Capi Sensing

Promote health and happiness of dairy cows

The challenge

Heat stress is a growing issue for the dairy cow community, especially in cooler climate environments where barns do not have the infrastructure to cool their cows. Dairy cows are very sensitive to hot environments, they begin overheating at 18C. Continuous heat stress causes lameness and milk production reduction, it has also been shown to alter cow DNA causing damage to future generations. As climate change increases global temperatures and the frequency of heat waves, heat stress will only become a more prominent problem. Yet there is not a standardized way of quantifying heat stress. It is difficult for veterinarians not to affect their measurement by being near the cow causing the cow stress due to an unknown person. And distance measurements mean heart rate is not possible to measure.

The solution

Our solution measures an individual cow's heart and respiration rate from a distance. Using a hand-held device a veterinarian or inspector can determine the heart and respiration rate of the cow without any contact. Heart rate immediately increases when a cow is under heat stress and respiration rate increases 1-2 hours later. With a device that accurately measures heart and respiration rate, not only does this quantify their vital signs but helps standardize cows' stress management. Meaning veterinarians and inspectors can more clearly explain to a farmer the cow's distress. It also means farmers can label their products stress-free as more and more consumers want to know about the health and happiness of the animals their products come from.