How does a radiologist help your pet?

Seven-month-old Oscar is normally full of energy and excitement. But on this particular Saturday, his owner noticed changes in Oscar. The pup seemed uncomfortable. So, they made a trip to the Veterinary Specialty Centre for Emergency treatment.

Our emergency vet examined Oscar and found he was experiencing neck pain. One of the things we worry about with young dogs and neck pain is meningitis. Meningitis is a painful inflammatory condition of the spinal cord. Oscar was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit for pain management, with plans to do advanced diagnostics with our radiology and surgery departments.

Our radiology and surgery departments worked together to perform a CT scan and a CSF tap on Oscar. A CSF (Cerebrospinal Fluid) tap involves taking a sample of fluid from the spinal column. This fluid is sent to a pathologist for review to rule in or out several important disease processes when dealing with neck or back pain.

These tests allowed our team to diagnose Oscar with steroid responsive meningitis. We do not fully understand what causes this disease, but - as the name suggests - it responds well to steroid therapy. Oscar began steroid treatment and is back to being healthy.

Check out these pages on our website for more information about our emergency services and radiology department.