Radiology

At The Pet Doctor, we use radiographs as a diagnostic tool every day to help determine the medical needs of our patients.

Radiographs, or X-rays, are an important diagnostic tool in veterinary medicine. Many of us have had radiographs at our own doctor’s office or even in the emergency room. In veterinary medicine, radiographs are commonly used to look for the presence of and severity of a bone break, to look for potential intestinal problems and obstructions, to evaluate the size and shape of organs, so look for possible abnormalities such as bladder stones or abdominal tumors and even to try to determine the number of puppies or kittens in a pregnancy.
We are also able to use radiography to do special procedures. One special procedure that we use regularly is the barium series. Barium is a radiopaque (shows up solid on radiographs)liquid that is quite visible when viewed on an X-ray. Veterinary patients commonly ingest foreign objects, such as toys, bones, etc. These can occasionally cause an intestinal obstruction and can become life threatening. We use the barium series to help us by watching the barium move through the pet’s intestinal tract. If there is an obstruction, the barium becomes trapped and we can locate the problem. Another special procedure allows us to watch a special liquid travel through the bladder and urinary tract. We can evaluate the system for any abnormalities.

At The Pet Doctor, we regularly send our radiographs for evaluation and interpretation by a board-certified veterinary radiologist.  This allows us to have a specialist consult on our cases and help us to make sure that we are providing the very best veterinary care.

We can also refer patients to a veterinary radiologist for more advanced diagnostics, such as Ultrasound, MRI and CT scans.  These less common procedures are occasionally needed for a diagnosis in some types of medical conditions.

Radiographs and YOUR pet!

Most often, we are able to perform radiographs in an awake animal without causing any stress or pain.  Occasionally a pet may need to have some type of anesthesia or sedation.  The need for sedation depends on the comfort level of the pet, the type and severity of an injury and the area that needs to be X-rayed.  If the pet is very painful or is very scared, sedation allows us to get the information that we need without causing more stress or discomfort to your pet.  The anesthesia or sedation allows the veterinarian to position the pet without having to risk poor quality images (or having to retake film because the dog moved). It can help us to get optimal images without more your pet having any discomfort or stress.

The procedure to get a radiograph of a pet is very simple.  A cassette containing X-ray film is placed under the pet on a special table. The x-ray beam is on a mechanical “arm” and is positioned over the area of interest. The radiograph creates images on the film in varying shades of gray based upon tissue density.

Different positions and additional films allow the veterinarian to see different angles of the area.  Multiple pictures reveal can show images of a fracture, tumor, obstruction or other health issue not visible in the first film.   The process taking radiographs can take 15 to 20 minutes, depending upon how many images are taken. The X-ray film is then processed. The veterinarian then looks at the films to diagnose the problem, and can create a recommendation for treatment.

At The Pet Doctor, we have many different safety protocols in place to help care for both our patients and our staff.  There are some safety issues involving the taking of radiographs.  There is no danger to your pet during a series of diagnostic radiographs.  For our staff members, we need to regularly evaluate their level of exposure to the radiation beam. At The Pet Doctor, we make sure that our radiograph machine is as safe as possible by having it evaluated according to established guidelines.  Our AAHA accreditation also requires us to have a radiation safety program in place.  This is one more commitment that The Pet Doctor has to providing the highest quality of medicine available.