How Are Dogs Positioned For Xrays?

[macoduck]

I've taken xrays of humans but I'm not sure of how dogs are positioned for xrays.

For a human forearm, I'd take 2 views: the AP with arm extended/palm up and the lateral with arm bent at the elbow with thumb up.

How does that translate to dog positioning? Laying on it's side you could do a lateral view of the front leg but how do you do the AP/PA position?

 

With veterinary digital xray equipment, how much does the tube head move? Can you do standing films since a tradition film bucky is not always needed for extremities?

Does the dog absolutely have to lay down? How often is it that a dog can tolerate foreleg positioning without being sedated?

[Guest avadogner]

I wasn't allowed to be present when my Ava had to have hip xrays done but they had to sedate her to be able to roll her hips into the position they needed. I am a RN with Trauma experience which worked close with xray techs so I asked my vet why she needed sedation. he said that thy have to be flat backed supine position and a vet tech holds their legs in the correct position. doing this unsedated is nearly impossible for the dogs to be still and it's incredibly stressful to them. He said she was likely to hurt herself if we didn't sedate her. She was 10 at the time so i was really nervous for her but she did great. My Ava did fine and we found out she has a congenital hip defect that is now the source of her pain at the age of 11. She never made it out of the training class for racing so we think her hip defect is probably why. I wish they would have let me be there but it's different when the patient is your baby. Good luck with everything!

-ava and augie's mum

[NeylasMom]

Are you asking about a certain body part? It really depends on which part you're x-raying.

[Guest Swifthounds]

Depends on what is being x-rayed.

 

Some dogs aren't very still for x-rays. Some need to be lightly sedated even for chest x-rays. All of my hounds and IGs that have had chest or limb x-rays haven't needed to be sedated. Neither of those types are extremely complicated in terms of positioning, though.

[tbhounds]

Ugh- I do it almost every day and I can tell you AP views on unsedated dogs can be tough. I place them in the sternal position and then I actually stradle them on the table. After another person postions the limbs (usually rotating the elbows in) I'll postion the patients head out of the beam. Can be some feat with a basset or a short limbed dog ( or for fun you should try a cat). I always use a tabletop setting with our machine.

[macoduck]

Are you asking about a certain body part? It really depends on which part you're x-raying.

 

The foreleg.

[MP_the4pack]

Even a foreleg, the may want several views. A front view, side view. The side view is easy, they just place them on their side, and depending on where they are looking if they stretch the leg (not painful stretch). If they need a front view, then the dog needs to be on their sternum, which might be hard for an unsedated dog.

 

Pearl with her heart disease had regular chest xrays. We plopped her on the xray table, on her side. I was with her (in lead suit) and she'd lay quietly while we took the pix.

When Onxy was limping in her back end, she needed to be knocked out because they really had to stretch her hind legs and manipulate them to get a good xray.

 

So, if a side view is all that's needed, it could be done without anesthesia if your dog is quiet.

My Diamond didn't need sedation when her OS was discovered in her shoulder. She laid quietly. And she was quiet when we discovered 6 months later, OS in her back leg too.

[tbhounds]

Sorry to disagree but, correct terrminology or not we use terms like AP in our practice all the time-- and yes meaning anterior/posterior. Even though the Veterinarian may just want a view of the carpus we always try to include as much of the limb as possible. Can't tell you how many incidental findings we stumble upon. Of course the doctor determines the positioning she/he would like.

We do not allow clients to help in Radiology because of the above mentioned risks. Also, quite frankly most pets seem better behaved without their, usually very nervous owners standing by.

[macoduck]

I asked my vet about positioning terms and he said he uses AP/PA along with dorsal, ventral, etc.

He also added that because Bandit was such a calm boy that he would not use sedation.

I had another thread going in H&M regarding Bandit. Vet feels the lump is not bony, is definitely not a lypoma but is partially attached. Given Bandit's age (13) and that it is not causing him pain, we will not do a biopsy. Should it change or get larger we'll revisit this.

Because I work as a rad tech I am exposed to radiation. It would not be a good idea for me to be in the room if one of my dogs was to be xrayed. I agree that they behave better when owners aren't around.