Diagnostic Imaging Service for Pets
Diagnostic imaging allows our specialty team to examine your pet’s internal organs, bones, tissues, and body systems without exploratory surgery. At VSP Evansville, advanced imaging can help identify fractures, internal masses, swallowed objects, organ changes, and other conditions that may not be visible during a physical examination.
By creating a more detailed view of what is happening inside your pet’s body, veterinary diagnostic imaging supports more accurate diagnoses, focused treatment decisions, and better coordinated care.
Expert Care
For Complex Cases
Working Hours:
Wednesday – Thursday
7:30 AM – 2:00 PM
How Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging Can Help Your Pet
Advanced imaging gives veterinary specialists important information that cannot always be obtained through an examination or laboratory testing alone.
A More Accurate Diagnosis
Detailed images help identify the location, severity, and possible cause of an illness or injury. This allows the veterinary team to make treatment recommendations based on visible findings rather than assumptions.
Earlier Disease Detection
Imaging may reveal internal changes before they cause severe or obvious symptoms. Identifying a condition earlier can provide more treatment options and support more effective medical planning.
Noninvasive Evaluation
Many veterinary radiology procedures allow our specialists to examine internal structures without making an incision. Digital X rays and ultrasound are generally painless and place minimal physical stress on the patient.
Better Treatment Planning
Imaging helps the veterinary team understand the size, location, and relationship of an abnormal area to the surrounding tissues. These details may guide medical treatment, specialty surgery, or an image guided procedure.
Earlier Disease Detection
Repeat imaging may be used to track disease progression, evaluate healing, or determine whether a treatment plan is producing the expected results over time.
Why Choose VSP for Your Pet’s Imaging?
When your pet is unwell, you need meaningful answers rather than continued uncertainty. Our specialty team uses digital radiography, ultrasound, computed tomography, fluoroscopy, and echocardiography to evaluate complex medical concerns from several perspectives.
Each imaging method provides a different type of information, and the most appropriate test is selected according to your pet’s symptoms and medical history. Imaging findings are reviewed alongside examination results, laboratory testing, medications, and previous treatment. This complete approach helps our specialists understand how an abnormality may be affecting the rest of the body.
Advanced Imaging Options Available at VSP
Digital Radiography: Digital radiographs, commonly called X rays, create images of bones, joints, lungs, the chest, the abdomen, and selected internal organs.
Ultrasound: Ultrasound uses sound waves to create real time images of soft tissues and internal organs.
64 Slice Computed Tomography: A CT scan creates detailed cross sectional images that allow the veterinary team to examine complex anatomy with greater precision.
Fluoroscopy: Fluoroscopy provides moving X ray images in real time.
Echocardiography: An echocardiogram is an ultrasound examination of the heart.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging, and Why Might My Pet Need It?
Veterinary diagnostic imaging includes X rays, ultrasound, CT scans, fluoroscopy, and other technologies that allow specialists to examine areas inside your pet’s body.
Imaging may be recommended when symptoms such as limping, pain, vomiting, breathing difficulty, weakness, or unexplained weight loss cannot be fully understood through a physical examination alone.
The images provide additional information that can help identify the condition and guide the next stage of care.
How Are the Different Imaging Tests Used?
Each type of imaging provides a different view.
Digital X rays are commonly used to evaluate bones, lungs, the chest, and abdominal structures. Ultrasound provides real time images of soft tissues and organs. CT scans create highly detailed views of complex areas, while fluoroscopy shows movement inside the body.
The veterinary specialist selects the test most likely to answer the specific medical question.
Is Diagnostic Imaging Safe for Dogs and Cats?
Yes. Veterinary imaging is routinely used to evaluate dogs and cats safely.
Our team uses appropriate positioning, careful handling, and the lowest effective radiation settings when X rays or CT imaging are required. Ultrasound does not use radiation and is generally painless.
Some patients may need sedation or anesthesia to prevent movement and obtain clear, useful images. When this is necessary, the process and safety measures will be explained before the procedure.
How Can Imaging Results Change My Pet’s Treatment Plan?
Imaging can reveal a fracture, mass, organ abnormality, obstruction, fluid accumulation, or another internal condition that may not be detected through examination alone.
Once the affected area is clearly identified, the veterinary team can recommend a more focused treatment plan. This may include medication, continued monitoring, surgery, cancer care, or another specialty procedure.
Pets with a suspected internal mass may also need evaluation through our oncology and cancer care service.
Can Advanced Imaging Help My Pet Avoid Unnecessary Surgery?
In some cases, yes.
Detailed imaging may identify the source of a problem without exploratory surgery. It may also show that medical management or a minimally invasive procedure is more appropriate than an open surgical approach.
When surgery is needed, imaging helps the veterinary team plan the procedure more precisely and understand the structures surrounding the affected area.
Is a Veterinary Referral Required for Diagnostic Imaging?
Many imaging appointments are arranged by a primary veterinarian who has already examined the patient and completed initial testing.
However, a referral may not be required for every consultation. Pet parents can contact our specialty team directly for guidance about scheduling and the records needed before the appointment.
Providing previous laboratory results and diagnostic images can help reduce unnecessary repeated testing.
Will My Primary Veterinarian Receive the Imaging Results?
Yes. Our specialists work closely with referring veterinarians and can share imaging findings, reports, and treatment recommendations.
This collaborative approach helps your pet receive consistent care between specialty appointments and visits with their regular veterinarian.
Veterinary professionals can access available patient information through the appropriate VSP patient portal.