What to Do – And – Not to Do when You Find a Stray Animal

Thermal Imaging – See problems Before they Happen

Not Just Pretty Pictures

Thermal Imaging or Thermography is a very powerful diagnostic tool which has been around for quite a while even though you may not have come across it here in Australia.

Certainly in the United States, it has been used for quite some time, most commonly in the Equine Industry.

What is Thermal Imaging and What does it Show?

Thermal imaging involves the use of a special IR (Infrared) Camera which detects the heat emitted from the body’s surface. By assigning a specific colour to each temperature range captured, an image is formed which is then stored inside the camera’s mini computer.

Areas of inflammation, chronic or acute, show up as colder or hotter than normal temperatures on the image.

Unlike X-Rays or Ultrasound which detect abnormal structual changes within the body, Thermal Imaging is a “Physiological” diagnostic tool.

This means it reflects the body’s physiological state at that time. Although Thermographic images measure only surface skin temperature, they reflect changes in circulation within deeper body tissues.

For example: it’s an ideal diagnostic tool for discovering the source of lameness where the lameness can’t be associated with any particular structure visible on X-Ray – a perplexing problem for most vets..

Another benefit is that it shows up soft tissue damage not visible through X-Rays and captures pictures of the whole horse which X-Rays don’t..

It’s most commonly used to evaluate back or hind limb lameness and for performance and pre-purchase assessment.

Lateral Equine	Equine Hoof Inflammation evident	Equine Fore	Dog	Equine Back

Is Thermal Imaging Safe?

Yes, Absolutely. Thermal Imaging is completely safe as, unlike X-Rays it is completely non inasive to the body. The patient is not sedated for imaging and restrained only via a halter and lead rope (Horses) or collar and lead for dogs.

What should a Normal Image look like?

The first thing a Thermographer looks for is symmetry. This means thermal patterns should be the same on both sides of the body. This reflects a normal, healthy state. Any areas which are coooler or warmer than the corresponding opposite indicate a potential problem.

The best thing about Thermal Imaging is that it can detect changes happening within the body before they turn into more serious visible problems and cause further injury to the patient. This means corrective treatment can start sooner saving you money and the animal from further pain.

What we have used Thermal Imaging for so far

1. To pinpoint the origin of lameness in numerous dogs. Thermal imaging allowed us to image all four limbs and discover which leg was the cause of the problem. This meant less X-Rays were needed to make a final diagnosis.
2. Detecting the presence of a hoof abscess and other areas of inflammation in a lame horse. Hoof abscesses show up very clearly in Thermal imaging.
3. Highlighting areas of nerve damage in dogs and Horses
4. Discovering areas of stress and inflammation on performance horses and in combination with Laser
5. Therapy, reducing pain and improving performance.

Thermal Imaging Service is Available Now

All our Thermal Imaging services include a full veterinary report. This means you don’t need to to pay an additional fee for veterinary interpretation and recommendations.

Our Thermographers have undergone training with Dr Donna Harper DVM, a Board Certified Veterinary Thermographer in the United States and she remains the referral vet for some of our more difficult or unusual cases.

If you’re interested in Thermal Imaging for your lame horse – please give us a call.

Learning about pets is much more fun when you’ve got good company.

So join our online community and share your thoughts and experiences with us, be inspired by the stories of others and even get answers to tricky questions along the way.

Chances are – the question you ask can help someone else out there make a better decision – maybe even save a pet’s life! Who knows.

So don’t by shy – post a picture of your pets and share their favourite activities, comment on a post, ask us a question or join in on a discussion. We’d love to hear your views.

Please feel free to also use our Facebook Wall for other things, like:

• Lost a pet? Post your message and a photo. Who knows, somebody might know somebody who has found her
• Need to find a good home for your pet. The perfect parents could just be a click away
• Keep us posted on your pet’s recovery. We always like to know how things are going.
• Found a great product? Let us know about it and where to get it.
• Read an interesting article or opinion. Please share it with us.
• Pet Memorial. Keep your pet’s memory alive by posting a tribute on our site. A fitting place to celebrate the wonderful life you shared with your best friend.

Naturally, we’ll do our bit too. We believe that all learning is best shared and we’re happy to share what we know with like minded people like you.

We’ll keep you posted on new products, special offers, interesting articles and important news that comes across our desks. Plus we’ll be answering some of your most Frequently Asked Questions here.

And last – but not least, hopefully you’ll get to learn more about us too and what we do. It’s a way to throw open our doors to you and give you a glimpse of what happens in our world on a daily basis.

So please follow, participate and learn with us.

While we’ll certainly accomodate most choices people make about the level of care they want for their pet – this one goes a little too far.

Like when you’re faced with a very sick animal and – the owners refuse to do anything?

It’s a tough call. And a very emotional one at that. After all aren’t we meant to look out for the welfare of animals? Speak for those that can’t?

We know how much pain and discomfort they’re in but somehow we don’t always manage to get that point across.

We understand that we can’t save every patient that comes through our doors. Some are already fading away through old age, some are seriously ill or critically injured however, there is ALWAYS something we can do for them. Even if it means the ultimate in palliative care – euthanasia.

To present a sick animal to us and then refuse any veterinary care by arguing “I don’t want to put her through that” or “I don’t feel it’s worth it at her age” or “I’ll take her home and think about it for a few days” is unacceptable.

You need to do SOMETHING. At the very least – allow us to manage the pain and discomfort while you decide whether to proceed with further treatment or not.
“But giving injections is painful and we don’t want to hurt her” you argue.

So does this mean -taking her home and leaving her to die a slow and painful death is the kinder option?

It most certainly is not. And for us – knowing that this will be the case is upsetting to say the least.

Most of the problems with situations like these stem from the fact that animals rarely vocalise their pain. They don’t complain or cry like we do. This leads people to believe there is no pain which of course is untrue. Kidney and Liver disease, heart failure, arthritis, cancer, dental disease (common conditions which result in these scenarios) can be painful conditions and without intervention of some kind add undue stress to your pet.

Imagine how awful it would be for any of us to have these conditions and have to endure them without any pain relief or medical help of any kind?

So if you’re ever faced with difficult choices when your pet becomes sick or is injured, please think about the implications of your decision.

Please – let your vet help you make the right choices – for you and your pet.

For standard procedures, most service companies have a price. The mechanic will have a set fee for a tune up and check over, the carpet cleaner will have a set fee per room and the fencer will have a set fee per metre of fencing (depending on the type of fence you choose).

It’s no different with choosing prices for standard procedures such as desexing, vaccinations, microchipping or consultations. These are all what we call – routine procedures and they all have a set fee. Desexings of course will vary with bodyweight so you’ll be given a cost based on the weight of your pet.

However, this does not necessarily mean the services can be compared by price alone. You need to find out what’s included to get a real idea of value.

The mechanic who charges $40 more for a tune up and service may be checking and or replacing many more things than the cheaper quote. He may use better quality engine oil or brake fluid.

The more expensive carpet cleaner may be using more expensive or environmentally friendly chemicals. The carpets may dry quicker. Who knows.

The point is, you need to find out what you’re actually getting for your money. What’s included, what’s not. What extra length do they go to in assuring safety or quality?

Just because something is routine or standard, doesn’t mean it’s approached in the same way.

It’s no different when seeking out veterinary services. Find out exactly how things are done and what – exactly is included. Medications can vary, approaches to treatment and surgery can vary, anaesthetics used can vary, time can vary. In fact, a lot of things can be different including expertise.

Then decide if any of these things are important to you.

This will give you the much added peace of mind when leaving your best friend at the vet.