Our CT machine is one of the few in our region that is exclusively for veterinary use.  It is able to capture images so fast that we can often get our studies done with only sedation. 

There are certain times when a CT is better than an MRI for diagnosing your pet’s disease.  So don’t be too surprised if we recommend this test even though you might have been anticipating an MRI.  You see, CT is much better for imaging bones and it’s faster than an MRI as well.  Also, in cases of acute bleeding the CT has excellent and sometimes (in the very very early stages) better sensitivity than an MRI for making a diagnosis.  Finally, if your pet has any metal implants (pacemaker, vagal nerve stimulator, programmable V-P shunt) it may not be safe to perform an MRI but a CT scan can often help us.

The CT scan is just like an X-ray in that it exposes your pet to minute amounts of radiation.  Regardless, it is a very safe test. 

Hopefully, this has given you a little more insight and understanding of what our CT machine is and how it works.  But like any other tool, it is only as useful as the skilled individuals at the controls.  If you’d like to know more about our machine, don’t hesitate to ask!