What is a Veterinary Radiologist?
A Veterinary Radiologist / Diagnostic Imaging Specialist is a veterinarian who has undergone extensive additional clinical training (usually 3-4 years, over and above their veterinary degree). This training is usually in a university hospital environment as a clinical assistant or resident under guidance of experienced academic Radiologists. This training covers all species, including exotic and bird species, and all modalities of diagnostic imaging. This includes radiology and fluoroscopy, diagnostic ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT) and nuclear medicine. On completion of a rigorous examination process, the radiologist is registered as a specialist and/or board certified diplomate.
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What to expect....
At Vet Imaging Specialists, we care about you and your pet and are happy to discuss any queries you may have before or on the day of your pets appointment. Whilst we will always try and perform an ultrasound examination without sedation, some pets simply will not lie on their backs for the scan or are painful, uncomfortable or tense and need to be sedated. For this reason we ask that all pets be fasted for a minimum of 12 hours prior to an ultrasound examination. In general patients coming for heart scans do not require fasting but this can be discussed with one of our team members upon appointment scheduling. All patients may have free access to water at all times. Please ring us to discuss fasting for diabetic animals.
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Ultrasound examinations generally take 30-45 minutes and it is best to wait while your pet has his / her ultrasound examination performed. The imaging findings are generally discussed with you by your referring vet but, time permitting, the radiologist may discuss the findings especially if any additional imaging / sampling is required.
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Patients referred to Vet Imaging Specialists for advanced imaging such as Computed Tomography (CT) will need to have a general anaesthetic and thus also need to be fasted for a minimum of 12 hours. Patients undergoing CT examinations are generally dropped off in the morning and collected later in the day.
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Comprehensive reports are emailed to your referring veterinarian within 24 -48hours of the imaging study. Overall case management and care remains the responsibility of your referring veterinarian.
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