Over the past 18 months we’ve been very busy with our extension and refurbishment building project. Finally in January 2025 we had our new Canon CT scanner installed, then in February we had our final training ready for any patients needing this amazing form of advanced imaging.
CT stands for computer tomography which is a technology which can take x-rays coming from 360 degrees around the patient in a spiral pattern from one end to the other.
The powerful software is able to knit all these images together to create x-ray slices through the patient which give a much clearer definition of organs, bones and tissues than a plain x-ray or ultrasound can give. It even has the ability to create 3D images of tissues which can add further detail to the examination.
Over the past 2 months we have imaged around 40 patients and been amazed at the diagnoses that we’ve been able to make. Of course, not all results are nice for the pet or their owner, but having a more accurate diagnosis can make decision making and treatment planning so much easier.
We are fortunate to have many vets who are excellent surgeons and clinicians, but we also have a visiting orthopaedic specialist who is able to operate on more complex problems such as elbow or shoulder issues in young growing dogs.
Here are some images below with captions that have all come from our scanner in early 2025.
We will soon be offering the service as an outpatient procedure for other local practices to utilise. It is likely that our scans will be less costly than at a specialist centre, and we’re usually able to do them within a few days of a request.
Please note that all scans are done under general anaesthesia to ensure the patient can be positioned correctly and will remain still for the scan. We also make use of a ventilator which will automatically hold the patient’s breath whilst the scan occurs to avoid movement blur.
High-tech Anaesthetic Machine at Bicester Vets
We have invested in an advanced anaesthetic machine which will help to make anaesthetising pets even safer
Dory’s Diaphragmatic Dilemma
Dory’s situation was quite critical; some tests were done but there was a high risk of making her worse is she was stressed in any way
Jett’s Fractured Foot
When Jett was brought to the practice one Sunday in late January, his back foot was hugely swollen & painful
