What is advanced imaging?
Advanced imaging is a blanket term for different types of scans that give your veterinarian a way to look inside your pet’s body without surgery. The most common forms of advanced imaging are CT scans, MRI scans, and ultrasounds.
Advanced imaging allows us to see parts of the body that we cannot see with an ordinary X-ray, so advanced imaging exams are often used in conjunction with other types of diagnostic testing such as blood work or physical examination to provide more information than what would be available through traditional diagnostics alone. Advanced imaging is noninvasive and painless for your pets!
Why should I bring my pet in for advanced imaging?
The most common reasons for advanced imaging in veterinary medicine are to diagnose difficult cases, look for internal damage from an injury, check for tumors, check for pregnancy and look for heart disease. Other possible reasons include checking on the progress of a disease or reducing the need for exploratory surgery.
If your pet is having difficulty or is in pain due to a condition that doesn’t have obvious symptoms, advanced imaging can be invaluable. For example, a cat may appear healthy but be suffering from kidney failure or cancer without showing any outward signs. Some conditions may even cause pain without causing any outward symptoms at all!
In these situations, it is often important not only to make sure that we rule out as many possibilities as we can with bloodwork and physical examination but also to take additional steps like CT scans, MRIs, or ultrasounds to get more information about what might be going on inside your pet’s body before beginning treatment options such as medication or surgery.
What do both ultrasound and CT scans involve?
Ultrasound involves a procedure that uses sound waves to produce an image of your pet’s internal organs, bones, and soft tissues. A CT scan uses multiple x-ray images taken from different angles around the body. The imaging technician will guide you and your pet through the steps necessary to complete the procedure.
If this is your pet’s first time having an advanced imaging scan, we recommend discussing any concerns with us in advance so we can help ensure a stress-free experience for everyone involved, including you!
Keep your pet healthy at VIP Animal Hospital
At VIP Animal Hospital, we are able to diagnose your pet quickly, accurately, and painlessly with these advanced imaging techniques. If your pet is in need of a checkup, give us a call today to book your next appointment and advanced imaging scan!