Advanced Imaging 7 days a week

We perform high end x-ray, ultrasound and CT scans on site

As part of our dedication to providing the highest care possible for your pets, our hospital is fitted with the latest and greatest in diagnostic imaging equipment. Along with out suite of in-house lab equipment, it’s our ability to take x-rays, perform ultrasounds or CT scans on our cat and dog patients 7 days a week that sets us apart. Rest assured, you’re in good hands!

CT Scans

We’re proud to be one of the few general practice vet clinics in Australia to have a CT (computed tomography) machine for pets. This is essential to help us diagnose and treat spinal and other orthopaedic issues, as well as help us define cancers to guide the best treatment options.

A veterinary CT scan is always performed under a carefully monitored anaesthetic in our patients, as they must remain extremely still during the scan. The cost of the anaesthetic and CT scan of one body area in your dog or cat is $2500, which includes a veterinary radiologist report (please note this report takes 2-24 hours to receive back).

We can scan additional areas at the same time, which would incur additional cost and this would be discussed with you at the time.

We commonly use CT scans in dogs and cats to diagnose any spinal conditions, particularly intervertebral disc disease (IVDD) that we commonly see and treat in Dachshunds and Bulldogs. This allows us to narrow down the exact location of the injury and plan prior to surgery.

Additionally, we often perform CT scans to check for the extend of tumours or to look for any spread (metastases) that will guide us as to the best treatment possible for our patients.

For local vets, we extend our CT scans for dogs and cats to support you and will then send the report and images back to you so you can continue to treat your cases.

If you’re a pet owner, we also offer CT scans directly so you can simply call 02 9452 2933 and book in a CT scan without having to have a referral. We will then supply you or your vet with the report and of course we are available to help with ongoing treatment if you need us.

Abdominal and Heart Ultrasounds

Ultrasound in used in dogs and cats to gain further insights into the function and form of all abdominal organs, like the stomach, intestines, liver, gall bladder, kidneys, spleen and bladder.

Additionally, we have vets trained in performing heart ultrasounds in cats and dogs, called an echocardiogram (or echo for short). This is used when a heart murmur is picked up and allows us to diagnose which part of the heart is affected and therefore choose the right medication to treat the heart disease.

We take anaesthetic monitoring extremely seriously and are proud to offer the highest level of monitoring care for you pet.

We go above and beyond the accepted standards to include:

  1. monitoring of oxygen levels via an spO2 probe (called pulse oximetry)
  2. a continuous ECG trace to track the heart’s rhythm throughout surgery;
  3. blood pressure monitoring – this is the key to a successful recovery;
  4. carbon dioxide monitoring to ensure the lungs are able to blow off all harmful gases;
  5. patients are warmed with a ‘bair hugger‘ to prevent deleterious cooling;
  6. all patients receive intravenous fluids to ensure hydration remains perfect;
  7. we use the most modern anaesthetic machines and drug protocols.

Patient comfort is also key to recovery, so we go above and beyond. We ensure all patients are kept as comfortable as possible with a combination of local anaesthetic pain relief, opioid pain relief and anti-inflammatory pain relief.

The cost can vary slightly depending on what it is we need to ultrasound. As a general rule, ultrasounds are performed under a mild but carefully monitored sedation, which costs approximately $200 and the ultrasound of the abdomen or the heart costs $515.

For local vets, we extend our ultrasound scans of dogs and cats to support you and will then send the report and images back to you so you can continue to treat your cases.

If you’re a pet owner, we also offer ultrasounds directly so you can simply call 02 9452 2933 and book in an ultrasound without having to have a referral. We will then supply you or your vet with the report and of course we are available to help with ongoing treatment if you need us.

Digital X-Rays

Our high-end digital radiographs (x-rays) offer a level of quality not often seen in the veterinary setting. Our vets will interpret the x-rays on the spot and in the odd occasion we can’t reach a diagnosis, we will send them to radiologists for expert interpretation.

Whilst we try and would ultimately love to avoid it, in reality we need to perform the vast majority of x-rays in dogs and cats under sedation or anaesthetic. This is generally considered very safe and we take all precautions before, during and after the x-rays to make it as safe as possible. In doing so, we are able to have them in the right positions to get the most information we can out of the x-rays we perform.

Good question! There are lots of different types of x-ray generators and x-ray plates available and like anything in life, there is a range of the quality available. Our x-ray images use the latest technology to make the quality of the image extremely high, which gives us the best chance to get straight to our diagnosis.

The exact cost of the x-rays varies depending on whether sedation or anaesthetic is required, as well as how many body areas we need to image, e.g. just one leg or the abdomen and chest. As a guide, x-rays of one body area under sedation cost $850 and all costs would be discussed with you prior to proceeding.