also just as likely, if not MORE likely, to drop deathly cold with a blood infection, rather than spike a fever. This happens for a number of reasons. For example, their small body size means they lose heat very quickly, and their immature systems aren't as efficient as an adult at regulating their core body temperatures.. They also have less fat reserves to burn through before running out of energy to stay warm, especially if their feeding goes downhill. A massive bout of inflammation can also cause what we call a “cytokine storm”, causing sudden dilation of the blood vessels. When this happens, blood cannot pump around the body effectively, resulting in a cold body and sudden shock. While this can happen in all animals, neonates are at higher risk due to their tiny bodies.
To combat this, your vet will likely recommend getting antibiotics, anti inflammatory and fluids on board urgently. You’ll need to keep him warm and apply an easily absorbable sugar source, such as glucose powder or keto-aid, on the gums. Wrap the wee bub in a silver emergency blanket or other supportive warming source, and monitor their temperature. In a deathly cold neonate, you’ll need to warm them slowly over a number of hours, to avoid shocking the system.
As a general rule, we say:
A normal lamb should be 38.8-40oC
Below 38 is considered hypothermic and needs support
Below 36 they will need active warming
At 33 life will cease
To learn more about caring for your animals through all life stages and health challenges, take a look at our range of species-specific livestock courses.
