Pet X-Rays in Melbourne
In-house services using new imaging equipment and software.
What are pet X-rays?
Pet X-rays are a key diagnostic tool that use focused radiation to create images of bones, organs, and tissues without surgery.
Different tissues absorb radiation differently (bones appear white, air-filled areas dark, and soft tissues in between), allowing us to detect issues like fractures, arthritis, or internal problems.
They also help rule out serious concerns when symptoms are unclear.
Our services
Dog x-rays
We offer high-quality radiographs for dogs to help diagnose a wide range of conditions.
Dog x-rays safely and non-invasively diagnose coughing, vomiting, limping, trauma, and monitor chronic illnesses or injuries.
Cat x-rays
Cats hide illness and injury, so X-rays are vital for revealing internal problems.
If your cat is unwell, limping, or recovering from an accident, our gentle, experienced team provides stress-free imaging.
Types of pet X-rays
Diagnostic X-Rays
Used to investigate signs of illness such as vomiting, coughing, breathing difficulties, or unexplained weight loss.
These images help identify issues like organ enlargement, fluid buildup, or foreign objects.
Orthopaedic X-Rays
Essential for evaluating lameness, joint issues, or fractures.
These are also used in preparation for surgeries like TPLO (Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy) or fracture repairs.
Dental X-Rays
Performed as part of routine dental procedures or when investigating painful teeth, swelling, or oral disease.
Dental x-rays reveal problems hidden beneath the gumline, such as root abscesses or bone loss.
Cardiac X-Rays
X-rays allow us to assess the size and shape of the heart and detect fluid buildup in the lungs.
This helps us monitor disease progression, adjust medications, and guide long-term treatment plans to keep your dog as healthy and comfortable as possible.
The benefits of a pet
X-ray
Many symptoms our pets show when they’re unwell can have a wide range of possible causes.
For example:
- A cough or change in breathing could be related to an infection, asthma, allergies, heart or lung disease, fluid around the lungs, or even cancer.
- Vomiting might result from a simple stomach upset, a toxin, a foreign object, pancreatitis, or other digestive issues.
- Lameness or limping could be due to arthritis, a muscle or ligament sprain, spinal problems, joint or bone infections, fractures, dislocations, or in some cases, cancer.
Pet x-rays help confirm or rule out diagnoses, guiding faster, targeted treatment. We also use specialised dental x-rays to detect issues with tooth roots and jaw bones that aren’t visible otherwise.
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FAQs
In almost all instances we will give your pet some sedation for their x-rays. Depending on their nature, the condition and their general health, this may be a mild or heavy sedation.
Sedation is very safe, and will often have a reversal agent that can bring your pet out of their sedation when we have completed the procedure. A veterinary nurse will monitor your pet’s breathing, heart, blood pressure and body temperature to ensure a smooth sedation and recovery.
There are several reasons we use sedation for x-rays:
- If a patient is fidgeting or panting, the x-rays will not be good enough for interpretation. Important details may be missed, or something could be incorrectly diagnosed.
- Sometimes the position we need to put them in might be uncomfortable or painful especially if we are investigating for example sore hips or a fractured leg.
As always, we want to avoid stress in our patients - a mild sedation is a great way to achieve that.
- Radiation safety is very important - a few x-rays are not harmful, however our staff can be involved in dozens of x-rays every week, over decades of their career. This means wherever possible we must not be physically holding our patient to keep them in the required position for their x-ray.
X-rays are safe for all our patients. If pregnant, we may try to avoid x-rays by using ultrasound instead. Sedation is also safe, even in the young and old. We monitor our patients closely and tailor the depth of sedation and medications used to each patient to optimise safety.
The images are ready instantly. It can take a while for our vets to review them in detail but we will usually discuss them with you on the day. We may also send the images to a specialist for further review - this can take a few days.
No. If the x-ray has been recommended by another practice, we will have a consultation with you and your pet before taking x-rays to examine your pet and discuss the condition in detail. Doing this means we get the most out of the x-rays and avoid missing anything important.
Follow-up care will depend on the nature of the condition, what we have found on x-ray and what treatment your pet has received. We will be able to discuss this with you in detail on the day.
Book your pet’s x-ray
