Digital Radiology for Your Pet

One of the greatest tools for veterinarians is the ability to use digital radiology for your pet. Most of you are familiar with seeing X-ray films that were held up to a lighted screen in order to view the image. These films were developed dipping them into vats of fluids in a dark room to fix and develop. I did this in the ’80s and ’90s. It would take 20 minutes to look at one film and often the film was barely readable. Automatic processors became available in the ’90s. This machine made developing faster and did away with the tanks of fluid. The film’s quality was improved but did not afford greater detail of the image taken.

The introduction of a digital X-ray machine is a game changer. The images are taken and are immediately viewed while the pet is still on the table. This makes it possible to reshoot the view or make changes as needed in real time. The X–rays are sent in seconds to a computer in each examination room for viewing by the doctor and the owner. The image has remarkable detail and can be magnified and moved as needed. Using digital tools, measurements can be taken and this can be compared to earlier views. Images taken on different dates can be viewed side by side for additional comparison.

We routinely take 3 – 5 views in order to visualize abdomen, thorax and the hips of our patients. These views may also be sent to a radiologist, who can read them and return a comprehensive report to us the next day.

Using Digital Radiology for Preventative Care

Adding X-rays to routine blood work can really give us a more complete view of a patient’s health. We can find incidental conditions such as bladder or kidney stones, an enlarged heart, or arthritic joints. Splenic tumors are extremely common and easily found on an X-ray. Anytime we can get the upper hand and find a problem early, treatments can be much more rewarding. I routinely X-ray my entire pet’s body annually. We highly encourage the use of full body radiographs of healthy pets after the age of 7. Of course, X-rays can be performed on pets of any age upon request.

Animal and Bird Hospital of Clearwater will always strive to give the best care for your pet. Early diagnosis is essential to this goal. We have discounted the costs of the X-rays and consultation for those clients wishing to take advantage of our early detection offer for full body X-rays. If your pet is healthy and doesn’t require sedation, the savings will be discounted approximately 30% of the usual pricing.

Please consider using digital radiology to reveal what’s really going on inside.