Medical Imaging

What do we mean by medical imaging?

We are talking about taking radiographs (X-rays) of your pet’s chest cavity, abdominal cavity, skeletal system (spinal vertebrae, neck vertebrae, leg bones, joints), nasal cavities and teeth.

We use our in-house X-ray machine to take X-rays of the chest and abdominal cavities and the skeletal system. We also use this machine to take certain views of your pet’s nasal and ear passages.

We also have a Dental X-ray machine just like your dentist has. With this machine we can look at the roots of your pet’s teeth just as your dentist looks at the roots of your teeth. We can check for dental caries (cavities) in the root system, cracked teeth, baby teeth that have not erupted through the gum line and tooth cysts that are disrupting the jaw bone of your pet.

We can also use our dental X-ray machine to take radiographs of the nasal passages of very small or young dogs and cats.  

In addition we can use our dental X-ray machine to take X-rays of a very young or a very small pet’s (rabbit, rat, hamster, guinea pig) leg looking for a fracture. This machine can give us a lot more detail than the larger X-ray machine can when we are trying to take radiographs of very small animals.

Ultrasound: In special cases we might need to use our ultrasound machine to get samples from your dog’s bladder for analysis of their urinary tract infection. We use our ultrasound for getting special samples we need from the abdominal cavity. Sometimes an animal’s abdominal cavity is full of fluid. We need to get a sample to help us determine what kind of fluid it is, what kind of cells are in it (cancer? Red blood cells, bacteria and so forth), what is the protein level in the fluid, etc. By using ultrasound we can be sure to get a sample of the fluid and not penetrate a vital organ or blood vessel with our sterile sampling device.

We also offer the services of a mobile Board Certified Cardiologist (heart specialist) for your pet’s special needs. He comes to our hospital so you and your pet do not have to travel a long distance to get a cardiac echo (ultrasound).

We also offer the services of a mobile Board Certified Radiologist for your pet’s special ultrasound needs with respect to the abdominal cavity, neck organs and chest cavity other than heart disease.

Medical Imaging also refers to more advanced imaging modalities such as MRI, CT scan and Endoscopy.  We will be happy to refer you to the appropriate specialist (there are many specialty groups in the San Diego area) if upon examination of your pet and listening to your pet's history we feel that it is in your pet's best interest to be referred to a specialist for one of these advanced procedures. 

If you pet is ill (decreased appetite, drinking more or less water than normal, vomiting, having diarrhea, depressed or hiding) don’t wait, call our office (858-484-1260) for an appointment today. The sooner we see your pet the better.