Radiography - (X-rays)

Radiography has been around for many years, and is still the medium of choice for examining many internal tissues and organs - most noteably the skeletal system.

Our purpose built X-ray room and adjacent dark room enable us to take images of all species from the largest dog to the smallest lizard. In fact our X-ray machine is powerful enough and portable enough to be taken out to stables and livery yards to radiograph horses as required.

We have also invested in an automated film processor which gives us consistent, high quality results in the shortest possible time.

Hip dysplasia is a common hereditary condition - especially in some of the larger breeds of dog. It is only by taking radiographs of dogs and bitches before breeding that the condition can be reduced in future generations. The picture on the left shows normal hips, whilst that on the right shows quite severe hip dysplasia.

Apart from plain radiographic films, we are also equipped to use special contrast media such as BIPS (Barium Impregnated Polyethylene Spheres) to study gut motility, Barium meal, and injectable radio-opaque solutions to study the spinal canal, bladder, blood supply to the kidney and to assess excretion by the kidney.

Radiography is also extremely useful to assess dental disease. Tooth root abscesses and abnormal tooth growth, especially in rabbits, are quite common and X-rays can help us plan our treatment and assess the likely future prognosis.

Naturally, radiography comes into its own in the assessment of fractured bones. Unfortunately trauma through road traffic accidents is all too common amongst domestic pets. We are fully equipped with the latest ASIF orthopaedic equipment, to cope with all sorts of complicated fractures and dislocations. Twenty years ago fractured bones in pet animals would often have resulted in euthanasia - fortunately nowadays that is becoming a rarity.

Many of our pets, like us, will eventually suffer from arthritis. Radiography is an excellent way to assess the location and extent of any arthritic change and to monitor the progress of disease and response to treatment.

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