X-rays or more correctly ‘radiographs’ can be taken of any part of the body. They allow us to look at various structures within the body from different angles depending on how the animal is positioned. They are produced by passing radiation in the form of x-rays through the body onto a kind of photographic film. Tissues of varying density absorb the x-rays to different degrees, therefore bones stand out very well and soft tissues appear with different shades of grey.

Radiographs are used primarily to assess bones and the major organs of the body. The information they can give us about bones can be very detailed. They will also allow us to assess the size and shape and the overall appearance of various organs. They cannot tell us how the actual organs are functioning or give information about their very fine structure. Most soft tissues have a similar ‘radiodensity’ and so will appear to have similar structure on a radiograph. Tissues that are surrounded by bone such as the brain can not be imaged with a radiograph.

To take radiographs of your pet we will normally advise a general anaesthetic or sedation. This allows us to position your pet in the way that we want and it prevents any movement while the radiograph is taken. It also means that your pet is not distressed in any way by the procedure as they are totally unaware. Taking radiographs is painless and non-invasive and gives a lot of information which we can use often coupled with blood samples to help make our diagnosis.

We have facilities at both practices to take x-rays so your pet will not need to be transported to another premises for this procedure.