The wellbeing of horses is very important to their care takers, trainers, veterinarians, and owners. This thesis describes the development of a non-invasive image processing technique that allows for automatic detection and tracking of horse head and ear motion, respectively, in videos or camera feed, both of which may provide indications of horse pain, stress, or well-being. The algorithm developed here can automatically detect and track head motion and ear motion, respectively, in videos of a standing horse. Results demonstrating the technique for nine different horses are presented, where the data from the algorithm is utilized to plot absolute motion vs. time, velocity vs. time, and acceleration vs. time for the head and ear motion, respectively, of a variety of horses and ponies. Two-dimensional plotting of x and y motion over time is also presented. Additionally, results of pilot work in eye detection in light colored horses is also presented. Detection of pain in horses is particularly difficult because they are prey animals and have mechanisms to disguise their pain, and these instincts may be particularly strong in the presence of an unknown human, such as a veterinarian. Current state-of-the art for detecting pain in horses primarily involves invasive methods, such as heart rate monitors around the body, drawing blood for cortisol levels, and pressing on painful areas to elicit a response, although some work has been done for humans to sort and score photographs subjectively in terms of a "horse grimace scale." The algorithms developed in this thesis are the first that the author is aware for exploiting proven image processing approaches from other applications for development of an automatic tool for detection and tracking of horse facial indicators. The algorithms were done in common open source programs Python and OpenCV, and standard image processing approaches including Canny Edge detection Hue, Saturation, Value color filtering, and contour tracking were utilized in algorithm development. The work in this thesis provides the foundational development of a non -invasive and automatic detection and tracking program for horse head and ear motion, including demonstration of the viability of this approach using videos of standing horses. This approach lays the groundwork for robust tool development for monitoring horses non-invasively and without the required presence of humans in such applications as post-operative monitoring, foaling, evaluation of performance horses in competition and/or training, as well as for providing data for research on animal welfare, among other scenarios. / MS / There are many things that cause pain in horses, including improper saddle fit, inadequate care, laminitis, lameness, surgery, and colic, among others.The well-being of horses is very important to their care takers, trainers, veterinarians, and owners. Monitoring the well-being of horses is particularly important in many scenarios including post-operative monitoring, therapeutic riding programs, racing, dressage, and rodeo events, among numerous other activities. This thesis describes the development of a computer-based image processing technique for automatic detection and tracking of both horse head and ear motion, respectively, in videos of standing horses. The techniques developed here allow for the collection of data on head and ear motion over time, facilitating analysis of these motions that may provide reliable indicators of horse pain, stress, or well-being. Knowing if a horse is in pain is difficult because horses are prey animals that have mechanisms in place that minimize the display of pain so that they do not become easy targets for predators. Computer vision systems, like the one developed here, may be well suited to detect subtle changes in horse behavior for detecting distress in horses. The ability to remotely and automatically monitor horse well-being by exploiting computer-based image-processing techniques will create significant opportunities to improve the welfare of horses. The work presented here looks at the first use of image-processing approaches to detect and track facial features of standing horses in videos to help facilitate the development of automatic pain and stress detection in videos and camera feeds for owners, veterinarians, and horse-related organizations, among others.

The control of chronic pain in equines is growing up recent years in function of the highest performance required of the animals in the different sportive modalities and the new look for methodologies of combat to animal maltreatment. It is cited even, the economic potentialities in the economic chain of the equine breeding to stimulation of the development of new technologies and products. In attendance to these rules, the work presented here brings the evaluation of the effectiveness and clinical security of a injectable neurolytic formulation for perineural use in equines. This type of drug is not yet available in Brazilian market. The Injectable Neurolytic Suspension (SNI) was formulated with ethanol, triamcinolone and bupivacaine, aiming at to use to advantage the neurolytic effect of ethanol, with no collateral inflammatory reactions and painful in local injection. The evaluation of chemical stability was carried through the evaluation of the loss of weight of the samples, variation of pH, time of sedimentation after the agitation and development of chromatographic method for identification and simultaneous determination of bupivacaine and triamcinolone. The clinical test was carried through per 180 days in five horses, having approached two aspects: (a)evaluation of the effectiveness of the neurolytic action and pain suppression of the SNI, and (b)the eventual toxicity related to the composition. The lameness was induced in the horses through the development of horseshoes method, carrying later through perineural infiltration of 5 mL of SNI in each branch of the palmar nerves. The evaluation of the SNI toxicity was carried out monitoring of the hepatic, kidney and skeletal muscle functions, measuring the serum levels of alanina aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), creatinofosfokinase (CK), Gamaglutamiltransferase (GGT), Urea and Creatinine. The SNI presented satisfactory chemical stability in temperatures of 4ºC and 20ºC. The clinical test indicated abolition of podal pain in the horses from 96 hours of infiltration, with effect kept up to 180 days. The SNI did not caused hepatic, kidney and/or skeletal muscle toxicity. All the results lead to a very promissory drug to this specific market in Brazil. / O controle da dor crônica em eqüinos tem evoluído nos últimos anos em função da maior exigência esportiva dos animais nas diferentes modalidades e da implantação de metodologias de combate aos maus tratos. Cite-se ainda que as potencialidades econômicas geradas no círculo da eqüinocultura acabam por estimular o desenvolvimento de novas tecnologias e produtos. Em atendimento a estes preceitos, o trabalho aqui apresentado traz a avaliação da eficácia e segurança clínica de uma formulação neurolítica injetável para uso perineural em eqüinos, até o momento inexistente no mercado nacional. A Suspensão Neurolítica Injetável foi formulada com etanol, triancinolona e bupivacaína, visando aproveitar o efeito neurolítico do etanol, sem causar as reações inflamatórias e dolorosas locais causadas pelo mesmo. A avaliação de estabilidade química foi realizada através da avaliação da perda de peso das amostras, variação de pH, tempo de sedimentação após a agitação e desenvolvimento de método cromatográfico para identificação e determinação simultânea dos teores de Bupivacaína e Triancinolona. O teste clínico foi realizado por 180 dias em cinco equinos, abordando dois aspectos: avaliação da eficácia da ação neurolítica e abolição da dor da SNI; e a eventual toxicidade relacionada à composição. Para a indução de claudicação nos eqüinos, foi desenvolvido método através de ferraduras, realizando posteriormente a infiltração perineural de 5 mL de SNI em cada ramo dos nervos palmares. A avaliação de toxicidade da SNI realizou-se através de monitoração das funções hepática, renal e muscular após as infiltrações, mensurando os níveis séricos de Alanina Aminotransferase (ALT), Aspartato Aminotransferase (AST), Creatinofosfoquinase (CK), Gamaglutamiltransferase (GGT), Uréia e Creatinina. A SNI apresentou estabilidade química satisfatória em temperaturas de 4ºC e 20ºC. O teste clínico indicou abolição da dor podal nos animais a partir de 96 horas da infiltração, com efeito mantido até 180 dias. A SNI não demonstrou causar toxicidade hepática, renal e/ou muscular, evidenciando a potencialidade de transformação em produto comercial.