Thermal Imaging Courses
Learn professional-level thermal imaging and reap its benefits in your work!
Whether you have never used a thermal camera before or already have some experience, our three-day intensive course will take your skills to the next level.
A fruitful investment for anyone involved in animal health or welfare.
The course is a three-day in-depth experience with a variety of thermal cameras for you to try out, a variety of animals to practice with, and extensive written course materials to take home.
Our courses are organized in small groups to maximize benefits for each participant: The topics are tailored to your professional interests, and there is plenty of individual tutoring and hands-on exercises.
We will guide you through everything you need to know to succeed in the use of a thermal camera.
What is thermal imaging?
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Find out more about the uses of thermal imaging in:
Monitoring health and welfare at zoos and on farms
Veterinary care and animal physiotherapy
The courses are organized in Helsinki, Finland. Each course runs from a Tuesday to a Thursday. The next courses will take place in March, April and/or May 2026. The dates will be selected according to the participants' wishes.
Click on the below to find out more about the course
If you are interested in potentially attending, please fill in your contact details below, and we will be in touch.
Contacting us does not bind you to anything. You can decide whether to participate after you have received further information.
Thermal Imaging for Veterinary Care
A professional-level course on in Helsinki, Finland
The course runs for three days, from Tuesday to Thursday. The dates of the next courses will be selected according to the wishes of the next participants, selecting dates that will work for each group of six.
Ideal for veterinarians, veterinary nurses, animal physiotherapists, and others working on animal health.
On the course, you will get
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In-depth knowledge on how to unlock the potential of thermal imaging in improving diagnosis, monitoring recovery, communicating with clients, and much more
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Practical excercises with animals and different types of thermal cameras
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A course diploma and plenty of illustrated instructions to take home
The main focus on the course will be is on small animals (dogs, cats, etc.), equids and production animals. However, we will tailor the content to fit the interests of the registered participants, including those working with ectotherms and other exotics.
How can your clinic benefit from using thermal imaging?
See a few examples below.
A diagnostic aid - and a powerful tool for communicating with animal owners
This is a thermal image of a dog, seen from above, with the head to the left.
See the temperature scale on the left-hand side of the image for information on which colours symbolise higher vs. lower temperatures.
This image reveals abnormally warm areas in the upper back and on the right hip, suggesting inflammation.
The bluish areas on the back are normal: they show the insulating effect of hair.
Programme and Topics
Topics covered will include
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Currently available methods to use thermal imaging in determining causes of lameness (which leg, is it joint or paw/hoof/foot, which leg, etc.), detecting local inflammation (arthritis, mastitis etc.), nerve damage, thromboembolism, and more.
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Understanding how thermal imaging works as a key to accurate imaging. What is infrared radiation, how does a thermal camera measure it, and how will this information help you prevent common errors? Thermal physics presented in an easily accessible, fun way!
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Common sources of error and how to prevent them. Opportunities and limitations in modern-day thermal imaging.
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How to select the right type of thermal camera for your needs?
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How to use the latest versions of free thermal analysis software to get more information out of the thermal images than meets the eye?
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Practical exercises with thermal cameras: How to plan for accurate imaging: what is the correct angle and height for the camera, and how to set the necessary parameters, from ambient and reflected temperature to emissivity? Learn to rapidly focus on a moving animal.
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How to use thermal images as a powerful tool to communicate with your clients.
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And much, much more
The programme at a glance:
Day 1 (Tuesday)
9:00 Lectures and demonstrations: Current uses of thermal imaging in veterinary medicine and animal physiotherapy, and what is needed to succeed in them.
12:00 Lunch
12:30 Hands-on introduction to a range of different thermal cameras and to easy-to-use analysis software. Getting familiar with them in practice.
17:00 End of the classes for the day
Day 2 (Wednesday)
9:00 Preparations for a reliable imaging session: learning the checklist to avoid measurement errors
10:00 Hands-on exercises with thermal cameras and animals
12:00 Lunch
12:30 Hands-on exercises with thermal cameras and animals, continued
17:00 End of the classes for the day
18:00 Course dinner
Day 3 (Thursday)
9:00 Buidling on the exercises of Wednesday: Using analysis software to uncover more information in the images you took.
12:00 Lunch
12:30 In-depth discussions: How to tap the full potential of thermal imaging in your work, tailored to each participant's interests. How to prepare for future developments in the field.
17:00 End of the course
The language of the courses is English.
The detailed programme will be sent to the participants after registration and payment.
Tailored to your interests: Before the course, we will contact all registered participants to find out more about your specific wishes, so that we can take those into account in planning the detailed contents of the course.
Suitable for beginners and experienced users alike: Because a substantial part of the learning will take place in small-group excercises, we will also be able to tailor the content for your level of prior experience.
The lecturer
Helena Telkänranta, PhD, is the Founder and CEO of the research company Arador Innovations, leading its development of new thermal imaging methods to measure animal and human health. Helena has previously carried out thermal imaging research at the University of Helsinki, Finland and the University of Bristol, UK.
Feedback from participants of earlier thermal imaging trainings:
"It exceeded my expectations."
"The presenter was approachable thorough and was very good at explaining both the physics and the practical/diagnostic applications."
"I learned so much and it was truly fascinating."
Thermal cameras
On the course, you will have the unique opportunity to try out a range of different thermal cameras. You will get hands-on experience on five different thermal camera models, from a low-cost model worth a few hundreds of Euros, all the way to high-resolution thermal video cameras worth tens of thousands of Euros.
The thermal camera models that you will use on the course are as follows: Hikmicro Eco-V, FLIR E60, FLIR T560, FLIR P640 and FLIR SC660.
If your organisation already has a thermal camera and you would like to bring it along to learn more about that model specifically, you are welcome to do so.
