Digital Radiology
What can x-rays help diagnose?
X-rays are one of the most helpful, and frequently used tools in veterinary healthcare. They can help vets get a view of your pet's bones, tissues, and internal organs so that they can diagnose issues such as broken bones, bladder stones, swallowed foreign objects, and more. Although x-rays have proven to be extremely useful for veterinarians, they are not always conclusive so further diagnostics may be recommended.
Will my pet need sedation?
Sedation is sometimes required in order to get a clear x-ray. If your pet is calm, not in too much pain, and able to lay in a comfortable position while the x-ray is being taken, sedation will not be necessary. On the other hand, if your pet is squirmy or in pain sedation will be recommended.
What's the difference between x-ray and ultrasound?
Ultrasound uses soundwave technology to create an image of the internal organs. It is used to look mainly at soft tissue structures versus bone. Veterinarians perform ultrasounds to get a picture of individual organs in better detail, and can help decipher between soft tissue structures, masses, and fluid.
During an X-ray a beam passes through the subject and the electromagnetic waves of the beam get absorbed by different structures at varying degrees. Bone absorbs X-ray beams much more than air, therefore bone shows up as white on images and air shows up as black. Organs all vary with the degree of absorption, which helps outline each structure. An ultrasound can be used in conjunction with X-rays to get a full picture of what could be going on with your pet.