As part of our commitment to keeping up with the latest technology, we invested in a new high definition digital X ray system in 2014. This is linked to our practice management system so X rays can now be viewed from within the clinical records at any time, and gives more detail than ever before.

Our radiology suite is equipped with a 300MA high powered X ray machine (10x more powerful than the portable machines seen commonly in veterinary practice). Our patients are placed on an electro-magnetically controlled floating table top, equipped with a potter bucky. This room is also equipped with the same anaesthetic monitoring equipment as is used in the main operating theatre.

The advantage of using such sophisticated and powerful radiology equipment is that we can take more detailed images of the chest and abdominal cavities. This is especially important when investigating heart and lung conditions or when there is a suspicion of cancer and an accurate diagnosis is needed.

For health and safety reasons, and for the protection of our staff, we do not stay in the room when x rays are being taken. As a result, most x rays are performed under sedation or general anaesthesia, and in actual fact, it leads to better quality radiographs anyway. With patient safety being our number one priority, the radiology suite was designed so we could leave the room during an exposure, but still be in control of our anaesthetised patient. As you can see in the picture, the x ray tube head is mounted on tracks attached to the ceiling, so it can be moved out of the way when not in use. This room doubles as a minor ops/dirty ops theatre when the strict aseptic conditions of the main operating theatre are not required.

Dental Radiography

In 2014, we also invested in a dental X ray generator which links into our digital X ray system, further enhancing the service we can offer in dentistry.