A veterinary clinic in Inverness is seeing the bigger picture with the north’s first permanent CT scanner for pets.
Scottish Vet Referrals located at Inverness Campus took delivery of the £280,000 machine in December, bringing it 500 miles north from Gloucester-based firm, MIUS.
The 64-slice Toshiba Aquilion CT scanner is a high resolution system combining a series of x-ray images to build a detailed 3D image of the internal skeletal structures of each animal.
The device is stored within a lead-lined unit located adjacent to the independent referral practice.
Veterinary ophthalmologist Tony Wall, partner at Scottish Vet Referrals spoke of the benefits this device will bring in detecting a multitude of conditions effecting pets across the north.
He said: “It is the only permanent CT scanner in the north of Scotland and it massively increases the diagnostic imaging potential. Its uses are wide and varied, and include the investigation of orthopaedic conditions, respiratory diseases, and the detection/staging of known or suspected cancers.
“There is a strong ethos of collaboration, research and “one health” on the Inverness Campus. It is hoped that this scanner will be an adjunct to this long term vision of working in partnership with other groups on the campus. The current COVID-19 crisis has exemplified the importance of these principles for the future.”
Practice manager and registered veterinary nurse (RVN) Donna Gibson added: “It’s a good bit of kit to have.”
Customers and their sick pets were previously referred to treatment centres in the north east and central belt for advanced diagnostic imaging, due to the lack of facilities in the Highlands.
Fellow partner and ophthalmologist Kirsten Macleod said the new state-of-the-art device will help in reducing delays for treatment.
She said: “Previously, to access a permanent CT scanner meant a journey to Aberdeen or Stirling so its addition provides a significant reduction to travel times and delays for patients in the north of Scotland.
“Having a scanner of this kind in the North is an important development. A lot of animals do not like travelling in a car at the best of times, and when unwell are further stressed and vulnerable.
“In the past, this has often precluded owners from accessing more specialised veterinary care. Now, if they can come here, instead of having to go further afield, their condition can be more fully investigated without compromising their welfare and without any delay.”
The Inverness centre was established by local vets Ms Macleod and Mr Wall in 2015.
