Pioneering Pet-Friendly Temperature Measurement with Mella Pro - UGA Clinical Trials

At Mella, we're committed to innovation and improving the well-being of your furry family members. We're excited to share an exciting development in the world of pet health research, where our Mella Pro thermometer played a significant role in recent clinical trials conducted by the University of Georgia.

The Importance of Accurate Temperature Measurement

Measuring our pets' body temperature is a crucial part of any visit to the veterinarian. The traditional method of taking a rectal temperature measurement can be uncomfortable and distressing, and can often be influenced by factors like intestinal air, feces, masses, or rectal trauma. In the University of Georgia study, researchers sought to understand how a more pet-friendly alternative could be effectively used.

Mella Pro's Contribution

The study, conducted from 2022 to 2024, involved 106 healthy dogs and 101 healthy cats in a university teaching hospital. Researchers collected data including physiological parameters, room temperature, weight, body condition score, and haircoat length. They compared underarm (axillary) temperatures measured with our Mella Pro thermometer to rectal temperatures measured with a conventional thermometer.

Findings

The study found that underarm temperatures, measured with the Mella Pro, were slightly lower than rectal temperatures in dogs (Bias 1.82◦F, 95% limits of agreement [LOA] −1.19 to 4.83) and cats (Bias 0.42◦F, 95% LOA −4.71 to 5.55). The difference was smaller in cats, where it was even more closely aligned with conventional rectal readings.

Interestingly, readings for smaller, thinner pets, as well as those with shorter haircoats, also showed less of a difference between axillary and rectal temperatures.

Understanding our Pets

These findings can lead to exciting possibilities in pet health, by helping veterinarians better understand the signs and measurements they observe when caring for pets. Researchers are now exploring how to integrate factors like weight, body condition, and haircoat length into specialized algorithms. These algorithms could help make underarm temperature measurements more useful and effective during treatment, thanks to technologies like our Mella Pro Thermometer.

We’re excited to be part of this journey towards better, more comfortable healthcare for our pets and remain committed to our mission of creating fear-free pet health products. Learn more about another recent study with the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse where researchers found for the first time that treating dogs and cats with axillary thermometers “significantly” decreases the length of the procedure, compared to conventional rectal thermometers.