Invited Review: Current state of wearable precision dairy technologies in disease detection

Abstract

ABSTRACT Purpose The primary objective of this review article is to provide insight into the role of wearable precision dairy technologies (WPDT) in detection of lameness, mastitis, metabolic disorders, and metritis. Sources This review is separated into 3 sections: overview of technology development; WPDT behavioral variables linked to disease; and WPDT detection of disease and disorders. Through Web of Science, Google Scholar, and SPAC (Searchable Proceedings of Animal Conferences, ADSA), 99 publications were identified that discuss WPDT that can be used for disease detection and associated similar abnormal behaviors. Synthesis Precision dairy technology is the real-time monitoring of animals through behavior monitoring, milk constituents, milk yield, video analysis, record analysis, and physiological monitoring. Technologies can be wearable, incorporated into the milking system, stand alone, or part of the management software. Real-time monitoring has the potential to improve individual cow management and overall farm efficiency. Wearable precision dairy technologies reside on or within the cow for some amount of time. These WPDT currently can measure an individual cow’s time spent at the feed bunk, rumination time, eating time, lying time, standing time, walking time, activity, lying-to-standing transitions, temperature, and rumen pH and provide a cow’s location. Recently, WPDT marketed for estrus detection were adapted for disease detection. Conclusions and Applications Potential does exist for WPDT disease detection. Technologies can identify changes in behavior associated with disease or disorders, although no technologies currently provide disease-specific alerts. Future studies should focus on incorporating multiple behavior, physiological, and herd records with machine-learning techniques to create timely, disease-specific alerts.