Sometimes, it is difficult to determine your pet's condition by looking at the animal with only your eyes. An X-ray / radiography image provides a more complete image of what is going on inside your pet that may cause illness. Pet Hospitals of Hawaii specializes in radiography to accurately diagnose and treat animals. We use advanced technology and employ experienced technicians to take proper care of your pet.

Veterinary X-Rays 

X-rays pass through the patient's body before being captured on film or a digital image projected on a screen. Your pet is at no risk of harm while undergoing noninvasive imaging, but animals brought to us in pain or a distressed state may require sedation before we take images. If we must evaluate a broken bone, investigate injuries caused by trauma or look for an object your pet swallowed, we often recommend internal imaging.

Compared to other diagnostic tools, X-rays offer an efficient evaluation method, and they give us a clear picture. The images provide a generous viewing area of your pet's internals, better ensuring a more accurate diagnosis. This diagnostic technique exposes pets to small amounts of radiation, but we take every precaution to protect them. Further, no reports offer evidence that pets experience adverse effects from exposure to the small dose of radiation.

Importance of X-Rays

Even if your pet is not in pain or distressed, X-rays still have their uses in standard medical care. For instance, we recommend taking images of your dog's teeth. Dogs cannot communicate that they have a tooth disease, and they may not display any signs of being in pain because of a tooth. Often, taking diagnostic images of your dog's teeth is the only way to determine if an issue exists and give your pet relief. Even if a pet's teeth appear healthy, as with humans, underlying issues visible only on X-rays may compromise the animal's oral health if they remain untreated.

Whenever you take your dog in for a tooth cleaning, ask for internal images. We recommend taking images at least once a year, or when your dog has swollen gums; bad breath; oral growths or missing, broken or discolored teeth.

No matter the reason for taking images, dogs require sedation beforehand. Like humans, animals must remain still during prevention procedures, oral assessments, and treatment. Anesthesia allows our technicians to accurately position the sensor. Once we examine your dog and complete pre-anesthetic tests, we have the information to create unique anesthesia for your pet. Our technicians keep a close eye on our anesthetized patients.

Contact Us

Are you interested in learning more about our cutting-edge diagnostic tools and internal imaging? Contact a Pet Hospitals of Hawaii representative today with your questions or if you would like to schedule an appointment. We look forward to seeing you and your pet!