Comparison of Aural and Rectal Temperature in Dogs Presenting to an Emergency Room

Purpose To compare rectal and aural temperatures in canines presenting to a small animal emergency room. Patients and Methods We performed a prospective cohort study conducted between June 2022 and October 2022. One hundred and fifty-two dogs were evaluated that were presented to a private practice emergency room. Temperatures were obtained on presentation using both an aural Braun ExacTemp and a rectal Vet-Temp Rapid Digital Thermometer. The order of temperature measurement was randomized and recorded. Dogs were classified into three groups based on recorded temperature; normothermic (n = 105), hypothermic (n = 24), and hyperthermic (n = 23). Additional recorded parameters included: patient signalment, heart rate, respiratory rate, presence or absence of aural debris, coat length (classified as short, medium or long), body weight, body condition score, pain score, as well as venous lactate and non-invasive blood pressure, if performed. Results The overall aural temperatures were significantly lower than rectal temperatures. The average rectal and aural temperatures were 38.7°C (range 36.6–40.7°C) and 38.3°C (range 35.7°C–40.4°C), respectively. Among all canines, there was a moderate, statistically significant relationship between rectal and aural temperatures (r = 0.636; p < 0.001) and this relationship remained significant with a weaker relationship for normothermic dogs (r = 0.411; p < 0.001). For hyperthermic and hypothermic dogs, there was not a statistically significant relationship between rectal and aural temperatures. Hyperthermic dogs had a significantly higher respiratory rate than other groups and hypothermic dogs were more likely to have a short haircoat. Lastly, ambient temperature, but not humidity, influenced patient temperature. Conclusion Our study found aural temperatures were consistently lower than rectal temperatures in dogs with both normal and abnormal rectal temperatures. Aural thermometry may not be an acceptable method of temperature measurement in the emergency patient cohort.

[1]  J. Jardine,et al.  Assessing the Validity of Aural Thermometry for Measuring Internal Temperature in Patients With Exertional Heat Stroke. , 2021, Journal of athletic training.

[2]  C. Brundage,et al.  Comparing alternatives to canine rectal thermometry at the axillary, auricular and ocular locations , 2019, Open veterinary journal.

[3]  Kok Kiong Tan,et al.  Re-visiting the tympanic membrane vicinity as core body temperature measurement site , 2017, PloS one.

[4]  Emily J. Hall,et al.  Comparison of rectal and tympanic membrane temperature in healthy exercising dogs , 2017 .

[5]  A. Latief,et al.  A comparison of axillary and tympanic membrane to rectal temperatures in children , 2017 .

[6]  N. Montano,et al.  Accuracy of Peripheral Thermometers for Estimating Temperature , 2016, Annals of Internal Medicine.

[7]  P. Bijur,et al.  Temperature measurement in the adult emergency department: oral, tympanic membrane and temporal artery temperatures versus rectal temperature , 2016, Emergency Medicine Journal.

[8]  R. Neiger,et al.  Measurement of body temperature in 300 dogs with a novel noncontact infrared thermometer on the cornea in comparison to a standard rectal digital thermometer. , 2015, Journal of veterinary emergency and critical care.

[9]  K. Gommeren,et al.  Accuracy of different temperature reading techniques and associated stress response in hospitalized dogs. , 2014, Journal of veterinary emergency and critical care.

[10]  J. Hertel,et al.  Comparison of rectal and aural core body temperature thermometry in hyperthermic, exercising individuals: a meta-analysis. , 2012, Journal of athletic training.

[11]  O. Karcioglu,et al.  Agreement between axillary, tympanic, and mid-forehead body temperature measurements in adult emergency department patients , 2012, European journal of emergency medicine : official journal of the European Society for Emergency Medicine.

[12]  M. G. Sousa,et al.  Comparison between auricular and standard rectal thermometers for the measurement of body temperature in dogs. , 2011, The Canadian veterinary journal = La revue veterinaire canadienne.

[13]  A. While,et al.  Tympanic thermometry--normal temperature and reliability. , 2009, Paediatric nursing.

[14]  C. Wagner-Mann,et al.  Comparison of three methods of temperature measurement in hypothermic, euthermic, and hyperthermic dogs. , 2007, Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association.

[15]  C. Wagner-Mann,et al.  A comparison of auricular, rectal and pulmonary artery thermometry in dogs with anesthesia‐induced hypothermia , 2006 .

[16]  A S El-Radhi,et al.  An evaluation of tympanic thermometry in a paediatric emergency department , 2005, Emergency Medicine Journal.

[17]  C. Wagner-Mann,et al.  Measurement of body temperature by use of auricular thermometers versus rectal thermometers in dogs with otitis externa. , 2002, Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association.

[18]  Y. Bayazıt,et al.  Infrared tympanic thermometer can accurately measure the body temperature in children in an emergency room setting. , 2002, International journal of pediatric otorhinolaryngology.

[19]  J. Smoller,et al.  Biostatistics and Epidemiology: A Primer for Health and Biomedical Professionals , 1991 .

[20]  K. Ferguson,et al.  Comparison of Pulmonary Artery, Rectal, and Tympanic Membrane Temperatures in Adult Intensive Care Unit Patients , 1991, Clinical pediatrics.

[21]  A. Wehner,et al.  Comparison of auricular and rectal temperature measurement in normothermic, hypothermic, and hyperthermic dogs , 2014, Tierärztliche Praxis K: Kleintiere/Heimtiere.

[22]  K. Stavem,et al.  Accuracy of infrared ear thermometry in adult patients , 1997, Intensive Care Medicine.

[23]  D. Treloar,et al.  Comparison of rectal, axillary, and tympanic membrane temperatures in infants and young children. , 1991, Annals of emergency medicine.