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Infrared thermography is a tool that measures changes in the surface temperature of the skin and has been used in companion animals to determine their health state and to diagnose inflammatory processes, neoplasia, pain, or neuropathies. Body regions such as the face, body, or hind/forelimbs are commonly used for thermography in dogs and cats. However, since there is disagreement about the differences in temperature recorded using this tool, this article analyzes the usefulness of IRT in companion animals (pets) as a complementary diagnostic method for evaluating thermal and circulatory changes. It analyzes the recent scientific evidence on the use of facial, body, and appendicular thermal windows in dogs and cats under different clinical conditions.

Infrared thermography (IRT) has been proposed as a method for clinical research to detect local inflammatory processes, wounds, neoplasms, pain, and neuropathies. However, evidence of the effectiveness of the thermal windows used in dogs and cats is discrepant. This review aims to analyze and discuss the usefulness of IRT in diverse body regions in household animals (pets) related to recent scientific evidence on the use of the facial, body, and appendicular thermal windows. IRT is a diagnostic method that evaluates thermal and circulatory changes under different clinical conditions. For the face, structures such as the lacrimal caruncle, ocular area, and pinna are sensitive to assessments of stress degrees, but only the ocular window has been validated in felines. The usefulness of body and appendicular thermal windows has …