Facilities : Diagnostics : Radiography
Radiography is the process by which we can take an x-ray picture of your pet.
An x-ray allows us to see structures inside your pets body.
This can help us to find out what problem your pet has by comparing an x-ray of your pet to what we would normally expect to find in that part of the body.
For example if we take an x-ray of your pet's chest if he is coughing we may see that his heart is larger than it should be or that there is fluid in parts of his lungs where there should be air.
Why does my pet need an x-ray?
Some things show up better on x-rays than others.
Bones and other dense structures show up very well on an x-ray.
This means that if we suspect a broken bone (which we call a fracture) after a road accident an x-ray is a very good way of telling this.
If you suspect your dog has swallowed a stone which is making him sick this would also show up well.
Things that are less dense don't show up so well and so it may be more difficult to reach a diagnosis.
If you think your dog has swallowed a sock or a piece of soft toy this may not show up very well and we may need to make a decision based on other signs on an x-ray such as air in the intestine where it shouldn't be.
If there is a lot of fluid in the abdomen, after a bleed for example, it can be difficult to see the internal organs through this so we may recommend an ultrasound examination in addition.
What happens when my pet comes in for an x-ray?
If your vet has advised an x-ray normally we will admit your pet for the morning.
Due to Ionising Radiation regulations our staff are not allowed to hold your pet still for an x-ray to be taken.
Also some of the positions that we need to take the x-ray from are not the most natural for your pet to be in, for example lying on its side for a cat to have an x-ray of its chest.
This means that, unless we feel your animal is very ill and would lie quietly on the table by itself as it is too weak to move, we will normally administer a sedative or general anaesthetic.
This means we can get the best possible picture without causing any unnecessary distress to your pet or any risk to our staff.
We would normally use the minimum amount of sedation we feel we need for the particular x-ray.
However some procedures, such as x-rays of the bladder that need contrast material to be put in through a urinary catheter or hip score x-rays that need the dog to be positioned exactly on its back, will require a full anaesthetic.
We will always try make you aware of whether your pet will be having a full anaesthetic or just sedation.
We have a modern automatic x-ray processor which means that our films are of consistent quality and are developed very quickly cutting down on the time of the procedure.
What happens afterwards?
After the x-ray has been taken we may need to do further procedures depending on the results.
We will always request a contact phone number in case this is the case.
We will usually ask for you to see a vet when you collect your pet to discuss the outcome of the x-rays and to view them yourself if you so wish.
If this is not possible at collection we will try to arrange an alternate time for this to happen.
